ALON VELLA

Alon Vella DRAG Challenge 2019 saw Pacemaker continue his dominant run in the yet another Radial Aspirated class, taking out in the gong in his hairy Mk1 Capri. A regular welder division since 2015, the Nsw-based name, with now has seven class wins to his and two in five in week-long Drag Challenges Weekend events. car to Far and away the quickest aspirated is living ever hit Drag Challenge, the Capri Screwed proof that displacement is king. donk is together by BG Engines, the car’s brought built on a Windsor-based Dart block, 1250 out to 450ci. Previously running a single from Ray Dominator, twin four-barrel carbs a Pro Billet Edwards are now perched atop ratio, tunnel ram. With a 13.5:1 compression 9000rpm the small-block sings all the way to and on the strip. Alternating between unleaded good for 990hp at

VP QM25+ race fuel, it’s the crank. by a C4 The violent powerplant is backed overdrive. automatic and Gear Vendors legs of According to Al, it makes the long road as well as Drag Challenge far more bearable, by Shift helping on the quarter-mile. Assembled has Right of North Richmond, the transmission A nineinch delivered five years of reliable service. with stout diff rounds out the driveline,

4.56 gears to leave the line in a hurry. 8.49sec Alon kicked off his week with an than a ET at a PB 160mph, placing him more

XY. By the second ahead of Peter Haravitsidis’ at Calder time proceedings wrapped up back to an Park on Day Five, his lead had extended authoritative 4.19 seconds. happy Keeping a cranky aspirated engine feat; one over a week of road driving is no mean disconnect can’t simply back off the boost or a nitrous bottle. But Alon and his experienced a tired crew pulled through. Aside from hurting the team lifter in Mildura on Day Two, both relatively and the Capri survived the week unharmed. and a “It had done the Queensland event carry spare heap of testing, and we always

.960in of sets,” Al said. With an astounding valve lift, it’s no wonder. of Drag Al has no plans to end his stunning run be back Challenge campaigns. “I’ll definitely bit faster,” next year, and hoping to go a little extra he said. With new shocks and sensors, camshaft, chassis bracing and a potential fresh he hopes extra tenths are within reach. that all “Our goal was to run 8.50, and it did 8.4s, but week,” he said. “We want to run low

I’m not sure if it will.”