MARYBOROUGH’S Jye Core only just made it to DCW 2020 to run his awesome VG Safari wagon in the Carnage Dial Your Own class. “It has been a serious last-minute thrash to get the car here,” he said on Day One. “We left for Willowbank at 4am on Monday and still had a list of jobs to do here at the track.”

In naturally aspirated form, the 540-cube Mopar big-block pushed the wagon to a tentative 10.80@127mph on Friday and a 6.97@100mph for the Warwick eighth, with Jye wrapping up his official proceedings back at Willowbank with a 10.94@116mph.

Jye ended up being the last man standing of a four-Mopar crew of mates at DCW, so late on Sunday arvo he was keen to run a solid number to finish off the weekend. A full-balls run with a 150-shot of gas saw a wheelspinning 10.08@137mph result, which is a sure sign of things to come: “It was the only time on the weekend I used the nitrous, but the current 727 Torqueflite and Gazzard-equipped nine-inch rear end set-up was built with its frequent use on the cards,” Jye said.

If the gorgeous VW green wagon looks familiar, it’ll be because we featured it in the May 2016 issue of SM when owned by fellow Queenslander Scott Sharpe. Scott built the Safari as a tough, big block-powered street bruiser, but Jye wanted to test its mettle on the strip as well. The Core family are no strangers to heavy-hitting Mopar muscle, and that has seen the 540-cube driveline and underpinnings refined and upgraded where necessary to help the swinging Safari lay down some decent times.

“I’m keen to get more runs under its belt and really see what it can do,” Jye said. “The car ran faultlessly on the road legs, too, and even with any of our mates’ car dramas, it’s been an awesome weekend; we supported the back-road Queensland pubs all the way!”

TROPHIES:
QUICKEST MOPAR-POWERED

SPECS

1970 VG VALIANT SAFARI
Class: Carnage Dial Your Own

Engine: 540ci big-block Chrysler
Transmission: Chrysler 727 Torqueflite auto
Converter: Dominator 3500
Diff: 9in, 3.55:1 gears
Power: 720hp

Previous PB: 10.92@126mph (NA), 10.18@136mph (nitrous)
Best DCW 2020 Pass: 10.80@127mph (NA), 10.08@137mph