SUMMERNATS 32
A new, awesome age dawns for Australia’s biggest horsepower party
STREET MACHINE SUMMERNATS 32 SAW THE FESTIVAL ENTER A NEW ERA, WITH RECORDS OBLITERATED, DYNASTIES CREATED, AND MULLETS CELEBRATED
IN THE face of searing temperatures and only a couple of days after New Year’s hangovers had subsided, more than 2000 cars and over 107,000 people turned up to party at Street Machine Summernats 32, in what turned out to be a watershed year for the festival.
The event kicked off with a record 400 cars rolling through the centre of Canberra on the City Cruise, before heading back to Exhibition Park and watching the new Skid Row lane fire up for the first time.
One of the most highly anticipated Summernats additions, Skid Row was a definite hit that allowed entrants to drop sets on Tuff Street without getting their sticker peeled. The punters loved the skids, security loved the fact the cruise route was back to cars cruising, and entrants were stoked they didn’t have people spilling onto the road pawing their cars. However, it wasn’t an easy task getting Skid Row off the ground.
“Skid Row was about us giving entrants and spectators what they wanted,” says Summernats co-owner Andy Lopez. “We had to bring the life back to the ’Nats, and we wanted to repay the faith shown in us by the entrants and fans who came back even though they were a bit disappointed with 31.
“Skid Row took a lot of pressure off the rest of the cruise route and reduced the aggro between entrants and guards.”
It signalled a subtle but defined shift in the atmosphere at Summernats, as spectators and entrants alike heaped praise on the additions to the line-up. Some of these included the Just Cuts Mullet Competition, drifting demos, the Turbo versus Blower Challenge in the Dyno Cell, and more.
“We worked hard to bring in new elements like Skid Row and drifting,” Andy says. “There was as much paperwork-shredding as tyre-shredding to get government and
police on-side, but once the skids started, we knew the hard work had been worth it.”
On the burnout pad, 126 Aussies re-took the Guinness World Record for the most number of cars doing a simultaneous burnout, including our own Turbo Taxi, while other punters retired to the expanded Cougar Cave bar to beat the heat. Boasting seven tonnes of ice-cold Cougar & Dry cans, misting fans to take the sting out of the heat, games machines, and a killer view of Tuff Street and the oval, it was something of an oasis.
The MPW Performance Dyno Cell was packed all weekend as the twin-turbo Castle Hill Performance VT Commodore faced off against the Acdelco Pro Slammer in a battle over which makes the most power: blowers or turbos. In the end we saw power records shattered as the CHP VT cracked 3076hp at the hubs. Meanwhile, Brenden ‘Bubba’ Medlyn’s VH Commodore went 2483hp to reset the Haltech Horsepower Heroes record, too!
In the Elite Hall, a record 17 brand new show cars were unveiled at ’Nats 32, with the quality and innovation in the rides on display hitting impressive levels. For the first time there was even a father/son unveil, as Rob and Cooper Zahabi whipped the covers off their Rides By Kam 1970 Dodge Challenger, HAVOC, and 1970 Chevy Nova, INFERNO.
While some online commentators questioned the future of Summernats after the 2018 event, the calmer, more mature 32nd ’Nats proved the event is on the right path.