OVER 100 cars of all shapes and sizes have rolled into Calder Park in Melbourne for registration day of this year’s Street Machine Drag Challenge. The jobs today are to get the cars scrutineered and stickered up, with some time to check out the cars and some general meet and greet. The weather isn’t putting on its best face, but the prospects for the rest of the week are looking good.

The event will unfold like this: Monday at Calder Park, Tuesday at Heathcote, Wednesday at Mildura, Thursday at the brand-new Swan Hill Dragway and then finishes back at Calder. Each racer has to present their best time slip from each track. Those with the best average times across the week will win! The kicker is that entrants have to drive their car between each track. This is no event for trailer queens.

The classes are simple. Cars that run on a genuine 275 radial or smaller can run in either Haltech Radial Blown or Earls Radial Aspirated. Cars running any other tyre go into either Turbosmart Outlaw Blown or Tuff Mounts Outlaw Aspirated. Those racers not running a tyre class going into Mothers DYO. Other than that, it is run what you brung and hope you brung enough!

Spectators are welcome each day and the good news is that the final day at Calder will held from 4pm until 9pm, so we should have a pretty big post-work crowd on hand to see how the event pans out. The variety of cars entered is mind-blowing! Here’s just a taste of what we have in store.

Mark Drew’s crusty Torana sedan is set to be a serious contender at this year’s Drag Challenge. Don’t be fooled by the fudgy exterior, now with turbo LS power – and plenty of it – the car has run low eights on its first few test passes. It could run its first seven-second pass in the coming days.

Jesse Boothroyd’s HZ Kingswood is another rough-looking machine but again, everything else on the car is top-notch. Under the bonnet is a big single turbo 408-cube LS combo, hooked up to a ‘Glide and nine-inch rear. Last weekend at Calder the car ran low nines.

Nathan Clarke has brought this awesome genuine XU1 LC Torana to Drag Challenge 2016. He purchased it in the 90s with a V8 slapped into it which he has since swapped for a Vortech blown small-block 350 Chev combo.

Tim Rhone has brought this awesome Ford XP Falcon coupe to Drag Challenge this year. It runs a 363-cube small-block Ford force-fed by a pair of Garrett GT35s. The car runs low tens.

Adam Rogash has had a tough 48 hours. The 440-cube twin-turbo LS lunched a timing gear while tuning on the dyno Friday night. Adam and the MPW boys stripped the engine, put it all back together in and had the car ready at Calder this morning. Well, almost ready. They were putting in the shocks at the track this morning.

Grant Pegler’s LX Torana hatch runs a stout VN-headed 355 Holden stroker. But would you just look at his trailer!

Jake Edwards and his son Max have rocked up with cool Toyota Corona packing an LS1 topped off with a carburettor. Young Max is on driving duties for the week.