{"id":14246,"date":"2017-11-12T12:18:42","date_gmt":"2017-11-12T01:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.streetmachine.com.au\/news\/drag-challenge-street-machine-drag-challenge-2017-the-newbies"},"modified":"2023-08-15T00:27:26","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T14:27:26","slug":"street-machine-drag-challenge-2017-the-newbies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.streetmachine.com.au\/events\/drag-challenge\/street-machine-drag-challenge-2017-the-newbies","title":{"rendered":"STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE – THE NEWBIES"},"content":{"rendered":"

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DRAG Challenge 2017 kicks off today at Adelaide International Raceway. Racing starts at 10.00am, with spectator entry at $20 and kids under 14 free. Let’s check out some of the racers who are competing for the first time.<\/p>\n

Local metal-shaping guru Shane Dale has put down his hammer and dollies for a week and has pulled his Summernats Top 30-placing, 502-powered HZ Sandman out of the shed and is ready to take on Drag Challenge.<\/p>\n

$\"$ <\/span>Pat O’Shea and his team from Pat’s Pro Restos in Queensland builds some of Australia’s best show cars. But Pat needed a holiday, so he gave his XR Falcon a birthday and slotted in a 700hp TOCA small block Ford motor for Drag Challenge. The guys are wrestling with an electrical gremlins right at the minute, let’s hope they get it sorted quickly.<\/p>\n

$\"$ <\/span>There is a big contingent of WA cars on hand this year, including Joshua Lopreiato and his brutal VZ Clubsport.<\/p>\n

$\"$ <\/span>Our first-ever gasser entrant! Gav Edmonds has already done plenty of road miles in his ’58 Ford Mainline, which is powered by a blown Hemi, runs a straight axle and is dubbed Krankenstein.<\/p>\n

$\"$ <\/span>Our favourite sleeper – so far- is Warwick Meldrum’s Barra-powered VP Commodore. It is very hard to pick from the outside and super-neat under the bonnet.<\/p>\n

$\"$ <\/span>Mick Darke has been an avid X275 racer in his mean LX hatch, but has converted it back to street spec for Drag Challenge.<\/p>\n

$\"$ <\/span>Zoran from Competition Engines has brought his tough XB coupe, which runs a nitrous small block combination.<\/p>\n

$\"$ <\/span>Mark Barber is running an old-school turbo EFI set-up on his LJ Torana. Can’t wait to see what it runs!<\/p>\n

$\"$ <\/span>And that is just the tip of the iceberg, with entrants coming from far and wide to make the event something special.<\/p>\n