ANOTHER massive day of Hot Rod Drag Week 2015, with the fourth day of racing going off at Cordova International Raceway in Illinois, despite a rain interruption.

There are now only three Aussie teams left in the competition, with Greg Trapnell’s HQ Monaro out after chomping camshafts like liquorice sticks. The Trapnell team are in good company though, with 57 cars now retired.

Of the remaining Aussies, Brian and Dianne Jensen’s LX Torana hatch is doing the best, currently running third in their class, with a best of 9.7 seconds.

Brian borrowed another 1050 Dominator carby to use on the road legs, which has improved the Torana’s frightening fuel consumption. And after losing their bonnet earlier in the week, they attached the scoop over the engine with cable ties to keep the rain out.

Although the Faraone Charger from Western Australia is out of the competition, it turned up at the track to get some runs in and pulled a stonking 7.43@192mph. The source of the Charger’s woes was a broken throttlebody, and because it had some custom touches, John was unable to simply bolt another one on. He transferred the shaft and plate from a new throttlebody into his old unit and was able to get back on the road.

After the 192mph pass, the Charger’s fuel pump called it quits, so John’ll need to replace it before tomorrow, where he hopes to run the fastest-ever pass for an Australian street car.

Harry Haig’s ‘Sexual Steve’ Chevelle is still in the game, although a little off its earlier pace, with a best of 14.9 seconds.

The rain caught a few people out once the convoy was back on the road. Sexual Steve gave Harry a few nervous moments – not to mention the fact that the 45-year-old windscreen seals no longer keep the rain out! One competitor did a 180-degree spin, complete with trailer, though damage was reportedly minimal.

Dan Smith in his 11-second ’79 Chrysler 300 was not so lucky, but he was able to zip-tie the headlight back on and stay in the hunt. The white whale is powered by a 442ci Chrysler small-block and is said to be a fearsome DYO weapon.

Steve Reimann and Mark Arblaster suffered a fuel blockage after racing, but with a few stops they have been able to continue back to St Louis. They’ve had a few electrical issues too, but somehow, they never stop smiling!

Tom Bailey is still in the overall lead; he did an early pass and then hit the road. Bryant Goldstone’s Javelin stuck around for a few passes, but has been unable to quite catch Bailey so far. The AMC is damn impressive for a steel-body machine. Joe Barry’s ’56 Chev is also close in third.

Stay tuned for more!