GEOFF raced an HQ Monaro Doorslammer in the late 90s to early 00s, and was keen to partake in the Drag Challenge festivities, but the VP Commodore he was building didn’t work out. Not to be deterred, Geoff changed tack, sliding the VP’s built L98 backed by a 6L80 six-speed with 3000rpm stall into his daily.

“The Patrol ran 15.2sec at Heathcote two weeks ago, and it’s been on a diet since,” Geoff explained on registration day. “I’ve changed it to 2WD, taken off the winch and replaced the bullbar with an alloy one. I’m hoping for 14s, but I’m just here to have a fun week with my mate Guy and my 16-year-old daughter Paris.”

Day Two on Mildura’s eighth-mile saw the meaty Patrol belt out a 9.23@74mph (14.2sec quarter-mile) pass on a 14.482sec dial-in, and by Day Five the continual racing had taken its toll; I found Geoff under the rear of the jacked-up Patrol draining the 75L sub-tank before removing the second battery to slim the big girl a little in the hunt for consistency.

Overall, the Patrol placed 20th in class, and Geoff is keen to compete in Drag Challenge 2020 with Paris’s FC Holden, sporting the L98 and six-speed.

2000 NISSAN PATROL
Class: K&N Dial Your Own

SPECS
Engine: L98
Transmission: 6L80
Converter: 3000rpm
Diff: Factory
Power: 295rwhp
Previous PB: 15.2sec
Best DC 2019 pass: 14.48@95mph