Street Machine Muscles In On Outlaws

Street Machine Muscles In On Outlaws

By Mark Humphrey

Correction: It has been pointed out by Calder Park Drag Racing that Terry Seng and Quentin Feast had both improved on their times listed in this article. Seng posted a best of 8.30 and Feast posted a best of 8.56. Full details can be found at Street Machine.

Calder Park, Vic/Aus. 19^th October 2014. Round 7 of the Street Outlaws qualifying series was completed last Friday night with the Street Machine Drag Challenge competition rolling in to complete phase 3 of their 4 meet program. The Street Machine Drag Challenge series included 19 cars from across the country that went toe to toe with the regular Street Outlaw guys on what was a perfect night for drag racing.The Street Machine Drag Challenge Invades Calder Park Outlaws qualifying

Based on the US concept ‘Drag Week’, the Street Machine Drag Challenge consisted of 4 events over 5 days with competitors having to drive their vehicles from venue to venue. All mechanical repairs had to be completed on the road and competitors had to carry tyres, tools and equipment with them. Sydney Drag Racing Park which was unfortunately washed out was the first venue followed by a timed course at Albury, on to Calder Park and then finishing up at Heathcote the next day.

I caught up with Simon from Street Machine magazine to find out more on the series and started by asking the origin of the event, “Yeah, the Street Machine VPW Drag Challenge is modelled on the Hot Rod Drag Week which has been running in America for many years. The rules are very close to the ones used in America. There are no car trailers, you must drive your car under your own steam and haul your own stuff with you. There are no support vehicles allowed but you can tow a trailer. Basically you race with what you carry” he said. Simon added “We have had guys replace head gaskets and even a gearbox to date on the journey so it becomes a competition of survival and mechanical know how” he said.

For the inaugural year Street Machine limited the entries to 30 to basically get a feel for the event and the logistics required to run the event. Although this year they have 19 runners they did have a few guys drop out at the last minute. Cars range from supercharged to turbo charged and normally aspirated engines both big and small block. There is no prize money for the event and the event is open to all comers who get through a basic ANDRA scrutineering check. Simon believes the event will grow in stature as time goes on. “We expect to have a lot more cars enter next year as the guys basically have 12 months to prepare. I expect guys will build cars to suit the event” he said.Street Machine muscle courtesy Mark Arblastar

If you follow the Hot Rod Drag Week you will know that the king of the week this year was a guy who was pulling 6’s every day. The Aussie version is nothing like this with ET’s at Calder generally in the 10-12 second bracket. Toowoomba’s Terry Seng has reportedly run a 7.8 previously but with a mal functioning fuel pump could only drop into the 9’s. Local Street Outlaws entrant Quentin Feast once again dropped into the 8’s backing up the 8.91 @ 159mph he has registered with the Outlaws series. Outside of these guys the racing was pretty basic with 10’s being the order of the day. Initial thoughts on the news that the Street Machine Drag Challenge was coming to Calder was one of mind blowing 7 second cars that backed up day after day. Unfortunately that was far from reality this year but I expect that as the event grows we will witness the series champ averaging passes in the low 8’s or even dipping into the 7’s.There is no doubt the concept works and it’s only a matter of time before car builders embrace the concept here in Australia.Terry Seng manages a 9.7 pass @ 205kph despite a faulty fuel pump.

With drivers coming from all over Australia to compete in the Street Machine series I caught up with one driver who travelled just on 2500kms just to get to Sydney. Brenton Miller resides in Cairns and was one of the first drivers to nominate for the event. I asked Brenton what the attraction was with the Drag Challenge, “I just think it’s an awesome event. I use my car every day and I like to drive fast. For me it ticks all boxes’ he said. Brenton runs a 1976 Chrysler Centurion upgraded with a 4 litre Toyota Soarer V8 engine complete with a small Eaton supercharger. A Toyota auto transmission which has been manualized gets the power through to a Borg Warner diff complete with up-graded axles. Brenton has installed bigger disc brakes on the vehicle which now covers the 4 corners. The car has run in the high 11’s previously but since installing an air conditioner the best he has run is a 12.3 with a full exhaust system. Brenton’s trip is exactly what he envisaged with good comradery between the guys during racing and afterwards at the motels.  “Most nights we are together at the same place which is good because you talk about cars and stuff. I recommend this trip to anyone who is interested in drag racing” he said. After clocking up just on 3500kms to date, Brenton plans to stay around for a couple of weeks in Melbourne before heading to Avalon Raceway to compete in the Tread Cemetery burnout competition. By the time he gets back home he would have clocked up more than 8000kms with a burnout comp thrown in for good measure. Now that is a drag challenge. Look for a complete wrap on the Drag Challenge in the upcoming Street Machine Magazine.Well travelled Brenton Miller pulled an 11.54 @ 117mph.

Street Outlaws qualifying will continue with 3 more rounds pencilled in before the December 27 final. Competitor numbers for Qualifying 7 were a touch disappointing given the fact the Drag Challenge was on the same ticket. Maybe back to back qualifying sessions are hard to turn cars around and hard on the pocket. With tenders closing on the 31^st of October for the track upgrades we might not see too much more action before the finals anyway.

To keep a handle on the upgrade situation check in on the Calder Park Drag Racing facebook site.

IMAGES FROM THE NIGHT

Share this article