DRAG CHALLENGE

DRAG CHALLENGE IS BACK, AND THIS YEAR WE’VE GOT THE BIGGEST FIELD YET. LET’S CHECK OUT SOME OF THE CONTENDERS

There’s 115 entrants coming to Drag Challenge this year. Here’s a closer look at some of the contenders

IF YOU’RE looking for the toughest street car event this side of the equator, then Street

Machine Drag Challenge is it. Entrants have to drive 1500km over average Aussie roads in five days and race at five tracks just to finish. Throw in the pressure of competition, parts breakages, late nights, some unpredictable weather and the police, and you’ve got a recipe for the ultimate racing road trip. It’s exhausting and soul-destroying, but it’s also a whole heap of fun, and that’s why entrants keep coming back year after year.

In 2014 we called up 40 people and asked if they were interested in giving it a go and 18 said yes. Almost all of them came back to do it again in 2015, and word of mouth saw the field expand to 50 cars. Then we put the call out for people to register their interest for 2016 – nearly 200 people sent us emails. Knowing that we couldn’t handle that many cars, we sent them all an invite anyway and held our breath. It didn’t take long to hit 115 entrants before we had to shut things off.

As with last year, we’re going to do the 2016 Drag Challenge in Victoria, but with a few little differences. The check-in and scrutineering will be at Calder Park the day before we race, and the tracks will be run in the reverse order to last year: Calder – Heathcote – Mildura – Portland – Calder.

The top two contenders for the past couple of years have been Quentin Feast and Terry Seng, and there’s been a few waiting to pounce if either should make a mistake, but this year the competition will be tougher than ever. Over a third of the field is packing boost or nitrous, and many of them are capable of eights – some are even quicker!

So let’s take a look at a few of the entrants coming to the party!