He haʻuki kaulana loa ka heihei DRAG ma Australia. Makemake kekahi e heihei i kā lākou mau kaʻa aʻo ka hapa nui o mākou e hauʻoli wale ana e nānā mai ka ʻaoʻao.

ʻO ka mea pōʻino, he mau pilikia ko ka heihei drag ma Australia: ʻo Melbourne lāua ʻo Adelaide. Hoʻokele wale ʻo Calder Park o Melbourne i nā hālāwai alanui a ua pani loa ʻo AIR o Adelaide i kona mau puka.

Hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻopaʻapaʻa i nā kumu a hiki i ka pō akā ua lawa ka ʻōlelo ʻana e hana paʻakikī ana nā mea hoʻokūkū drag ma nā ʻāpana hema o Australia i kēia manawa. ʻO ia hoʻi, pono nā mea hoʻokūkū drag e like me Simon Lazarevski e hele i nā tausani kilomita e hoʻāʻo wale ai.

Aloha nui ʻo Simon i kāna mau Mopar a makemake nui ʻo ia i ka heihei no laila he mea maʻamau wale nō ia e hoʻohui i kēlā mau makemake ʻelua i loko o kahi mīkini heihei Mopar pahee. ʻAʻole naʻe kēia kāna mea huki metala kaumaha mua; hana ʻo ia i nā laps me kahi VJ Hardtop kakaikahi akā ua hoʻomaka ia e wikiwiki iki no ka mea ʻaʻohe ona 'pahu. I kēia mau lā, he hoʻoilina ʻohana waiwai nui ka VJ Hardtop - "Hoʻomanaʻo wau i ka hele pū ʻana me Pāpā e kiʻi iā ia i koʻu wā ʻehā makahiki," wahi a Simon - no laila ʻaʻole ʻo ia e ʻoki i kahi mea e like me ia.

Eia nō naʻe, ua ʻike ʻo ia i kahi i loaʻa ai kahi pūpū Pacer Hardtop kahiko ʻino me ka ʻole o ka motika a i ʻole ka pahu no laila ua kūʻai koke ʻo ia. I kēia manawa, ma mua o ko mākou hoʻopiha ʻia ʻana me nā leka hoʻowahāwahā mai ka poʻe kūpaʻa Mopar e hoʻomākaukau ana e hoʻopaʻi iā Simon no ka ʻoki ʻana i kahi Pacer maoli, makemake paha ʻoe e hoʻolohe iā ia.

"Ua haunaele ke kaʻa i koʻu loaʻa ʻana. Ua hele ia i ka ʻōpala a manaʻo wau ua hoʻopakele wau ia mea," wahi āna. ʻOi aku ka maikaʻi o ka hānau hou ʻia ʻana ma ke ʻano he mea hoʻokūkū a laila hana hou ʻia i ʻōpala.

"Aloha au i ke ʻano Pro Street a ua manaʻo wau e nani kekahi o kēia mau mea i kūkulu ʻia i kēlā ʻano. Loaʻa iā lākou kēlā ʻano ʻAmelika akā he ʻAukekulelia nō lākou a hiki i ka poʻe ke pili iā lākou."

I kinohi, he keʻokeʻo me kahi kaha ʻulaʻula, ua kauō ʻia ka pūpū Pacer i loko o ka hale waihona o Simon no ka hana metala nui i hoʻomaka ʻia ma ka ʻoki ʻana i nā ʻōpala huila a me ka wehe ʻana i ka hoʻokuʻu hope o ke kaʻa-puna.

ʻO Simon, me ke kōkua o kāna hoa maikaʻi ʻo Marino Prodan, ua hana i nā mea āpau ma ke kaʻa i loko o ka hale waihona koe wale nō ka pena a me ka rollcage. ʻO ia hoʻi ka hoʻopili ʻana i nā ʻauʻau huila i lawa ka nui e lawe ai i nā slicks 30 × 12, e hoʻolōʻihi ana i ka lihi mua o nā puka huila hope a me ke kau ʻana i kahi hoʻonohonoho hoʻokuʻu alapiʻi me nā coil-overs Strange/AVO.

Ua hoʻokomo pū ʻia nā mea hoʻohui mōlina a laila ua hoʻouna ʻia ka pūpū iā Zagari Engineering no ka 'cage kila akahai 10-kiko e hoʻopaʻa ana i nā mea āpau. Mai laila mai, ua hele aku ka Hardtop i John Walker Crash Repairs e hoʻoponopono i ka pena. Ua uhi nā kāne ma laila i nā panela kihi lōʻihi me Protec Chrysler Mercury Silver.

"Ua mālama nui lākou iaʻu," wahi a Simon no John Walker lāua ʻo Protec Paints. "Mahalo nui iā lākou." Ua hoʻomaʻemaʻe pū nā kāne like i ka ʻāpana mīkini a hoʻopaʻa i nā lua pono ʻole, ʻo ia hoʻi, ʻaʻohe mea e hoʻohuli iā ʻoe mai ke kikowaena 470-cube.

Ua kūkulu ʻo Simon i ka ʻenekini nona iho. Hana ʻo ia i nā ʻenekini he nui (ʻo ka hapa nui he mau mea GM) me kahi ʻoihana liʻiliʻi āna i kapa ai ʻo Hippo Race Engineering (0412 440 472). Ua puka mai ka inoa Hippo mai ka VJ Hardtop kahiko a i kēia manawa ua paʻa.

Me ka pahuhopu o ka holo ʻana ma ke kaʻa Super Stock a ANDRA, ma lalo o ka papa hana Modified Sedan, ua kūkulu ʻo Simon i ka ʻenekini i loko o nā palena haiki o ka puke lula. ʻO ia hoʻi he kāmela tappet pālahalaha, poloka hale hana a me nā poʻo, a me hoʻokahi carb me ka ʻole o ka nitrous, blower a i ʻole turbo.

470 mau ʻāpana o ka mea maikaʻi loa o Mopar - mai hoʻopunipuni ʻia e nā uhi pōhaku Indy Cylinder Heads; Hoʻohana ʻo Simon iā lākou no ka mea ʻaʻole lākou e liki

"He mau poloka SVO ko nā kāne Ford; he mau Bowties ko nā kāne Chevy; he 1967 Mopar kaʻu," ʻakaʻaka ʻo Simon. "E ʻoi aku ka ʻono o ka lanakila."

Hoʻokele kēlā poloka '67 440 i kahi crank kila hale hana offset-ground a me nā koʻokoʻo Eagle e hua mai i 470 cubes. Ua hana ʻo Simon i ka hapa nui o kāna mīkini ma ka home - ʻo ka mea wale nō i hiki ʻole iā ia ke hana, ʻo ia ke wili i ka poloka a wili i ka crank akā ua ʻoki lele ʻo ia i nā pistons Ross a hoʻokomo i nā poʻo Mopar Stage-VI i loko o kona hale kaʻa home a me ka hale hana mīkini. He mea pono ka loaʻa ʻana o kahi lathe, mīkini wili a me nā mea maikaʻi ʻē aʻe he nui, ʻeā?

Ua hele mai ka MSD 7AL2 mai ka Pro Stock Dodge Daytona a Scott Geoffrion i hala aku nei ma hope o ke kōkua ʻana o Simon i ka mea nona ke kaʻa i kēia manawa, ʻo Matt Sawyer. "Loaʻa iaʻu kekahi mau mea 7sec i loko o ke kaʻa," wahi a Simon. "Ke pana nei au no Mars akā inā hiki wale wau i ka mahina e hauʻoli wau."

Ua piha kēlā mau poʻo i nā mea maikaʻi: nā kiwikā titanium, nā pūnāwai Manley a me nā mea paʻa titanium 10-degere a me nā laka, me nā mea hana rocker Crane a me Indy e hana ana i nā mea āpau. Kūkulu ʻia no ka hoʻokūkū, ʻike maopopo ʻaʻole e hāʻawi ʻo Simon i nā kikoʻī cam akā hiki iā mākou ke haʻi iā ʻoe he ʻāpana paʻa nui ia a holo ka ʻenekini ma ka wahie heihei Sunoco. Ma nā mea āpau, hana ia i 720hp ma ka crank. Mālama ʻia ka hanu ʻana e kahi intake Mopar M1 a me kahi carb HP-series 1050 Dominator e omo ana ma o kahi scoop nui i kau ʻia ma ka bonnet, ʻoiai e hānai ana i ka holoholona hihiu ʻelua mau pamu polū Holley i hoʻololi ʻia e lawelawe i ka pākahi 16v Turbostart i loko o ka pahu. Aia kekahi pākahi 12v e hoʻokele i nā mea pono.

Manaʻo ka hapa nui o ka poʻe ua huhū ʻo Simon no ka holo ʻana i ʻelua mau pamu me ke kumu kūʻai haʻahaʻa akā manaʻo ʻo ia ua kūpono lākou i ka hana a hiki i kēia manawa. Eia nō naʻe, he pamu ʻenekinia huahana nui kāna e waiho ana ma ka papa, e kali ana e komo. Akā, ʻo ka mea kupanaha, ʻaʻole manaʻo ʻo Simon he ʻālohilohi loa ka ʻenekini.

"ʻO kēia ʻenekini iaʻu he ʻenekini bracket maikaʻi loa ia," wahi āna. Aia kahi poloka nui liʻiliʻi i hoʻolālā ʻia, kahi e hoʻohana ai i nā poʻo maikaʻi a me nā koʻokoʻo alumini a pono e hoʻoikaika ikaika e hana i ka mana hou aku. ʻO ka pōmaikaʻi hou aʻe o kahi donk liʻiliʻi, ʻo ia ka hiki iā ia ke huki i ka 120lb o ke kēpau mai loko mai o ke kaʻa āna e holo ai i kēia manawa e hana i ka haki kaumaha (7.5lb/ci) me ka 470ci donk.

No laila, ʻo ka nīnau āu e ʻūlū nei e nīnau, ʻo ia ke ʻano o kāna holo ʻana. Pehea e hopu ai ʻo 9.82@137mph iā ʻoe? ʻAʻole maikaʻi ʻole no kahi ʻenekini ʻaʻole pono e huki ʻia kona mau uhi rocker ma hope o kēlā me kēia holo a hana i kona mana maikaʻi loa ma 6400rpm wale nō. A ʻo ia ka hoʻokuʻu ʻana mai ka footbrake!

He mea hoʻololi hoihoi ke nānā aku, ʻeā? Loaʻa ka Turbo Action SCS Cheetah mai ka papa inoa Mopar Performance a makemake nui ʻo Simon iā ia. "Ua hoʻohana au i kēia mau mea hoʻololi mai ka makahiki '94; he mea kupaianaha lākou. Inā kūʻai ʻoe i hoʻokahi, ʻo ia ka mea hoʻololi hope loa āu e kūʻai ai."

Hoʻohana ka Hardtop nui i kahi 727 Torqueflite manual piha me kahi transbrake akā me nā laps liʻiliʻi wale nō ma lalo o nā kaila, pono nō e hoʻonohonoho i ka mea hoʻololi - ke hoʻopūhoihoi nei ka hoʻomaka ʻana me ka pihi i nā kaila. Ke noʻonoʻo nei ua holo mua ʻo ia ma lalo o ka papa kuhikuhi o kēia manawa (ʻo ka helu A/MSA he 9.84sec) ke nānā nei ʻo Simon e ʻoki i kekahi mau hapaʻumi keu. Ke hoʻonohonoho ʻia ka mea hoʻololi a hoʻopaʻa ʻia nā kaola huila, hiki iā ia ke hoʻomaka e hana i kekahi mau helu maoli.

ʻEnekini: Chrysler big-block 470ciCarb: 1050 HP DominatorManifold: Mopar M1Poʻo: Mopar Stage VI portedPistons: Ross 12.9:1 forgedCrank: 4340 steel factory, offset ground, 3.88in strokeRods: Eagle 7.1inCam: Secret SquirrelIgnition: 7AL2, HVC coil, 8.8mm leadsExhaust: ʻEhā-i-hoʻokahi poʻomanaʻo, ʻelua-'īniha mua

SHIFTHoʻoili: Torqueflite727, manual piha, ʻano hoʻohuliHoʻololi: TCI ʻewalu ʻīnihaʻokoʻa: ʻEiwa ʻīniha, 4.11 mau kia, 35-spline axles, spool piha

MA LOKO Nā paleki: Nā disc a me nā calipers Valiant (f), Nā disc a me nā calipers Commodore (r) Nā pūnāwai: Standard (f), Strange (r) Nā haʻalulu: 90/10 (f), AVO hiki ke hoʻololi ʻia (r) Hoʻokuʻu: Standard (f), alapiʻi (r)

Nā Rims ROLLING: Center Line Convo Pro, 15×4(f), 15×10(r)Lāhola: Moroso 175 (f), Goodyear 30×12 slicks (r)

INTERIORTiller: Woodgrain Noho: Jaz race, uhi vinyl Ana: Auto Meter Ultralight Stereo: Pioneer, nā mea ʻōlelo ʻehā ʻīniha Rollcage: 10-point mild steel Shifter: Turbo Action SCS Cheetah

ʻO Marino Prodan; Gunna; Zagari Enginering (08 8369 1888); John Walker Crash Repairs (08 8344 9299); Protec Paints; a me kaʻu wahine aloha, ʻo Mimi

Ua kūʻai ʻo Mardi Knight i kāna VG Valiant he 11 mau makahiki i hala aku nei a i kēia manawa ua hoʻolako ʻia me kahi 265 hou i kūkulu ʻia i ka makahiki i hala, ke manaʻolana nei ʻo ia e hoʻi koke i ke kahua