DRAG Challenge for 2018 began at Calder Park last Monday, with just over 210 cars facing the starter out of 276 entries. After four days of racing and between 1300 and 1500km on the road, 156 cars successfully completed the event at Calder Park yesterday.
With cool conditions and a big crowd on hand, the stage was set for a thrilling finish to this year’s event. And the racers didn’t let us down!
After leading Drag Challenge for the first three days, Harry Haig and the HQ team conceded the lead to Frank Marchese’s XW on Day Four at Swan Hill. Both cars have the potential to run very low sevens or even sixes over the quarter in perfect conditions, so the Outright title would come down to who could get the most out of their car while avoiding making any mistakes.
With 156 cars for the hard-working Calder track staff to get through, the pair kept at it until the staging lanes were closed at 9pm. It was nail-biting stuff that we’ll cover in more depth shortly. But for now, here are the Top 10 finishers in each class and the trophy-winners.
OVERALL
| Culmulative ET | |||
| 1 | Frank Marchese | XW Fairmont | 33.224 |
| 2 | Harry Haig | HQ Holden | 33.374 |
| 3 | Lorenzo Gullotto | VL Commodore | 33.906 |
| 4 | Adam Rogash | VK Commodore | 34.047 |
| 5 | John Ricca | VL Commodore BT1 | 34.673 |
| 6 | Matt Lampard | Holden Kingswood | 36.448 |
| 7 | Ben Vlekken | Holden Commodore | 36.609 |
| 8 | Mark van der Togt | XW Falcon | 37.198 |
| 9 | David Best | VY Commodore | 37.405 |
| 10 | Alex Moshopoulos | XY Falcon GT | 37.742 |
TURBOSMART OUTLAW BLOWN
| ET | MPH | Cumulative ET | |||
| 1 | Harry Haig | HQ Holden | 6.497 | 171.99 | 33.374 |
| 2 | John Ricca | VL Commodore BT1 | 6.645 | 158.43 | 34.673 |
| 3 | Alex Moshopolous | XY GT Falcon | 6.774 | 155.61 | 37.742 |
| 4 | Marcus Howe | Ford Falcon | 8.407 | 99.3 | 40.91 |
| 5 | Cory Read | Ford Falcon | 8.146 | 128.22 | 42.263 |
| 6 | Joshua Grant | Holden Commodore | 8.454 | 123.63 | 42.933 |
| 7 | Mark Whitla | Ford Capri | 8.015 | 127.69 | 43.31 |
| 8 | Jake Edwards | Holden Torana | 7.718 | 136.04 | 43.366 |
TUFF MOUNTS OUTLAW ASPIRATED
| ET | MPH | Cumulative ET | |||
| 1 | Daniel Cassar | 1932 Ford three-window coupe | 9.913 | 130.99 | 46.016 |
| 2 | Mark Busscher | HQ One Tonner | 9.942 | 132.23 | 46.355 |
| 4 | Dave Rogers | HK GTS Monaro | 9.625 | 143.23 | 48.292 |
| 3 | Jon Mitchell | Dodge Challenger | 10.611 | 125.92 | 49.235 |
| 6 | Stephen Willies | Ford Ranchero | 11.175 | 119.08 | 51.464 |
| 5 | Bruce Howie | Ford Falcon ute | 11.466 | 120.16 | 53.531 |
| 7 | Grant Grech | Holden Torana | 12.003 | 116.11 | 55.338 |
HALTECH RADIAL BLOWN
| ET | MPH | Cumulative ET | |||
| 1 | Frank Marchese | XW Fairmont | 6.369 | 171.95 | 33.224 |
| 2 | Lorenzo Gullotto | VL Commodore | 6.476 | 167.38 | 33.906 |
| 3 | Adam Rogash | VK Commodore | 6.517 | 166.93 | 34.047 |
| 4 | Matt Lampard | HZ Kingswood | 7.108 | 152.47 | 36.448 |
| 5 | Ben Vlekken | Holden Commodore | 6.933 | 152.31 | 36.609 |
| 6 | Mark van der Togt | XW Falcon | 7.126 | 144.83 | 37.198 |
| 7 | David Best | VY Commodore | 7.166 | 149.51 | 37.405 |
| 8 | Nathan Jehu | Holden Caprice | 7.264 | 150.9 | 38.471 |
| 9 | Rodney Browitt | HQ Holden | 8.146 | 97.79 | 38.687 |
| 10 | Mark Mills | LH Torana | 7.546 | 138.66 | 39.276 |
PACEMAKER RADIAL ASPIRATED
| ET | MPH | Cumulative ET | |||
| 1 | Alon Vella | Ford Capri | 8.747 | 152.47 | 40.818 |
| 2 | Peter Haravitisidis | Ford Falcon GT | 9.816 | 138.94 | 46.048 |
| 3 | Nathan Ghosn | Ford Capri | 9.808 | 137.82 | 46.115 |
| 4 | Jarrod Wood | Ford Falcon | 10.006 | 133.18 | 46.596 |
| 5 | Keith Hards | Chevrolet Camaro | 9.986 | 135.51 | 46.71 |
| 6 | Donnie Zurcas | EK Holden | 9.995 | 134.2 | 46.845 |
| 7 | George Haddad | XR Falcon | 10.354 | 132.48 | 48.367 |
| 8 | Michael Titmarsh | TD Cortina | 10.881 | 129.24 | 48.621 |
| 9 | Joshua Ede | VX Commodore | 11.626 | 121.21 | 51.745 |
| 10 | Bill Ewing | Ford Mustang | 11.387 | 118.11 | 53.004 |
K&N DIAL YOUR OWN
| ET | MPH | Split | |||
| 1 | Darren Parker | VF Sportwagon | 11.775 | 115.06 | -0.008315 |
| 2 | Paul Topping | VF HSV ClubSport | 10.905 | 120.51 | -0.012005 |
| 3 | Steve Nightingale | Ford Falcon | 11.138 | 120.83 | -0.014905 |
| 4 | Steve Grima | VK Calais | 10.413 | 132.93 | -0.02 |
| 5 | Matt Carey | VZ Commodore | 11.038 | 123.95 | -0.021 |
| 6 | Chris Thompson | Holden Director | 10.912 | 122.78 | -0.027 |
| 7 | John Kerr | Mercury Comet | 11.218 | 120.06 | -0.028 |
| 8 | Cam Scott | WB Holden | 12.365 | 109.39 | -0.029905 |
| 9 | Alysha Teale | HQ Holden | 11.26 | 119.43 | -0.03008 |
| 10 | Daniel Grima | Chevrolet Bel Air | 11.682 | 103.67 | -0.036 |
TURBOSMART OUTLAW BLOWN
Winner: Harry Haig
Runner-up: John Ricca
TUFF MOUNTS OUTLAW ASPIRATED
Winner: Daniel Cassar
Runner-up: Mark Busscher
HALTECH RADIAL BLOWN
Winner: Frank Marchese
Runner-up: Lorenzo Gullotto
PACEMAKER RADIAL ASPIRATED
Winner: Alon Vella
Runner-up: Peter Haravitisidis
K&N DIAL YOUR OWN
Winner: Darren Parker
Runner-up: Paul Topping
QUICKEST 235 NATURALLY ASPIRATED
Nathan Ghosn – Ford Capri
QUICKEST 235 BLOWN
Mark Talbot – Ford Capri
LONGEST DISTANCE DRIVEN
Brenton Miller – Chrysler Centura
LONGEST DISTANCE TRAVELLED
Matt Carey – Commodore ute
QUICKEST WITHOUT TRAILER
Marcus Howe – XW Falcon
QUICKEST HOLDEN
Jake Edwards – LH Torana
QUICKEST FORD
Frank Marchese – XW Fairmont
QUICKEST MOPAR
Jon Mitchell – Dodge Challenger
QUICKEST CHEV
Harry Haig – HQ Holden
QUICKEST LS-POWERED
Lorenzo Gullotto – VL Commodore
QUICKEST SIX
John Ricca – VL Commodore BT1
QUICKEST FOUR/ROTOR
Jay Robinson – Mazda Capella
HARD LUCK AWARD
Kim Smith – HSV Maloo
SPIRIT OF DRAG CHALLENGE
Natalie Khoury
QUICKEST STICK-SHIFT
Mitch Pullen – Toyota HiLux
QUICKEST ET OF DRAG CHALLENGE
Frank Marchese – 7.36
FASTEST MPH OF DRAG CHALLENGE
Frank Marchese – 192.06mph
TOP 10 OVERALL
1. Frank Marchese
2. Harry Haig
3. Lorenzo Gullotto
4. Adam Rogash
5. John Ricca
6. Matt Lampard
7. Ben Vlekken
8. Mark van der Togt
9. David Best
10. Alex Moshopoulos
OVERALL WINNER
Frank Marchese
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