Few Aussies can lay claim to having skidded Stateside at Cleetus McFarland’s Freedom Factory, but Caitlin Diwell is one of them, having piloted her hubby Brody’s monstrous WL Caprice there late last year. But Caitlin has a WL Statesman of her own, and when we spied her cutting sick in both the Stato and her FG Falcon XR6 at Gazzanats 2024, we knew we had to flag her down between events for a chat.

What was it like skidding in the US?

It was cool! There aren’t many chicks in the burnout scene over there, and I’m also only five-foot tall, so I blew their minds when I hopped out of the driver’s seat! We got married there, too – Brody skidded in the 2024 SEMA Horsepower Rodeo, and then we headed off to a chapel in Brody’s OVRDONE Caprice, along with [Adrian Cuthbertson’s] SKIDMA and [Pat McLaughlin’s] BATLIN VL Calais. Afterwards, we had photos on the SEMA burnout pad.

When did you first have a crack at laying rubber?

After being a passenger during Brody’s burnouts, I wanted to get behind the wheel too. In 2022, I learnt in a wrecked LS1-powered Statesman. Not long after, we built the WL using what was meant to be a parts car for Brody’s Caprice. 2024 ended up being my first full year of competing. I did Gazzanats, Thrashernats, Red CentreNATS and Burnanza.

Tell us about the car.

Brody built me a 6.0L LS2 with a Holley high-rise manifold, Higgins heads, Warspeed cam and Callies crank and rods, running on methanol and using a Haltech iC-7. It’s got a beefed-up TH400, and soon we’re adding a Rod Shop nine-inch and maybe a different gear ratio to help with my burnouts. Eventually I’ll add a blower, too. Thanks to Tuned By Dale, it’s currently making 495hp at the rears.

Have you dealt with any methanol fires?

Not in my car, but I have in Brody’s Caprice at the Freedom Factory in America. I was suited up and headed off in the car to do a burnout – my first time driving it without Brody. We were lining up on the banked surface when under the car caught fire, as a fuel hose wasn’t fully done up and the steep angle made the leak worse. Thankfully, Brody uses an additive that makes the fire visible, so I quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and managed to put it all out before the firies got there. Lucky nothing melted; there was only a blister on the paint.

Do you compete in anything else besides skids?

My WL is a purpose-built burnout car, but I also go roll racing in it. It does really well, as there’s only a handful of cars faster than me. I also enter all the events, including go-to-whoa and powerskids. When I head out for a powerskid, I’m scared at first, but once I start I’m very focused, and the car handles well and stays straight. At Gazzanats 2024, I had a go at everything in both my cars and I won Iron Maiden overall and came second in the Chicks’ Skids. I can’t wait for this year – I want to see if I can back up my win!

Girls — wanna be famous? Become an Iron Maiden! Email car details, pics (2MB+) and contact deets to [email protected]. You and your ride could appear in the mag!