SummerNats 2015
World record burnout
Bendigo's Paul Mulcahy✓ and Mt Pritchard's Andrew Cobb✓ showed just how broad a church the street machine community can be when they turned up for Thursday's successful Summernats World Record Burnout attempt.
Their choices of cars were, to say the least, a little eccentric and very different from the usual "Falcodore✓" or worked over piece of American iron.
Mr Cobb was the coolest man on the burnout track by virtue of his Subaru Sambar ice cream van while Mr Mulcahy revisited the best of British with his 1958 Austin Lancer.
The little Subaru, which is believed to have begun life as a 1980 or 1981 model, was originally powered by a 600cc two-stroke two cylinder that probably started life as a motorcycle powerplant.
It has now been replaced by a late model, fuel injected, 5.7 litre General Motors V8 that develops around 300 kilowatts.
Because the new motor is much larger than the old the car has been redesigned along the same lines as a Ferrari or a Lamborghini with the engine in the middle of vehicle. It, like many of the unique creations that push the envelope of creative engineering at Summernats each year, arrived on the back of a track.
"You couldn't drive it (on the road)," Mr Cobb said. "It doesn't have a rear suspension. This is a burnout car pure and simple; we have other cars but this is for fun."
Mr Mulcahy's early Austin, a vehicle that was rarely loved in its salad days and is even less well regarded today, is a big brother to the Austin A30 in which Peter Brock originally honed his skills. And, like that car, it bears only a passing resemblance under the bonnet to what the British engineers originally conceived.
"I've fitted a twin turbocharged Buick V6; essentially the same motor as was in the (early) Commodores," he said. "Before I turbocharged it the car would cover the standing quarter in 10.9 seconds and exit at 126 miles per hour (201.6 km/h)."
Mr Mulcahy was making his first visit to Summernats since 2005.
"I've always loved the event; it is just a question of time," he said. "I run my own business (a clutch and brake service), have five kids and also enjoy fishing."
He loves events such as Summernats because they are an opportunity to use the car, not just show it off.
Asked about its "distressed" exterior, he is quick to say it is not one of the "rat rods" that are becoming increasingly popular.
"That movement sprang up after I built my car," he said.
Their choices of cars were, to say the least, a little eccentric and very different from the usual "Falcodore✓" or worked over piece of American iron.
Mr Cobb was the coolest man on the burnout track by virtue of his Subaru Sambar ice cream van while Mr Mulcahy revisited the best of British with his 1958 Austin Lancer.
The little Subaru, which is believed to have begun life as a 1980 or 1981 model, was originally powered by a 600cc two-stroke two cylinder that probably started life as a motorcycle powerplant.
It has now been replaced by a late model, fuel injected, 5.7 litre General Motors V8 that develops around 300 kilowatts.
Because the new motor is much larger than the old the car has been redesigned along the same lines as a Ferrari or a Lamborghini with the engine in the middle of vehicle. It, like many of the unique creations that push the envelope of creative engineering at Summernats each year, arrived on the back of a track.
"You couldn't drive it (on the road)," Mr Cobb said. "It doesn't have a rear suspension. This is a burnout car pure and simple; we have other cars but this is for fun."
Mr Mulcahy's early Austin, a vehicle that was rarely loved in its salad days and is even less well regarded today, is a big brother to the Austin A30 in which Peter Brock originally honed his skills. And, like that car, it bears only a passing resemblance under the bonnet to what the British engineers originally conceived.
"I've fitted a twin turbocharged Buick V6; essentially the same motor as was in the (early) Commodores," he said. "Before I turbocharged it the car would cover the standing quarter in 10.9 seconds and exit at 126 miles per hour (201.6 km/h)."
Mr Mulcahy was making his first visit to Summernats since 2005.
"I've always loved the event; it is just a question of time," he said. "I run my own business (a clutch and brake service), have five kids and also enjoy fishing."
He loves events such as Summernats because they are an opportunity to use the car, not just show it off.
Asked about its "distressed" exterior, he is quick to say it is not one of the "rat rods" that are becoming increasingly popular.
"That movement sprang up after I built my car," he said.
Wild and woolly open wheeler in record burnout
Craig Davies of Warragamba says beer played a big part in the design of this monster Mini van that was one of the 107 cars that set a new world record for the number of vehicles in a single burnout at the Summernats in Canberra at 1.55pm on January 1, 2015. "It came to me as a good idea in the shed," he said.
"I'd seen two bodies for sale (on ebay) and it went from there." 2015 is the monster Mini's second Summernats. "It was finished the night before last year's event," Craig, who travelled to Canberra with mate Wade Wasielewski, also of Warragamba, said.
The machine runs a 350 Chev with a Turbo 350 auto transmission. He said taking part in the burnout was "awesome" and that the light truck tyres fitted to the rear wheels for the occasion had spun well. And the trick to a good burnout? "You hold it on the brakes, put the throttle down and then move it up through the gears," he said. "If you stay in low the wheels aren't spinning fast enough for you to get a good burn."
The January 1 event easily pipped Summernat's 69 car record set in 2010 and gives competitors a big number to chase.
Summernats co-owner, Andy Lopez, said the organisation had been complex as there were very stringent safety requirements to be met but that the result was well worth it.
"I'm amazed so many people wanted to take part," he said. "It has exceeded expectations." Participating cars ranged from a highly modified Austin Lancer, through to a mid-engined Suzuki ice cream truck, a and Brock Commodores, Falcon hardtops, a Valiant Regal with the rare 360, a VN Commodore covered in Astroturf, a highly modified Mercedes W126 coupe and even a HB Torana.
Filming the event was like being at ground zero on the set of Dante's Peak and even officials and organisers were forced to take shelter from the acrid smoke, petrol fumes and pellets of burning rubber.
The aftermath was a scenario that could have come from Operation Desert Storm. At least one car had suffered massive transmission failure, many others had shredded tyres and the burnout track - which was filled to capacity for the event - was left pitted and potholed.
All in all a memorable way to kick off the New Year.
The security official in the Mexican sombrero in this video is Zane Morse. To view the video cut and paste this link into your browser.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1051982091493928
"I'd seen two bodies for sale (on ebay) and it went from there." 2015 is the monster Mini's second Summernats. "It was finished the night before last year's event," Craig, who travelled to Canberra with mate Wade Wasielewski, also of Warragamba, said.
The machine runs a 350 Chev with a Turbo 350 auto transmission. He said taking part in the burnout was "awesome" and that the light truck tyres fitted to the rear wheels for the occasion had spun well. And the trick to a good burnout? "You hold it on the brakes, put the throttle down and then move it up through the gears," he said. "If you stay in low the wheels aren't spinning fast enough for you to get a good burn."
The January 1 event easily pipped Summernat's 69 car record set in 2010 and gives competitors a big number to chase.
Summernats co-owner, Andy Lopez, said the organisation had been complex as there were very stringent safety requirements to be met but that the result was well worth it.
"I'm amazed so many people wanted to take part," he said. "It has exceeded expectations." Participating cars ranged from a highly modified Austin Lancer, through to a mid-engined Suzuki ice cream truck, a and Brock Commodores, Falcon hardtops, a Valiant Regal with the rare 360, a VN Commodore covered in Astroturf, a highly modified Mercedes W126 coupe and even a HB Torana.
Filming the event was like being at ground zero on the set of Dante's Peak and even officials and organisers were forced to take shelter from the acrid smoke, petrol fumes and pellets of burning rubber.
The aftermath was a scenario that could have come from Operation Desert Storm. At least one car had suffered massive transmission failure, many others had shredded tyres and the burnout track - which was filled to capacity for the event - was left pitted and potholed.
All in all a memorable way to kick off the New Year.
The security official in the Mexican sombrero in this video is Zane Morse. To view the video cut and paste this link into your browser.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1051982091493928
Summernats City Cruise gone in 300 seconds
In the improbable event someone ever chooses to make a movie about Friday's Summernats City Cruise through Civic an excellent working title would be "Gone in 300 seconds".
Just over five minutes elapsed before the arrival of the first vehicles at the intersection of Northbourne Avenue and Alinga Streets and the departure of the last with the 200 participating vehicles flashing past at a rate of 40 cars a minute.
Summernats event control manager, Richard Holder, said he was not sure why the ACT Policing escort vehicles had set such a cracking pace but that at meetings leading up to the street parade a high priority had been placed on ensuring normal traffic was disrupted for the minimum possible length of time.
Spectators who had witnessed the 2014 City Cruise, which only had 175 vehicles, said the pace was definitely much higher on Friday and that the normal level of interaction between the people in the cars and the crowds lining the street had been missing.
An ACT spokesman said a “top and tail” escort had been introduced for the first time on Friday with police units bringing up the rear as well as setting the pace.
Stephen Gray of Ngunnawal and his wife Nicole were among the hundreds of Canberrans who had turned out to line Northbourne Avenue for the event.
They had seen the police and SES crews setting up the barriers earlier in the day and decided to bring their three-and-a-half year old son Oliver along for his view of Summernats.
“It (the City Cruise) was definitely faster than it usually is,” Mrs Gray said. “It was very hard to take photos; I’ll have to check and see if mine have come out blurry.”
Mr Gray, who remembers the “unofficial” super cruises up and down Northbourne 20 years said this year’s event had been a far cry from them.
“You don’t see people doing burn-outs in the street anymore.”
Monash resident and modified car enthusiast Joey Pargalli agreed this year’s City Cruise had been super quick.
“The parade was certainly fast,” he said. “It looks as if they (the police) were concerned about how long the streets were going to be closed for.”
The Ford enthusiast, who plans to take his XR6 to Summernats in 2016, admitted to being a little disappointed.
“It (the City Cruise) was good to see but it would be better if it was slower so you had more time to look at the cars,” he said.
Asked why he hadn’t taken the XR6 to this year’s Summernats, Mr Pargalli told Fairfax: “I will be there next year; we got married this year and couldn’t afford to do both.”
His wife, Keira, said the couple’s favourite City Cruise car had been a heavily modified XD Falcon with a Mad Max-style blower sticking out of the bonnet.
“It made a lot of noise,” she said.
Their son, Jayden, said the experience had been awesome.
Despite the concerns over the speed of the parade, Summernat’s Mr Holder said it had been a success and well supported by the entrants.
“We’ve had no complaints so far (from drivers).The annual Shannons City Cruise is proof that for at least four days of the year Canberra is more than just politicians, art galleries, museums, flower festivals and public service excitement,” he said.
This year's city cruise was the third in the modern history of the event and takes the place of the unofficial "super cruises" that attracted police attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"It is intended to help the event engage with the city population," Mr Holder said. "The Supercruise still takes place but it is an off-street event in the main arena."
Just over five minutes elapsed before the arrival of the first vehicles at the intersection of Northbourne Avenue and Alinga Streets and the departure of the last with the 200 participating vehicles flashing past at a rate of 40 cars a minute.
Summernats event control manager, Richard Holder, said he was not sure why the ACT Policing escort vehicles had set such a cracking pace but that at meetings leading up to the street parade a high priority had been placed on ensuring normal traffic was disrupted for the minimum possible length of time.
Spectators who had witnessed the 2014 City Cruise, which only had 175 vehicles, said the pace was definitely much higher on Friday and that the normal level of interaction between the people in the cars and the crowds lining the street had been missing.
An ACT spokesman said a “top and tail” escort had been introduced for the first time on Friday with police units bringing up the rear as well as setting the pace.
Stephen Gray of Ngunnawal and his wife Nicole were among the hundreds of Canberrans who had turned out to line Northbourne Avenue for the event.
They had seen the police and SES crews setting up the barriers earlier in the day and decided to bring their three-and-a-half year old son Oliver along for his view of Summernats.
“It (the City Cruise) was definitely faster than it usually is,” Mrs Gray said. “It was very hard to take photos; I’ll have to check and see if mine have come out blurry.”
Mr Gray, who remembers the “unofficial” super cruises up and down Northbourne 20 years said this year’s event had been a far cry from them.
“You don’t see people doing burn-outs in the street anymore.”
Monash resident and modified car enthusiast Joey Pargalli agreed this year’s City Cruise had been super quick.
“The parade was certainly fast,” he said. “It looks as if they (the police) were concerned about how long the streets were going to be closed for.”
The Ford enthusiast, who plans to take his XR6 to Summernats in 2016, admitted to being a little disappointed.
“It (the City Cruise) was good to see but it would be better if it was slower so you had more time to look at the cars,” he said.
Asked why he hadn’t taken the XR6 to this year’s Summernats, Mr Pargalli told Fairfax: “I will be there next year; we got married this year and couldn’t afford to do both.”
His wife, Keira, said the couple’s favourite City Cruise car had been a heavily modified XD Falcon with a Mad Max-style blower sticking out of the bonnet.
“It made a lot of noise,” she said.
Their son, Jayden, said the experience had been awesome.
Despite the concerns over the speed of the parade, Summernat’s Mr Holder said it had been a success and well supported by the entrants.
“We’ve had no complaints so far (from drivers).The annual Shannons City Cruise is proof that for at least four days of the year Canberra is more than just politicians, art galleries, museums, flower festivals and public service excitement,” he said.
This year's city cruise was the third in the modern history of the event and takes the place of the unofficial "super cruises" that attracted police attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"It is intended to help the event engage with the city population," Mr Holder said. "The Supercruise still takes place but it is an off-street event in the main arena."
Summernats to stage event in Alice Springs in September
The best elements of Summernats are to form the core of a world class car festival to be staged in Alice Springs this September following a historic deal between event organisers and the Northern Territory Government.
Details of the event, to be known as Red CentreNATs, were outlined by Summernats co-owner, Andy Lopez, and Northern Territory Chief Minister, Adam Giles, at Canberra’s EPIC on Sunday, January 4.
Mr Giles, a self-confessed rev head who was on his first extended visit to Summernats, said he had first raised the possibility of a Northern Territory event with Summernats founder Chic Henry many years ago.
The Alice Springs resident said his home town had a huge car culture and that there was enormous potential for the new event, to be held from September 3 to September 6.
“We have seen what Summernats brings to Canberra and we’d like to have a share of that in the Northern Territory,” he said.
He said as part of the agreement between Summernats and the Northern Territory Government participants would be able to drive modified cars on the street from venue to venue as long as they qualified for a special permit.
The two parties have committed to three events starting this year with the option to extend from 2018.
Sunday’s announcement came on the last day of one of the most successful Summernats in years.
Crowd behaviour was good with, once again, no arrests or major incidents on site; attendances were expected to break the 100,000 mark and a near record 1907 cars had entered. This was more than 100 up on the 1800 organisers had been expecting.
Mr Lopez said while Summernats’ main focus was modified cars and street machines, Red CentreNATS was for all cars and car lovers.
“We’d like to see this become the nationals for every car club in the country,” he said.
“We were approached by the Northern Territory government (which has committed $1 million to the event) and that is a great validation of what we are doing in Canberra.”
Summernats regulars, who have been discussing the Alice Springs event since it was first publicly mooted in November, agree.
Bendigo’s Paul Mulcahy, who participated this year with his heavily modified Austin Lancer, has already committed to taking both the Austin and his Chevy Nova as part of a hometown convoy.
“It is a long way from Victoria but this (the Alice Springs event) is going to be huge,” he said.
“We aren’t the only ones from Bendigo; we’ll be taking a semi-trailer (load of cars) from the city. “(My wife) Sue and I will also be taking a camper trailer and a couple of weeks and having a look around.”
Mr Mulcahy said the Alice Springs event would give participants a lot of opportunities to use their cars.
“They’ll have a drag strip was well as the burnout pad and a lot more driving events,” he said. “And the permits (for non-registered cars)? That’s perfect, that is going to have huge appeal; it is a game changer. There are a lot of cars sitting in sheds that hardly ever get used because they can only be driven at the drag strip or at one-off events.”
Summernats Events Control Manager Richard Holder said that since the website went live in November 55 entries had already been received.
Red Centre NATS would complement Summernats, not replace it, and allow the organisation to make even better use of its events management team because of the separation in time between the two he said.
Details of the event, to be known as Red CentreNATs, were outlined by Summernats co-owner, Andy Lopez, and Northern Territory Chief Minister, Adam Giles, at Canberra’s EPIC on Sunday, January 4.
Mr Giles, a self-confessed rev head who was on his first extended visit to Summernats, said he had first raised the possibility of a Northern Territory event with Summernats founder Chic Henry many years ago.
The Alice Springs resident said his home town had a huge car culture and that there was enormous potential for the new event, to be held from September 3 to September 6.
“We have seen what Summernats brings to Canberra and we’d like to have a share of that in the Northern Territory,” he said.
He said as part of the agreement between Summernats and the Northern Territory Government participants would be able to drive modified cars on the street from venue to venue as long as they qualified for a special permit.
The two parties have committed to three events starting this year with the option to extend from 2018.
Sunday’s announcement came on the last day of one of the most successful Summernats in years.
Crowd behaviour was good with, once again, no arrests or major incidents on site; attendances were expected to break the 100,000 mark and a near record 1907 cars had entered. This was more than 100 up on the 1800 organisers had been expecting.
Mr Lopez said while Summernats’ main focus was modified cars and street machines, Red CentreNATS was for all cars and car lovers.
“We’d like to see this become the nationals for every car club in the country,” he said.
“We were approached by the Northern Territory government (which has committed $1 million to the event) and that is a great validation of what we are doing in Canberra.”
Summernats regulars, who have been discussing the Alice Springs event since it was first publicly mooted in November, agree.
Bendigo’s Paul Mulcahy, who participated this year with his heavily modified Austin Lancer, has already committed to taking both the Austin and his Chevy Nova as part of a hometown convoy.
“It is a long way from Victoria but this (the Alice Springs event) is going to be huge,” he said.
“We aren’t the only ones from Bendigo; we’ll be taking a semi-trailer (load of cars) from the city. “(My wife) Sue and I will also be taking a camper trailer and a couple of weeks and having a look around.”
Mr Mulcahy said the Alice Springs event would give participants a lot of opportunities to use their cars.
“They’ll have a drag strip was well as the burnout pad and a lot more driving events,” he said. “And the permits (for non-registered cars)? That’s perfect, that is going to have huge appeal; it is a game changer. There are a lot of cars sitting in sheds that hardly ever get used because they can only be driven at the drag strip or at one-off events.”
Summernats Events Control Manager Richard Holder said that since the website went live in November 55 entries had already been received.
Red Centre NATS would complement Summernats, not replace it, and allow the organisation to make even better use of its events management team because of the separation in time between the two he said.