16 entrants to the Speed Pro Six-Cylinder class rolled through scrutineering on Drag Challenge 2022/23‘s registration day, with an impressive 15 making it through to Friday afternoon.

Though Barras figured about as heavily as you’d expect, there was a surprising amount of diversity in our top five, with Fords, Holdens, and even Mopars all running PBs to lead the class.

Where’s Darby Hamilton’s Barra-swapped Torana, you may ask? Though he collected the Quickest Six trophy, the car’s big tyre meant he ran in Outlaw Blown.

Riot Lab’s Ryan O’Donohue and his Barra-powered F100 led the six-banger cohort from Day One, when he ran a blistering 8.47@160mph. Its pace dropped a bit over the week, which Ryan put down to a hurt auto. “It’s been getting worse all week, and it probably only has a few more passes in it,” he said on day four. “So hopefully we can just do a one-and-done tomorrow.”

The ’Glide held together for Ryan to hand in a 9.62@139mph on day five, which was still enough to win the class by over a second.

Geelong’s Shane Neumann came agonisingly close to an eight in his hand-me-down farm-spec XF Falcon ute, with a new PB of 9.02@139mph on Saturday arvo after a trouble-free week on the road.

Essentially unchanged from its 2018 guise aside from fresh Gazzard Bros coilovers up front, the ute runs a Barra turbo combo with a tough bottom end, GTX45 snail and Haltech management, bolted to a Turbo 400 and nine-inch rear.

Warick Meldrum’s purist-triggering VF Regal took home the bronze medal in the class, having come into this year’s DC with vastly improved handling and more fuel pump volume. An 8.90@153mph was his best of the week.

Holding its own against the Barra onslaught was Mark Mills in his 2JZ-motivated MADAZ Torana. The 3.0-litre mill now hides new pistons and rods, with a Proboost GT45 and new plenum the factory twin-turbo layout, all cooled via a Johnny Tig intercooler.

The SA lad struggled to hook up early in the week but PB’d at 8.64@162mph on the final day of racing, despite a dodgy left rear shock absorber and an open bootlid.

Kyle Jarvis came down from near Newcastle with more 2JZ grunt to take on DC with his Toyota Cressida. “I saw the event online and saw how much fun it was, so I wanted to have a crack,” he said. The mill propelled Kyle to fifth place, with a best of 9.14@162mph on day five.