L AT LONG
BEAR INGS:
SUMMER NATSWhere: Exhibition Park in Canberra
When: Every January
Entrants: 150 0+
Visitors: 100,000+ (over four days)
Burnout facts: In last year’s world-
record burnout, a total of 35,000hp
hit the tarmac for 30 seconds. The
burnout competition usually destroys
more than 500 tyres
What’s on: Live bands, burnouts,
cruising, car shows, grass-driving
and go-to-whoa competitions, bars,
kids’ entertainment, trade stands,
airbrushing displays, tattoo competitions
Tickets: Adult – $120; children – $35
( season passes; single-day costs vary)
More info: http://www.summernats.com.auSummer haze. Summernats 2013
created an offi cial Guinness World
Record when 69 cars performed
simultaneous burnouts.110 Australian Geographic
and innovation. You’d be amazed what can happen to a
humble Holden Torana hatchback if you pour six years
worth of hard labour into it, and a cool quarter of a
million dollars.
“It’s the best of the best of the car industry,” says
fi rst-time car entrant and interstate truck driver David
Masalski. “You come here to see what everyone’s doing,
what the latest stuf is.” His HJ panel van will be back
for the 2014 Summernats with a whole new look to
put on parade.
Outside, those who mock the “show ponies” and
“trailer queens” tucked away in the hall declare their
loyalties via a popular bumper sticker – “Driven, not
hidden” – and they “cut laps” (cruise around the EPIC
site) all day, in machines that range from near-stock to
wildly modifi ed. Cruising is a badge of honour here and
it lifts you above the pedestrian crowd.
Braver souls enter the burnout competition. Win on
this stage and you’ll earn bragging rights among your
peers forever. But, more importantly, you’ve earned
the right to do battle with the gods themselves – the
Burnout Masters. Do yourself proud in that arena and
your name will join the immortals of the sport. These
men and women are performance artists. Their cars
are perfectly fi nished showpieces and their engines are
as highly tuned as V8 supercars. Yet they take these
machines and thrash them. At the least, the car will end
up covered in rubber and infused with smoke; at worst,
they risk massive engine failures and catastrophic fi res.
While everyone else parties, some people are here to
do the hard work. Ricky Caton and Anthony Operoekdo the burnout pad preparation. Anthony is a Canberra
lad and drives a Holden VS Clubsport but goes to
Summernats to check out the other cars. “Working
gets you closer to the action,” he says.
Summernats Grand Champion is the ultimate prize,
which can only be won by a combination of show-
winning looks and innovation, proven performance
on the track and popularity with the crowds (as shown
by a people’s choice ballot). Reigning Grand Champion
is Mick Fabar, with ‘Zero’d’, a 1967 XR Falcon that runs
a 7.3-litre turbo diesel truck engine and was built with
recycled parts: panels from wrecking yards, a leather trim
made of of cuts, and a certifi ed zero-carbon-footprint
build. Naturally, it’s painted green.
To keep the party atmosphere alive, there are bands
playing in the bars. And there’s always a headline act
on Saturday night – in 2014 you’ll see Melbourne
punk-rock band The Living End, as well as a yet to be
announced “top Australian DJ” for younger audience
members. The Miss Summernats competition takes
place on the same stage and it’s a well-ordered and
well-mannered af air – the contestants’ clothes stay
on and the crowds stay polite or face eviction.
If you need a break from the heat, there are trade
stands of ering classic car parts and retro clothes for
the ’50s fans; there are plenty of bars, too. But, simplest
perhaps, is wandering the camping grounds, where
friends set up and enjoy the show rolling past. AGSEE more of Thomas Wielecki’s evocative images at:
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/issue118.htm