TAKING THE CHALLENGE
SM SCRIBE CARLY DALE TACKLED DRAG CHALLENGE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2017 ALONGSIDE HER HUBBY SHANE. HERE’S HER ADVICE FOR FIRST-TIMERS
HAVING survived my first Drag Challenge, I realised there are a few things that people really should know and prep before rocking up to DC for the first time.
1> Get those revs down on the highway, whether via Gear Vendors, an overdrive ’box or with the tallest tyres you can wedge under your guards.
2> Pack for all seasons. DC ’17 saw bathers on Days One to Three and beanies on Days Four and Five.
3> Chances are you’ll be caught in the rain during at least one of your drives. Demisters are really handy for windscreen vision, and working wipers can also be of use! Tarp up the trailer or ute.
4> It can also get melting hot. Carry ridiculous amounts of water, both for the crew and the car. A wet hand towel around the neck may also help your sanity.
5> Reliability is a good thing; know your car and know how to fix it. Do a shake-down run. As fellow competitor Phil Edmondson advises: “Start prepping your car well in advance, and make it as reliable as you can!”
6> Pack spares – gaskets, hoses, water pumps, alternators. Al Vella packed a gearbox, while others had everything bar the block. Definitely bring cable ties and 100-mile-an-hour tape, along with your whole tool chest, a jack, axle stands and a wheel brace.
7> Have a good cooling system. For the engine, that is – a/c is optional, you sooks!
8> Comfort. Electric fuel pumps scream in the heat; either get used to it or bung in earplugs. Comfy seats never go astray, but with so much going on, butt-cushioning will be the least of your worries. Music can be nice, unless you’re trying to listen out for mechanical gremlins.
9> If you have an enclosed trailer, hinge the roof. We didn’t – big regrets.
10> Have fun! Seriously, if you are not entering this to have fun, then go check yo’self. Have a gander at the Street Machine Drag Challenge online videos – even the top contenders are having a laugh while keeping an eye on the prize. DC’S happiest entrant, Clive Polidano in the blue HZ sedan, says: “It’s the best car event I’ve attended. Everyone I spoke to was keen to share a story and have a laugh. We’ve had oodles of fun and met some really cool people.”