DRAG racing is the original extreme sport, and none are more extreme than the blown altereds.

However, drag racing is also 99 per cent preparation and one per cent actual race time. Basically you prepare everything in the shed over plenty of long and late hours to spend a minimum amount of time on the track. Some days it goes well; other days it all goes to shit.

No prizes for guessing what sort of day these guys were having. With Jeff Cutajar behind the wheel, the blown small block-powered altered (short for altered wheelbase) has been given some upgrades and the team was testing the gains. The first run saw the blown alcohol beast climb up on the wheelie bar, before Jeff got off the throttle and the whole car bounced all four wheels off the ground – twice! The next run it didn’t fare much better, almost scraping up along the wall before the driver aborted the run.

It was the third run that got the blood pumping though. After a backfire on the startline they refired the car and prepared for another pass, when one of the fuel lines at the front of the hat came loose. Thankfully methanol has a relatively high flash point and the car was shut down quickly before there was any fire.

“It was exciting, but that’s the way I like it,” Jeff reckons.