TROPICAL MELTDOWN

NORTH QUEENSLAND’S WILDEST SKIDDERS 7 BATTLE IT OUT AT TROPICAL MELTDOWN FOR A SHOT AT THE BURNOUT MASTERS

The burnout faithful flock to Far North Queensland to kill tyres by the dozen

THE picturesque drive to Springmount Raceway from the coastal city of Cairns features beautiful beaches, tropical rainforests and winding mountain roads. Yet on Saturday 21 November, it was the journey’s end that provided the best scenery: a mammoth burnout pad and a line-up of wild skid cars ready to cover it in rubber, nestled among the rolling hills just outside Mareeba. Tropical Meltdown 7 was on, and Far North Queenslanders had come to battle it out for one Burnout Masters ticket and a kitty of cold, hard cash.

Coronavirus restrictions saw the usual three-day skid-fest slimmed down to a single day of action. Gates opened at 8am as the competitors rolled in for scrutineering. Practice skids started at 10, with promoter Kev Davis christening the pad in his VZ ute, EPA WHO – and providing the day’s first carnage. “I opened the show and found the other side of the wall!” he laughed.

The warm-up session saw its fair share of thrills and spills, too, knocking around a couple of the big contenders early on – nothing a little prize money couldn’t fix, though.

Covid-enforced limited entrant and crowd numbers threw a bit of a spanner in the works when it came to gathering up the prize pool, so Kev decided that this year’s Pro class entries would be buy-in only: one buy-in included two skids, and multiple buy-ins were available. So if your first two skids didn’t cut it, you could throw another $500 into the pot for another crack at the chocolates and a chance to skid in the Burnout Masters finals at Rare Spares Rev Rock ’n’ Roll in Canberra in March 2021. The double-ups proved popular among the Pros, with a handful of drivers also entering the Eight-cylinder class.

IF YOUR FIRST TWO SKIDS DIDN’T CUT IT, YOU COULD THROW ANOTHER $500 INTO THE POT FOR ANOTHER CRACK

At 1pm, the judges pulled out their clipboards as the deciding rounds began.

“We kicked off with the Pros, because the multi-buy-in entrants were doing four skids throughout the day. That’s no problem for the lower-level cars, but when it comes to the Pros, there’s a lot of preparation between skids,” Kev said.

While the heavy hitters were whacking on a fresh set to fry, the Ladies, Six-cylinder and Eight-cylinder divisions all competed for their own cash prizes.

The tyre smoke cleared momentarily in the late afternoon as onlookers made their way to the pavilion for the show ’n’ shine trophies. Amongst the 30-odd winners sat restored classics, tough streeters, hot rods and rubber-covered burnout cars.

Dusk fell and cars lined back up from 5pm for the second Pro class heat, including double-up entrants returning for their third and fourth skids. The competition was fierce, with burnout veterans and previous Masters qualifiers such as Jay Chun Tie’s TINY TOWING Suzuki Carry hitting the pad. Each entrant was awarded a combined score for both of their burnouts, so consistency was key – one fierce tip-in and smoke show wouldn’t guarantee a win. “We’re lucky that we’ve got two Summernats Burnout Masters judges – the best in the country,” Kev said.

The comp was run and done by 10pm, when a few well-deserved beers were cracked and presentations began.

Andrew Pool took first place for the Pro class in the IBLOWN VC Commodore. “I’ve been coming to Cairns for 12 years and taken home a lot of second and third places, but this is the first win!” he said. The former Burnout Masters champ pocketed $5000 cash and a chance for another crack at the crown at Rev Rock ’n’ Roll. Jessie Barbeler in the

EACH ENTRANT WAS AWARDED A COMBINED SCORE FOR BOTH OF THEIR BURNOUTS, SO ONE FIERCE TIP-IN AND SMOKE SHOW WOULDN’T GUARANTEE A WIN

SKEATA Mighty Boy came second. He’d had to push the car off the pad earlier in the day, but Jessie’s second buy-in secured him silver. Wal Gersekowski’s 1TUFHG was tough enough for third place, although Wal lost steering and brakes and hit the wall during his first round.

Casey Tolcher took out the Eight-cylinder class in the HI RI2K Commodore and held the sixth spot in the Pros. Dan Miller dominated the Six-cylinder class in his four-banger Hilux, while Helen Robson won the Ladies class piloting SPOTTO57.

Planning an event in a pandemic isn’t easy, and after a stressful few months, Kev was stoked to have been able to put on a show the locals loved. “It’s such a treat to see people who are passionate coming back year after year with a smile on their faces,” he said. “My sister Latoya and I put a lot of heart and soul into the event, and we’re looking forward to next year, when we can go back to a three-day, full-feature show with a cruise route.”

We’re looking forward to it too, Kev! Tropical Meltdown 8 is scheduled for 6-8 August 2021.

IT’S SUCH A TREAT TO SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE COMING BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR WITH A SMILE ON THEIR FACES

STORY & PHOTOS ASHLEIGH WILSON

After a two-year hiatus, Jessie Barberler returned to the burnout pad in full beast mode to debut the new look and LS combo of SKEATA, the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Suzuki Mighty Boy. BNR Engines put together this blown 408ci LS3 screamer, which pushes out 1150 horses and revs to 7800rpm on the pad

BELOW LEFT: Nick Payne made the trip from Townsville in his ’93 XG Falcon, FERAL UTE. “I had an absolute blast on the huge Springmount pad, being able to run the ute as fast as I could,” he said. “It’s unlike any other burnout pad I’ve been on!” Nick rebuilt the factory 4.0L Ford in his dad’s workshop and had the boys at Town Automatics fit a mini-spool to the diff and build the manualised auto trans to get power to the ground RIGHT: Ryan ‘Bubba’ Lofts lit up the pad in his methanol-drinking, Ls1-packing OR WHAT VX Calais. Bubba sent it hard, taking home the win for Best Tip-in and second place in the Eight-cylinder class BOTTOM RIGHT: Cairns local Daniel Miller entered his fourcylinder 3Rz-powered ’78 Hilux in the Six-cylinder class. Daniel chucked on a GT30 snail for extra boost, LS1 coils and a Turbosmart fuel reg with 1650cc injectors and a custom rail. “It makes 250hp on pump fuel; flick it over to methanol and it makes 330,” he said A Far North Queensland favourite, Casey Tolcher piloted his naturally aspirated, Ls1powered VK Commo, HI RI2K, across the pad five times as he competed in two classes. The powerplant breathes through a single 950 Holley E85 carby backed by a TH400 and a shortened Borgwarner diff, pushing out 400hp

Jay Chun Tie’s TINY TOWING Suzuki Carry already holds a Summernats golden ticket, and when you see the madman flying across the pad, you know why! “This is our local event; we come out every year,” Jay enthused. “It’s a massive facility and the pad is a great size” FKN LOCO sounds about right when you see what Adrian Sitera’s running in his ’90 GT4 Celica. A set of twin throttlebodies and Pacemaker Comp-series extractors help power the 4.0L Barra that’s hiding under the bonnet. The purpose-built burnout car has Ford running gear, minitubs, chopped diff and individual brake pedals. “Coming in on the tip-in, if I want to get close to the wall I just hit one of the brakes and it turns me around on the spot,” Adrian explained LEFT: Steve and Helen Robson took home the chocolates for Best Hot Rod in their tidy Chev pick-up. The drag-oriented beast is running a 540 big-block up front with a set of Brodix heads, along with a Turbo 400, Dana diff, four-link and full rollcage BELOW: Best Engine Bay went to Ronald Tewes in his 1960 FB Holden ute. The neat bay holds a well-worked 5.0L out of a VT Commodore, with a 1350cfm fourbarrel throttlebody, Torque Power dual-plane high-rise intake and tuned-length headers

ABOVE: Brock Neville’s BLACK DOG Barrapowered BA ute has a T5 gearbox with a button clutch, which he’ll be swapping out for a T56 and twin-plate clutch next season. Although Brock destroyed third gear during his second test skid and had to run his final burnout in fourth gear, he was happy to be out on the pad spreading awareness for suicide prevention. “What people don’t see is the support the burnout community has for each other; if one person is down, everyone helps to get them up,” he said. “That kind of network and support saves lives” BELOW: Running a Holden 355ci stroker, Michael Oban’s 1966 HR won Top Pro Streeter in the show ’n’ shine. “It’s been a nine-year rebuild,” he said. “It’s got a Turbo 400, Borgwarner diff and four-wheel disc brakes”

Leteisha Chun Tie’s PARTY TIME saw off 2020 with a bang as the rods let go and pieces of the LS1 littered the pad. The LG Automotive & Dyno crew will be throwing in an LS3 to keep the VK’S tyres frying for next year’s comps LEFT: Keelan Heit blew tyres and bashed the rims in his ’75 HJ Tonner, SKRTLIFTA. The methanol-breathing built LS1 is fed through a carby, and the Holden also runs an MSD ignition system, TH400 trans and 9in BELOW: Self-confessed horsepower junkie Bobby Dyer killed a couple of sets in his shed-built VL, METH PIG. The LS is force-fed by a 6/71 fitted with mechanical injection. Behind the heart sits a Powerglide trans, custom tailshaft, a 9in diff and four-link suspension in the rear. Bobby cracked the Top 10 in the Pro class and won Best Post-1985 in the show ’n’ shine