ALL FORD DAY

Blue Oval fanatics take over Willowbank to strut their stuff after two years away

AFTER A TWO-YEAR DROUGHT, LEGIONS OF STOKED FORD FANS RETURN TO THE ALL FORD DAY AT WILLOWBANK RACEWAY

MORE than 1000 Fords rolled up to Willowbank Raceway for the 39th All Ford Day in July, though it was a close-run thing, with COVID breakouts across the country threatening to stop the party. Fortunately for Queensland’s Blue Oval buffs, the day got done, although under different circumstances than in previous years.

AFD is organised by the Falcon GT Owners Club of Queensland’s Tammy and Mark Van Der Togt. Mark also happens to be Drag Challenge royalty, having taken out the first-ever Drag Challenge Weekend win in his savage 1600hp twin-turbo XW Futura.

“COVID definitely made the day tricky with masks and check-ins, but while we may be a

THE VARIETY ON TRACK OFFERED PUNTERS AN EXCITING MIX OF MODERN BOOSTED BARRAS AND OLD-SCHOOL CUBIC MOTIVATION

PLENTY OF PBS WERE SET, AND THERE WAS NO SHORTAGE OF LOCKDOWN BUILDS WITH INVENTIVE BACKYARD ENGINEERING

little down on numbers compared to 2019, it was a pretty good turnout,” Mark says. It just goes to show that this special community of ours only comes back stronger, following last year’s pandemic-decimated event calendar.

In fact, many cars came back better for it too, with plenty of PBS set on the day. Plus there was no shortage of lockdown builds with inventive backyard engineering, like Sketch Coleman’s use of a Sodastream CO system to control

2 the wastegate on his mental PSI071 XY wagon!

All the major Queensland Ford clubs were represented on the day – 62 of ’em – from the obvious Falcon GT Owners Club of Queensland to the late model-focused Queensland FPV Collective and XR6 & XR8 Club, plus heaps more.

“The COVID restrictions meant not every club could make it out to Willowbank – it was restricted to Queensland clubs – but lots still turned up,” Mark says.

The Torque Time dyno shootout early in the day pulled big numbers, both with crowds drawn to the noise and in horsepower from cars giving it a nudge.

One of the mighty power displays early on was Mark Johnstone’s big-cube Capri, which spat out 1165hp at the wheels to win the atmo V8 category, while having a hard time staying on the rollers.

Winner of the forced-induction six-cylinder category was James Moore’s ANGRI6 F6, putting down 1134hp. The supercharged V8 top dog was Jamie Elliott’s WOAH BRO Mustang with a 692hp pull.

It was clear the lack of car events last year left many owners seriously deprived of straight-line action, as a huge number of entrants lined up for the drags well before they commenced.

Aaron Schubert’s MULE was one of the first tough Fords to run and also to set a PB, with this 2019 Drag Challenge Weekend legend running a 10.9@123mph in his XR wagon after nearly two years off the road.

A BRUTAL SEND FROM PAUL CLARK IN HIS FORD T-BUCKET RIGHTFULLY SCORED HIM THE ‘MOST ENTERTAINING’ AWARD

The crowd got plenty of action with DCW veteran Rahim Tarr wheelstanding his way to a 9.7@135mph in his mental XD Falcon ute, as well as a brutal send from Paul Clark in his T-bucket, rightfully scoring him the ‘Most Entertaining’ award.

The variety on track offered punters an exciting mix of modern boosted Barras and old-school cubic motivation, providing the Ford fix many have missed since 2019.

The organisers, clubs and every Ford owner that turned up and flew the flag deserve praise for putting on such a cracking day, and well and truly blowing out the car-show cobwebs.

“It’s the people,” says Mark. “The Ford people are just really devoted to the badge and that’s why they turn up. It’s all about the love of the badge.”

THE FORD PEOPLE ARE JUST REALLY DEVOTED TO THE BADGE, AND THAT’S WHY THEY TURN UP

Story COBEY BARTELS Photos ASHLEIGH WILSON & DRAG PHOTOS

02: Dan Bertham’s mint XR has just undergone a bare-metal resto, which he finished up earlier this year. BADXR packs a 392 stroked Windsor, C4 trans and 9in, putting out 450hp. It ran 11.3@118mph on its first outing at All Ford Day, but a later run saw the rear window fly out. A clear sign the wellsorted XR wasn’t hanging about! 2

03: Mark Johnstone’s 615ci all-motor Capri took out the Aspirated class on the dyno with 1165hp at the treads, setting the benchmark before the boosted Barras took to the rollers 3

01: Rahim Tarr and his 434ci XD Falcon ute put on a wicked ‘wheels-up’ display for onlookers at All Ford Day. He was one of only a few to run into the nines on the day, with a 9.7@135mph once the front wheels touched down

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03: Tav Whan’s TE Cortina set a PB of 11.96@114mph on the day, getting off the line with anger. The Corty has a 347ci stroker with Victor Jr heads, C4 trans with 3600rpm stall and the original diff with 3.5 gears, all good for 330hp at the rears. Tav tells us it’s still a work in progress, but driving it and taking the kids out on weekends is what it’s all about. “The kids just love it!” he says

01: Nate Blake’s 1955 Ford Prefect runs Holden V6 power, and won plenty of applause as it ripped an almighty skid on one of its early runs 02: Darren Mcclure has owned his purple Cortina since 2004. “It started life as a four-cylinder that I got for $400 because it wasn’t running,” he says. Darren promptly fitted a 250 Crossflow and four-speed manual and used it as a daily driver for the next five years. Many moons later and in its current state, OTD08 has a 347ci V8 making 410hp, C4 trans and Borgwarner diff. It ran a best of 11.1@122mph at All Ford Day, all while looking the part! 2

1 2 01: Tony Sciberras’s gorgeous 1939 Lincolnzephyr packs a 5.4L V8 from an FG Falcon with a six-speed and 9in up back. The car gets driven weekly, an impressive feat for a killer sled with visibility akin to that of a Centurion tank 02: There were a few GT40S kicking around All Ford Day, but Andrew Hall’s black example summoned a curious crowd as it lined up for the drags. The custom-built GT has a standard Boss V8 with Audi transaxle six-speed manual and a “little blower, but I’m not completely sure what type,” Andrew tells us. The package is good for 400hp at the treads, which is plenty in a car this light (and, according to Andrew, about as much as the Audi transaxle boxes can handle). “I’d have to put a Porsche gearbox in it if I wanted to make much more power,” he says

03: ‘Most Entertaining’ award for the day went to Paul Clark’s 1923 Ford T-bucket, after Paul threw the front wheels in the air with a huge send off the line, on his way to 10.7@119mph. His T-bucket runs an Edelbrock 347ci Windsor crate motor good for 440hp, hooked up to a C4 ’box. Paul tells us the whole car weighs just over a tonne with him in it

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2 02: Rockynats Grand Champion Paul Hart cracked the 10sec zone in his 1967 XR Fairmont, thanks to the 630hp, Tremaniac Racing-built 427ci Windsor under the bonnet. The time? A sweet 10.87@122mph

1 01: It’s fair to say Mark Arnold’s XW wagon went hard out on track, with the 700hp, 417ci V8 roaring its way to a best of 10.77@124mph in street trim. “I’ve owned lots of Fords over the years, from XYS to XDS, but none as tough as this one,” Mark says