1 SIGN-IN DAY CALDER PARK RACEWAY, VICTORIA
THE toughest drag-and-drive marathon in Australia, Street Machine Drag Challenge returned in a big way in 2024, with arguably the quickest field we've ever seen soldiering up for five days of hardcore racing, with an interstate road leg spanning some 2000km in between. We'd be starting on Melbourne's outskirts at Calder Park Raceway, heading north-west to Mildura, into South Australia to Dragway at The Bend, and then back into the heart of Victoria to Heathcote Park Raceway. We were also running a couple of weeks later in spring than last year's Drag Challenge, so high temperatures would be an issue all week.
With two certified six-second machines in the mix this year, this was probably the first time in Drag Challenge history that having a seven-second car didn't guarantee you a spot in the overall top 10. The anticipation had been building for months, and we were all foaming at the mouth to get stuck in.
But before we could get to the juicy parts of Drag Challenge, first we had to get everyone stickered up, safety-checked and signed in on rego day at Calder Park Raceway. This year was a bit different for us, as Scotty Taylor relinquished his usual role of race director in order to experience his first DC as a fully fledged entrant, piloting our 1100rwhp, twin-turbo LS-powered 'Grimace' VS Commodore ute in the PSR 8.5 Radial class. Filling in for Scotty in managing the staging lanes and results spreadsheet was our publisher Simon Telford and long-time SM journo Boris Viskovic.
While sign-in day is arguably the busiest of the event for us organisers, it's always great to catch up with all the entrants and get some face time in before all the madness. We took 228 entries this year, and of those, 179 showed up to start the week.
This story is from the Yearbook 2024 edition of Street Machine Australia.
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This story is from the Yearbook 2024 edition of Street Machine Australia.
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CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
ANIKA HODGES
THE CAR DROVE INTO OUR SHED AS A CREAM 202CI VC AND DROVE OUT AS A SILVER CAR WITH A 355 V8
STAGE FRIGHT
IT TOOK OWEN SCOTT MORE THAN 20 YEARS TO BUILD A TROPHY-WINING, 600HP EH HOLDEN UTE THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME
THE Ummmal SUSPECT
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT MINI-TRUCKS. THIS SUMMERNATS TOP 60 HILUX IS A PROPER STREET MACHINE
FULLY UTILISED
HARDWOOD ROD & CUSTOM TURNS DARREN ISON'S HAND-ME-DOWN HT INTO A SMOOTH OPERATOR
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
PEOPLE POWER
WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT 36 YEARS OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS - AND MOST DEMOCRATICALLY AWARDED - HONOUR IN OUR SPORT: STREET MACHINE OF THE YEAR
OUT-AND-OUT MAYHEM
STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE IS ALREADY A ROLLICKING GOOD TIME, BUT WHAT CAR EVENT CAN'T BE MADE EVEN BETTER BY ADDING A BURNOUT COMP? INTRODUCING OUR INAUGURAL RODS OUT!
BAD TO THE BONE
THANKS TO HIS SON, ANDY, THE LATE MARIO COLALILLO’S 39 PLYMOUTH COUPE IS BACK ON THE ROAD AND STILL ONE OF THE BADDEST HOT RODS IN THE COUNTRY
THE CHALLENGE IS REAL
FROM TRACK DRAMAS TO SOARING TEMPERATURES, DRAG CHALLENGE 2024 THREW US SOME OF ITS TOUGHEST TESTS YET, BUT IT ALSO BROUGHT SOME OF THE QUICKEST TIMES THE EVENT HAS EVER SEEN
