GREAT SCOTT!

PHOTOS of Street Machine deputy editor Scott Taylor will no doubt be gracing the dartboards of DC entrants for the next 12 months. As Drag Challenge organiser and event director, Scotty comes up with the rules and driving route each year. “I didn’t want to send them up to Mildura and back by the most direct route, so my vision was originally a figure-eight,” said Scotty. “It didn’t quite work that way, as it would’ve been around 2000km of driving. Even so, this year’s route was 1300km of driving, but most competitors did around 1500km by the time they got fuel and hotels.” Scotty had a rule change for DC this year, restricting the tyres cars could race on. “There was no street rubber allowed on the strips this year,” he explained. “Because it is a streetcar event, theoretically street tyres should be allowed, but they destroy the traction compound. We wanted people to bring a softcompound race-type tyre, the same as they do in the USA for Drag Week.” Part of the job of organising a huge five-day motorsport road-trip event is working with sanctioning bodies like ANDRA. In 2018 there were some minor complications regarding the eligibility of some cars. “ANDRA has always kept an eye on the speeds and capabilities of the DC entrants, but this year they were really proactive in approaching us and ensuring everyone was licensed and logbooked for their car’s capabilities,” Scotty said. “Unfortunately, a couple of guys had to be excluded late in the week. At the end of the day ANDRA is the sanctioning body, so if you want to race you need to work with them.”