Local Legend
GAVIN Timmins is an Alice Springs local and a gearhead of epic proportions. He had no fewer than three cars in the hall at Red Centrenats, and told us that Alice has quite a vibrant car scene.
“There are a lot more cars out here than people realise,” he said. “Motorsport is huge out here with the Finke Desert Race, off-road racing and sprint cars; anything to do with motorsport is really big. But there are lots of guys who have been out here for many, many years and have big sheds with lots of old cars sitting in them. It’s pretty cool.”
Gavin’s ’76 XB Falcon hardtop is a total stunner, with a host of body mods including the Eleanor Mustang-inspired front end treatment and completely reimagined rear end. She’s powered by a mild, fuel-injected 351 Clevo, which Gavin pieced together with leftover bits from his drag racing days, backed by a Top Loader. “The four-speed goes with the theme of an old muscle car; some people find them a bit funny to drive, but that adds to the appeal of it for me,” he said.
He also owns a sweet ’50 Mercury for low and slow cruising, while his ’64 Galaxie is a Nascarinspired hottie with a 547ci Ford big-block!
“I’m very fortunate to live in the part of the world I do that allows me to go for a bit of a drive!”
But when the numbers were crunched, the coveted Grand Champion title was deservedly bestowed upon Layton’s HUMBLE HQ – the very first car I laid eyes on when I rocked into Alice. “It was unexpected, but we’re very chuffed to have won the title,” Layton said. “The Grand Champion competition was great for us because we got to drive the car in the motorkhana, drag racing and grass driving events. It was great fun to really thrash the car and let it do what it was built to do. We’re excited to have won it and it’s going straight to the pool room.”
The one and only downer of Red Centrenats 2017 was unfortunately a big one. A number of spectators were injured – some quite seriously – when a fire from a skid car made its way into the crowd during Sunday afternoon’s burnout competition. Mainstream media outlets jumped all over the story and everyone chimed in online with their opinion, but the outpouring of positivity from the people that mattered was incredible.
The support shown by and for those directly involved – particularly the driver – speaks volumes for just how tight-knit the burnout family really is. At the time of writing the official investigation into the incident remains in progress, and while the findings are as yet unknown, we wish those affected a speedy recovery.