While it was certainly no advertisement for the sport of drag racing,
the way those guys were driving them with bitter determination and no
shortage of skill was one of the highlights of the week for a viewer. For
the competitors it must’ve seemed like hell.
Jarrod laid down a 5.559 at a stonking 143.88mph, which was
enough to hold down third spot, while Adam eked out a meagre 5.862
after struggling with fuel pump problems and dropped a place in the
overall standings.
The two West Aussie Commodores adapted well to the eighth-mile
track and claimed the third- and fourth-quickest passes of the day,
Lorenzo Gullotto with a 5.458 and Josh Lopreiato with a 5.460. Josh
nabbed fourth spot overall from Adam Rogash. Harry Haig dropped to
seventh with a 5.996, but top of his list of worries at the end of the day
was replacing his failing gearbox.
The drive to Swan Hall was a relatively short 220km. Small mercies are
all you can hope for during Drag Challenge.DAY TWO: TOP FIVE OUTRIGHT1 QUENTIN FEAST, Holden LH Torana 13.668
2 MARK DREW, Holden LH Torana 13.677
3 JARROD WOOD, Holden HQ one-tonner 13.851
4 JOSH LOPREIATO, Holden VZ ClubSport 14.040
5 ADAM ROGASH, Holden VK Commodore 14.27101: Will Baker’s chassis-
twisting ProCharged
LS-powered HX wagon ran
consistent 10s all week,
with only a cooling issue
on Day One
02: Two turnin’ and two
burnin’ – Andrew Grimes’s
just-completed boosted Barra-
powered – of course – Territory
has around 470kW at the
treads. All week Andrew was
concerned about the durability
of the front differential, but
thankfully there was no big
bang as the car’s heft and
grunt unloaded the front
wheels when leaving the line
03: Harry Haig thrashed all
night in Adelaide to fix a dead
Powerglide pump seal, then
drove through the night to
make it to Mildura. “Anyone
that made it to Mildura was
a bad MF in my book,” Harry
said. “It was the hottest I’ve
ever been and I don’t deal with
heat all that well!”
04: After a DNF last year, Mark
Clifford’s ’69 Muzzy placed
second in Tuff Mounts Outlaw
Aspirated this time. Sporting
a whopping 610ci Boss Hemi
backed by a Reid two-speed
and 9in, the apso ’Stang
pumps out 1178hp and ran a
9.13@149mph best at DC1705: Warrnambool local Wayne
May drove his 302ci Windsor-
powered ’70 Mk I Escort the
whole distance – no tow cars.
“It was a drag car that I’ve
changed into a street car,”
Wayne said. “With a four-
speed BTR trans, 2700 stall and
9in with 4.56 gears, it easily sat
on 2500rpm at 100km/h”BELOW: Jarrod Wood’s
heavyweight one-tonner
maintained its position at third
outright on Day Two, though it
was still some ways off its PB
of 7.60@170mph as the heat
made it brutally difficult for
the torque monster to get out
of the holeJARROD WOOD LAID DOWN A 5.559 AT A STONKING 143.88MPH,
WHICH WAS ENOUGH TO HOLD DOWN THIRD SPOT
While it was certainly no advertisement for the sport of drag racing,
the way those guys were driving them with bitter determination and no
shortage of skill was one of the highlights of the week for a viewer. For
the competitors it must’ve seemed like hell.
Jarrod laid down a 5.559 at a stonking 143.88mph, which was
enough to hold down third spot, while Adam eked out a meagre 5.862
after struggling with fuel pump problems and dropped a place in the
overall standings.
The two West Aussie Commodores adapted well to the eighth-mile
track and claimed the third- and fourth-quickest passes of the day,
Lorenzo Gullotto with a 5.458 and Josh Lopreiato with a 5.460. Josh
nabbed fourth spot overall from Adam Rogash. Harry Haig dropped to
seventh with a 5.996, but top of his list of worries at the end of the day
was replacing his failing gearbox.
The drive to Swan Hall was a relatively short 220km. Small mercies are
all you can hope for during Drag Challenge.DAY TWO: TOP FIVE OUTRIGHT1 QUENTIN FEAST,HoldenLH Torana 13. 668
2 MARK DREW, HoldenLHTorana 1 3. 677
3 JARROD WOOD, Holden HQ one-tonner 13 .8 51
4 JOSH LOPREIATO, Holden VZ ClubSport 14. 040
5 ADAM ROGASH,Holden VK Commodore14.27 101:Will Baker’s chassis-
twisting ProCharged
LS-powered HX wagon ran
consistent 10s all week,
with only a cooling issue
on Day One
02: Two turnin’ and two
burnin’ – Andrew Grimes’s
just-completed boosted Barra-
powered – of course – Territory
has around 4 7 0kW at the
treads. All week Andrew was
concerned about the durability
of the front differential, but
thankfully there was no big
bang as the car’s heft and
grunt unloaded the front
wheels when leaving the line
0 3: Harry Haig thrashed all
night in Adelaide to fix a dead
Powerglide pump seal, then
drove through the night to
make it to Mildura. “Anyone
that made it to Mildura was
a bad MF in my book,” Harry
said. “It was the hottest I’ve
ever been and I don’t deal with
heat all that well!”
0 4:After a DNF last year, Mark
Clifford’s ’69 Muzzy placed
second in Tuff Mounts Outlaw
Aspirated this time. Sporting
a whopping 610ci Boss Hemi
backed by a Reid two-speed
and9in, the apso ’Stang
pumps out 1178hp and ran a
9 .13@149mph best at DC1 705 : Warrnambool local Wayne
May drove his 302ci Windsor-
powered ’70 Mk I Escort the
whole distance – no tow cars.
“It was a drag car that I’ve
changed into a street car,”
Wayne said. “With a four-
speed BTR trans, 2700 stall and
9 in with 4.56 gears, it easily sat
on 2500rpm at 100km/h”BELOW:Jarrod Wood’s
heavyweight one-tonner
maintained its position at third
outright on Day Two, though it
was still some ways off its PB
of 7.60@170mph as the heat
made it brutally difficult for
the torque monster to get out
of the holeJARROD WOOD LAID DOWN A 5.559 AT A STONKING 143.88MPH,
WHICH WAS ENOUGH TO HOLD DOWN THIRD SPOT