A
FTER 27 years at the centre of Australia’s
show scene, judging supremo Owen
Webb OAM recently announced he’s
winding back his car show commitments- which includes standing down as
chief steward at the Street Machine
Summernats and Meguiar’s MotorEx. During
his phenomenal career, few have matched the
passion, drive and ability to motivate and inspire
car builders as the man they call Webby.
With this ending of an era, we asked Owen to
reflect on how the sport has evolved over the years
and for his take on his remarkable contribution to
the world of automotive show judging.
How did this all come about?
As a panel beater and spray painter with my own
restoration business, I built a few cars in the
80s and 90s that did well at shows, including
Bruiser, my black XW ute, and my blue XY
sedan Wild Thing. After Wild Thing’s success
at Summernats 1, Chic Henry approached me
about joining the judging team for Summernats- I said yes, thinking that I might do it for a year
or so, before getting back to a few other cars
that I still wanted to build.
How did you learn the art of judging?
I was fortunate enough to be paired with Carl
Dolezal. He was a very experienced paint judge
that had been doing it since day one. He taught
me a lot. The other experienced judges like Bill
Giles (chief steward at Summernats 1 to 11)
and my good friend John Taverna were also very
helpful. That’s just how it is; all the long-term
members, like Tony Cairns, Brian Willis, John
Hristias, Carina Bates, Clint DiGiovanni, Matt
Gilkes and Mark Hayes have always helped
everyone else.
What’s changed over the years?
[Summernats founder] Chic Henry first told me
in 1985 he wanted to do an event in Canberra
using a new judging system, one that would bring
together street machiners, hot rodders, fans of
American and muscle cars – all would be welcome
under the Summernats banner. Chic wanted to
build up the judging expertise and get rid of the
old ‘tick sheet’ judging. You know, five points for
a non-cracked tail-light – tick. Another five points
for a first aid kit – tick. He wanted industry people,
experts in their field, people who knew what they
were looking at. Chic believed if Summernats
didn’t drive innovation and excellence, people
would simply keep building the same old cars
for the next 20 years. I agree, and have really
encouraged builders to get innovative, to give
everyone else something to step up to.
How does our system compare with
systems overseas?
I’ve judged in Malaysia, New Zealand and the
US, even sat in on the Ridler twice. Our system
is without doubt world-class. The core of our
judging system is consensus. While each judge
has their own responsibility, we sit down as
a team to discuss the final results to ensure
nothing has been overlooked. Everyone on the
team understands how and why each decision
has been arrived at.
Sounds very democratic?
Yes and no. The discussion is not about changing
scores – unless a car has been overlooked, or a
score omitted. It’s more about understanding the
process, everyone’s approach and about being01: Owen got his start in the
industry by turning heads with his
custom XW Falcon ute, Bruiser,
which he took to the first two
Street Machine Summernats
before his judging career began02: South Australian paint prodigyRachael Durbidge is one of a new
generation of craftspeople that
Owen has drawn into the judging
scene. She officiated at the most
recent Red CentreNATS. “I always
like to bring on young talent as
they have a different perspective,”
says OwenLEFT: Owen is indebted to many
of his fellow show car judges
past and present for providing
both expertise and inspiration,
including John Hristias (above),
Roni Tarabay (centre) and Laurie
Starling (bottom).01