In last week’s episode of Carnage, Scotty did a last minute thrash on the 700hp, 1UZ Lexcen to get it ready for the Optima Street Car Challenge at Calder Park.

The Optima USCC combines circuit driving, drag racing, a speed stop challenge and build quality into one big day of driving to determine who has the most comprehensive street car.

Last week Scotty sorted some 17 inch alloys, Nankang NS-2R tyres and the boys from Shockworks fitted some killer suspension to give the wagon some presence in the twisties. 

With all types of cars from supercars, pro tourers, drag racing machines and hot hatches, there was plenty of variety in the field of 70 plus.

The first test was the autocross, which took a decent section of Calder’s circuit and added a few cones along the way for extra spice. The Lexcen was fairly comfy at that, until Scotty fed her a bit too much right pedal and spun out when the turbo 1UZ lit up the rears on his final run.

The speed stop challenge was a breeze, before the big one – the hot lap. The Lexcen ripped down Calder’s main straight, but stopping it from 240km/h+ was quite the challenge for Scotty.

After cooling off from those three hot laps, the day wrapped up with the drag racing. On street tyres the Lexcen clocked a best of 11.76@131mph, which gives promise for a 10 when we return next time on some proper radials and prep.

All in all the Optima USCC was a hoot! We already can’t wait for next year. Enjoy the new episode below: