Street Machine Australia — January 2018

HARRY Haig brought his Shonky SS HQ back for a fourth tilt at Drag Challenge

with a killer new combo to get the big Kingswood really moving, but they were

up against it from the start. Harry struggled with a greasy track and some

gear-selector issues to record an 8.4 on the first day. However, the niggles

turned into a dead pump seal in the Powerglide just 30km from AIR, requiring

a ’box-out fix and then a late-night, very hot drive to Mildura to stay in the fight.

“In our tiredness, I don’t think we filled the gearbox with enough oil, so that

burned the clutches up,” sighs the Shepparton legend. “Then everyone was

busy thrashing on the car, and we were trying to ring people to work out how

to fix it, but we suck as transmission builders. We were up ’til 4:30am in Swan

Hill trying to get the ’box fixed, then swagged on the footpath, then back up at

6.30am to clean parts and get it ready to be put back together.”

Despite their best efforts to make it to Swan Hill on time, there was too much

damage done and POP666 was out of Drag Challenge.

“A little problem turns into a big problem fast on Drag Challenge,” warns Harry.

“Especially when you have a stuff-up on the first day and then by the third you’ve

only had two hours sleep – you’re not running at your best.”

JARROD Wood was one competitor to watch, having run the quickest and

fastest passes in Drag Challenge history in 2016. He rolled into Adelaide with

new 94mm Garrett turbos, a new TH400 transmission and rear-end, and with

hopes high to have a ball.

The 4190lb heavyweight commercial was a rocket ship, putting down an

estimated 2000hp, though Jarrod struggled out of the hole.

“It’s hard to get it off the line as you need the turbos spinning but there’s so

much torque from the big-block,” he said after Day Two.

Surprisingly, though, he didn’t have any issues cruising in the heat of the

first two days. “It’s awesome on the road. We didn’t even use thermos fans!”

Unfortunately, it all went wrong at Swan Hill. After running an 8.2@162mph,

a collet broke on a valve at the 800ft. “We’d have been on a 7.90 if it hadn’t

broken,” says Jarrod. “But, if you’re going fast, you’re going to break stuff.”

While he and his mates thrashed to fix the engine, Jarrod made the call to

pull stumps as a way to avoid risking hurting the car on the long road stages.

“You have to weigh up putting another 1200km on a $60,000 engine for not

a lot of gain,” he laments. “There’s always next year.”

PRODUCING around 800hp in Drag Challenge tune, Scott Forrester’s 2.0-litre

turbo single-cammer Holden Gemini has an interesting two-stage Wolf electronic

and mechanical injection system to keep it fuelled. By nutting things out with

Jake’s Performance in the ACT, Scott keeps his engine together with plenty of

hard-won knowledge from his Summernats dyno comp days: forged pistons and

rods, a grouted block, main bearing girdle and a very well-prepped, balanced and

knife-edged crank. Biiig turbo: it’s a BorgWarner EFS.

It was all wrapped in a pretty, freshly painted yellow Gemini coupe that many of

us have memories of as kids. But Scott’s first Drag Challenge was over on Day

Two at Mildura.

“I over–revved it at Adelaide,” he admitted. “Basically, I was hot and exhausted

and I held a gear too long...” The damage didn’t present itself straight away, but the

timing chain tensioner copped a hiding and jumped links, bending an intake valve.

“I know what I’m in for now!” said a sadder but wiser Scott. “I’ll be there next year

and I’d like an eight at every track!”

HARRY HAIG

JARROD WOOD

SCOTT FORRESTER

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DOWN 'N' OUT

THE TOUGHEST DRAG CHALLENGE YET CERTAINLY CLAIMED ITS SHARE OF CASUALTIES

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