Sub-Total: $0.00
When burnout driver Bobbie Stevens rolls her wild pink Datsun 120Y onto the pad at Rare Spares & Repco Rockynats this year, it won’t just be another run. It’ll be the latest chapter in a journey that’s reshaped both the car and the driver behind the wheel.
The tiny Datto has already turned plenty of heads in the burnout scene, but Bobbie explains the road to building DATS’ON started long before she ever lit up a tyre.
“I was a single mum for three years struggling with severe mental health issues,” she recalls. “Then I met my husband Karl Stevens, and together we now have a blended family of five with three beautiful kids.”
The pair eventually started their own workshop, Primary Mechanical Repairs, and before long their weekends were being swallowed up by motorsport.
“After setting up the business, we started building Karl’s blue ’92 VP to enter drag racing,” Bobbie explains. “Building cars with your partner is honestly one of the best things in the world.”
At the time, she never imagined she’d end up competing herself.
That changed when Karl suggested she might want a hobby of her own.
“He probably thought I’d choose netball or something,” she laughs. “But instead, I said I wanted to try and get into burnouts.”
Her first taste of the sport came during a private ladies’ try day in Townsville. The weapon of choice was an old ’92 VP Commodore ute with a welded diff – “rough, simple and perfect for learning” she says.
“We welded up the diff and just sent it,” she remembers. “From that moment on, I fell in love with burnouts. Every time I got on the pad, I never wanted to get off…”
Soon after, the couple began building Bobbie her own car – a 1974 Datsun 120Y.
“I’ve always loved the shape and wanted something small that I could really flick around,” she says.
The little Datto first hit the scene packing a turbocharged Barra backed by a factory-style BTR transmission. It was an unusual combination in the burnout world, a boosted Ford six stuffed into a tiny Japanese sedan, and it grabbed attention straight away.
As Bobbie grew more confident behind the wheel, the car quickly found itself lining up in Pros and Blown classes against much larger and more established builds. “Being a part of the sport has enhanced my confidence as a person and given me a sense of control, even when dealing with something as uncontrollable as mental health. In a way, it’s the same as a burnout – you can try to plan everything, but the car is going to do what it wants. You just have to take it and send it. That’s where the magic is.”
But like most burnout machines, the harder the team pushed, the more the weak links began to show.
The biggest wake-up call came during Tropical Meltdown in 2023.
“The gearbox lost oil pressure, the band seized, exploded and quite literally blew a huge hole through the floor of my car,” she explains.
That spectacular failure prompted a move to a much stronger two-speed Powerglide transmission – a staple in serious burnout builds thanks to its strength and simplicity. With the Barra now running on E85 and methanol injection through the intake for cooling, the Datto began finding its stride.
“I remember Karl asking me what I wanted for Christmas,” Bobbie recalls. “My answer was simple: more wheel speed.”
The team pushed even into the new turbo Barra setup, but more new challenges started to appear, particularly around the flex plate and crank assembly.
After pulling the engine out multiple times between events trying to keep the combo alive, the team eventually faced a crossroads.
“Either turn it down… or change it out,” she says.
Turning it down was never really on the cards.
Instead, the Barra was retired in favour of something far angrier – a 6.0-litre L98 V8 topped with a BDS 6/71 supercharger and still backed by the Powerglide.
The new combination completely changed the personality of the little Datsun. Where the turbo Barra delivered surprising, boosted grunt, the blown L98 brings instant throttle response, brutal wheel speed and the unmistakable scream of a roots blower – a sound that suits the chaos of Pro Burnouts category perfectly.
“The Barra will always hold a massive place in my heart. It’s where this chapter really grew,” Bobbie admits. “But to keep progressing and challenging myself, this was the move we had to make.”
Despite the huge smoke shows fans see from the outside, she points out that Pro Burnouts are far more technical than many people realise.
“People think it’s just about holding it flat and making smoke,” she explains. “But you’re constantly managing wheel speed, throttle control, engine temps, track position and tyre wear while the adrenaline is through the roof.”
That controlled chaos is exactly what keeps her coming back and why she’s eager to unleash the car’s latest evolution at Rockynats.
“Rockynats has such a strong reputation for putting on a killer show,” Bobbie adds. “The crowd gets right into it. It’s loud, it’s close and the energy is unreal. That kind of atmosphere pushes you to drive harder.”
For Bobbie, every event is another chance to refine the car, sharpen her driving and keep pushing deeper into the sport she loves.
“This sport gave me confidence and strength and helped my mental health more than anything else ever has,” she says. “It’s also given me the chance to show our daughters that girls can do it too.”
She hopes that being a familiar face on the pad will help more women get involved in the sport, “When I encourage them, they often say they’re too scared and ask how I have so much confidence… but the truth is—I don’t,” she laughs.
“Being on the line is scary. The waiting is scary. I get so scared that even I feel like I can’t go on… Then the moment I put my foot down and start my burnout, all that fear disappears. And afterward, I can’t even explain the feeling. It’s just epic—pure magic.”
At Rockynats, fans will see Bobbie giving it everything on the burnout pad during the Pro Burnout sessions, she’ll also be easy to find around the pits between runs, chatting with spectators, answering questions and showing people around the car.
“I love meeting the people who support the build,” she says. “That’s a massive part of why we do it.”
If the journey so far has proven anything, it’s that both the driver and the Datto are far from done.
“Every change, every failure and every late night in the shed has pushed us forward,” she says. “And we’re only just getting started.”
Join Bobbie and her beast at Rare Spares & Repco Rockynats in Rockhampton, QLD from 17-19 April 2026.
Entries to Rockynats 06 have now closed. To join the waitlist for Rockynats 07 vehicle entries go to the Street Machine Shed.
Rockynats 06 has the largest entrant field to date. For tickets and more information visit rockynats.com.au.
About Rockynats 06
17-19 April 2026
Set along the iconic Quay, East and Bolsover Streets in the CBD, combined with our Northside Burnouts and Showgrounds Precincts, the city of Rockhampton will take centre stage for a revving-good me at Rare Spares Rockynats!
Rockynats 06 is proudly brought to you by Rockhampton Regional Council in association with Summernats, naming partners Rare Spares and Repco, and is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland. The event wouldn’t be possible without our event partners Buddy’s Fire, Tuned by Chop, OzWheels, FMX Kaos, Insane Performance, SWL Racing, Meguiars, Aeroflow, Ingenia Holiday Parks, Pedders Rockhampton, Bravus, Frenchville Sports Club, Dobinsons
Spring and Suspension and JRT Civil Pty Ltd.