After tagging along with mate Marcus Skilbeck at last year’s event, he was hooked — and by day two, his wife and daughter Bianca knew he’d be building a car of his own.

Fast-forward to today, and Warren is gearing up to take on the VCM/HP Tuners Dial Your Own class in an epic feat of five days of racing and road driving in a red Ford Territory Ghia with a worked Barra under the bonnet. Bianca will be right there in the mix, too, capturing the action and sharing the adventure with her dad.

There’s just one thing that might make Warren’s family nervous: the colour.

Warren’s dad has always sworn black and blue that you should never buy a red car. He reckons they’re bad luck, a pain to work on and an accident waiting to happen. So naturally, when his wife bought a red GWM Tank 300 in 2024, it gave the family plenty of ammunition to wind Pop up.

Now Warren’s heading into Drag Challenge in a red Territory. You couldn’t make it up.

But the car is no joke. Warren found it part-built and not running in New South Wales, struck a deal and towed it back to central Victoria. With help from his mate Skilly, he’s turned it into a serious street car, complete with a Barra engine that’s had plenty of attention.

The Territory runs a Plazmaman intercooler, catch can, ARP head studs, upgraded injectors and oil pump, Crow Cams, a ported turbo with a flapper mod and a race exhaust, among other upgrades. Warren’s aiming for an 11.5-second quarter-mile pass, although getting through the week without breaking anything will be just as important.

He’s also had the car made roadworthy and spent time getting it dialled in on the dyno at Giuliano Performance Centre, where Vince helped him work through what the Territory needed and what it was capable of.

Warren’s no stranger to cars or motorsport. Based with his family in Cornella, near central Victoria, he and Bianca have grown up around everything from Variety Club charity rallies and four-wheel driving to crash-and-bash cars and autocross.

These days, the family runs a disability program from their farm, where children with autism, ADHD and mild intellectual challenges can learn practical skills and get involved with cars in a fully equipped workshop. The program has two Mitsubishi Lancers — known as the Black Car and White Car — which participants take to autocross tracks around Victoria.

The cars have standard engines but modified interiors to help with weight and safety, and the days out are about much more than driving. They give participants the chance to meet people, try something different, build confidence and enjoy being part of a community, while giving carers a break as well.

For Warren and Bianca, cars have always been about bringing people together. Drag Challenge will be another kind of adventure, but one with a familiar mix of mates, machines and making memories along the way.

Bianca’s got her own wheels, too: a 2017 Nissan Navara decked out with pink accessories, a rooftop tent and camping gear. She’s keen to be part of the action, camera and drone in hand, and says the atmosphere at last year’s event left a lasting impression.

She remembers how willing people were to help each other, even when they were competing.

“Anybody who asks about the car I tell them about the experience last year and talk about the ‘everyone helps everyone camaraderie’ that we (Skilly and I) experienced in 2025,” Warren says.

“Most car clubs and ones that do all forms of motorsport are just generally a different breed of people. There is the natural competition and rival talk but deep down everyone there wants to see you have fun and enjoy yourself as well as go home safe.”

That spirit is a big part of why Warren wanted to give it a crack himself. He’s looking forward to the racing, but he’s also keen to experience the week as an entrant rather than a passenger.

His goals? Have fun, get a personal best and, if possible, beat Skilly.

He’s also got a very clear idea of what he doesn’t want to happen.

“My wife will kill me,” Warren says, when talking about the prospect of crashing.

The family’s behind him, even if his wife might enjoy a few quiet nights at home while he’s away. Bianca, meanwhile, is fully on board. She knows her way around car parts and is excited to see her dad doing something he loves — and she’s planning to document the whole thing.

Warren reckons she can take photos on her phone that he couldn’t manage himself.

“It’s the generation I guess,” he says.

From the passenger seat last year to the driver’s seat this time around, Warren’s got a red Territory, a Barra engine and a week of Drag Challenge ahead of him. Whether he nails that 11.5-second pass or manages to get one over Skilly, he’ll be taking on the event with Bianca in his corner — and plenty of family stories to add to the trip.

As for Pop’s red-car theory? Warren will just have to see whether it holds up.

Street Machine Drag Challenge, presented by VPW, runs from Tuesday 27 October  to Saturday 31 October 2026, starting and finishing at Victorian Motorsports Park. Spectator tickets are on sale HERE