UNFINISHED BUSINESS

NATHAN JEHU'S BLISTERING SEVEN-SECOND TORANA GOT OH-SO-CLOSE TO SHAKING THE TOP RANKS DURING DRAG CHALLENGE 2024, AND HE'S COMING BACK THIS YEAR TO FINISH THE JOB

- STORY KIAN HEAGNEY PHOTOS CHRIS THOROGOOD & NOAH THORLEY

THERE'S always a few smokies that emerge each year at Street Machine Drag Challenge, and last year's campaign from West Australian Nathan Jehu and his 1976 LX Torana sedan was right on track to give all the top players a run for their money.

"It was a shame when the engine let go on that second-last day at Heathcote; we were having a solid run up until that point," says Nathan. "We had very little drama on the road and managed to find speed on track."

That's politely underselling it, as up until then, Nathan was running second in the Radial Blown class, with a 5.15@145mph on Mildura's eighth-mile on Day Two, and consecutive 7.5s on the quarter-mile at Dragway at The Bend and Heathcote Park Raceway over the following two days. "It was around 20mph down on that 7.59 pass at Heathcote when it let go, but a melted piston and two bent rods ended our week," says Nathan.