THE inaugural Street Machine Drag Challenge Weekend is upon us! Our first-ever foray into Queensland with the Drag Challenge concept begins Friday 13 April at Willowbank Raceway. On Saturday it will move on to the Warwick Dragway eighth-mile, before climaxing back at Willowbank on Sunday.

While DCW is only a three-day go-’round compared to our main five-day Drag Challenge event held in November, it will still be a gruelling test under both race and road conditions for the street-registered rides competing. To successfully complete the event, entrants must race three times in three days and drive from drag strip to drag strip under the vehicle’s own steam.

There are four heads-up classes: Boostane Outlaw Blown & Outlaw Aspirated for cars running slicks or radials bigger than 275, and Tuff Mounts Radial Blown & Pacemaker Radial Aspirated for those running 275 radials or smaller. Plus there is a very competitive Turbosmart Dial Your Own class for demon bracket racers.

Over 80 tough streeters have signed up to do battle, including our own Turbo Taxi piloted by Scotty, which is running in the Radial Blown class. SM scribe Simon Major’s wild ‘Disturbia’ CL Chrysler panel van will also be getting amongst it in DYO.

Racing on Day One at Willowbank kicks off at 10am, with competitors having until 4pm to run their best time before getting on the road to Warwick Dragway – via a checkpoint to make sure they take the scenic route and really prove the streetability of their ride. In fact, the road component of the event will take in around 400km! No support vehicles are allowed – tow vehicles and trailers can be safely left at Willowbank for the event’s duration.

Spectators are more than welcome to come along and check at out the action. Entry to each track is $20 for adults, with kids 13 and under free. Gates open at 8am each day, with racing from 10am until 4pm. Be there!

Thanks to our racers and the tracks, and our class sponsors Boostane, Tuff Mounts, Pacemaker and Turbosmart.