The Can-Am entertainer smokes its way through
An absolute crowd favourite is the Chevrolet-engined Vauxhall Firenza Can-Am of Mick Strafford.
It is loud, brash and usually wreathed in tyre smoke. The fans love it as Strafford plays to the gallery, using up a stock of various worn out tyres on the period correct South African monster.
Strafford said: “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.
“I’ve spent so much time on rallies thinking come on, try a bit harder: try to at least do something that looks good. I like to put on a show and make some noise and burn some tyres.
“You’ve got people paying money to come and spectate on these events, and as [promoter] Warner Lewis said in the final instructions: ‘you’re not here to go fast, you’re here to entertain!’
“Jimmy McRae drives it far quicker than me, but I tend to be a bit more spectacular because I’m more of an animal than he is. I like to slide it around and try to avoid hitting things.”
As usual, Strafford and the Can-Am did not disappoint as the roaring V8 delivered the soundtrack to the spectacle.
It may not be the quickest way to get through the stages, but his sideways tyre-smoking style is just what events like this should be about.