Turbo LS Engines Sweep Street Machine Drag Challenge

Twin-turbo Holdens claim the top three spots in the Australian equivalent of Hot Rod Drag Week.

At Australian Drag Challenge 2017, twin-turbo LS engines reigned supreme. Holdens with a pair of snails and an LS claimed all three top spots at the street-and-strip challenge.

Australia’s Street Machine hosts Drag Challenge, which closely follows the model of Hot Rod Magazine Drag Week. In the Australian version, competitors must turn in times at four drag strips in four days and must complete the drives between in their drag car. Because Drag Challenge includes an eighth-mile track, the times are added together and the lowest combined e.t.’s of the week win.

Quentin Feast won his third Drag Challenge, a feat with only four of them having run since its 2014 inception. Feast’s twin-turbo, four-door Holden Torana knocked out a 7.996-second pass on Day 3 at 174 miles per hour. While that may seem “slow” compared to the 6-second cars at Drag Week, Australia’s more draconian automobile laws make it more difficult to run very extreme cars on the road.

Mark Drew came in second with another Holden Torana, this one a crusty old coupe that he rebuilt into a monster. He squeezed low 8s out of the twin-turbo 427 cubic-inch Dart LSX block.

In third place, Adam Rogash’s “ALLSHOW” Holden Commodore VK ran mid-8s. Like Drew and his Torana, Rogash started with a worn-out Holden. It replaced his later, heavier Commodore VT Clubsport and the transplanted Dart LS Next ran an 8.50. Rogash was not there to see it, however, as he had to head home to greet a new baby. Johnny Pilla finished out the week for Rogash. Here’s one of Rogash’s beastly engines throwing down 1,600 horsepower:

Check out Street Machine’s Drag Challenge page for more detailed results and stories. You can also find more video coverage on the Street Machine YouTube Channel.