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First published in the February 2008 issue of Street Machine
Go to: Burnouts | Elite Hall | Horsepower Heroes | Show ’n’ shine
SUMMERNATS 21:
By Boris Viskovic
You’ve just gotta love the Street Machine Summernats. Where else in the world can you see elite-level cars cruising around on a dusty trotting track, tearing it up on the grass and then racing against the clock to see who can go and whoa the quickest? When the dust had settled and the Grand Champion award had been made, Rob Godfrey’s tonner exited in a cloud of tyre smoke, big-block screaming, all 1000 horses given free rein for a truly memorable display.
There were a lot stand-out moments at Summernats 21, such as the return of Victor Bray’s Black Bess ’57 Chevy, now running a blown and injected big-block, cruising around EPIC non-stop and getting cheers the whole time. For the Ford fans, burnout legend John Peterson made a surprise appearance on the burnout track with his white ’64 Zephyr, an event that even Chic Henry didn’t know was going to happen. It may have been due to a bit of dirt, but John reckons Chic had a tear in his eye as he jumped out of the car and gave the still-surprised event organiser a manly hug.
The 21st Summernats was always going to be a special event and Chic worked his arse off to organise a range of special attractions at the event. Those crazy Army boys were there again with a completely reworked Armygeddon and this year they even let the Avos in on the secret and they showed up with a brand new Tiger helicopter, flying in and out twice a day and impressing the ladies no end.
Our spies arrived early in the week, and told us straight away that there were a lot of new cars going through scrutineering. We were all keen to see Gary Myers’s new XA coupe, while Clint Ogilvie had been slaving away to get his pink Torana back together. The effort was well worth it as Clint finished second in the Castrol Edge Burnout Masters then cleaned off the melted rubber and parked the car in the Elite Hall. To say he was rapt just doesn’t come close.
The Smooth Customs-built ’37 Ford of Peter Elliot was bound to be amazing — and it certainly didn’t disappoint — but there are always cars that appear out of nowhere and just blow everyone away. For me it was Ben Sacilotto’s EH ute. Painted in a stunning and elegant metallic mauve and sporting a blown V6 Commodore engine, it took a well-deserved spot in the Top 10 among a sea of wild hot rods, street machines and mini trucks.
The Great Meguiar’s Uncover drew crowds around the six vehicles about to be revealed, the profiles only slightly disguised by the black satin covers. The tightly packed audience meant it was impossible to watch all six unveilings but whichever car you could see, you wouldn’t have been disappointed. There was a wide variety of body and build styles, and every car was a stunning piece of workmanship and design.
Joe Lore’s BLO JO XY GT was a strong favourite and the display the team created was one of the most impressive ever seen in the Elite Hall — light towers on each corner and surrounding the car, four DVD screens displaying a slideshow of the build and mirrors showing off the stunning airbrush work and smooth underside. The punters obviously loved it all, as it took out the coveted People’s Choice award.
The Saturday night entertainment was huge, starting up with the Supercruise that featured so many cool cars they had to be broken up into five groups. Bubbles was at it again, reversing around the track in his flat orange EK pano, while the biggest group of elite cars seen in a long time — 16 in total — vied for Grand Champion honours.
On Sunday the majority of people seemed to be packed into the burnout track, with early risers treated to an entertaining and hotly contested go-to-whoa event. In an amazing demonstration of how well Gary Myers screws a car together, he took his XACUTER Falcon coupe straight to the top of the list, nailing the quickest time of the weekend on his first run. He couldn’t quite match it in the final, however, pipped by Creagh Stuart in his supercharged Escort.
What the crowd really wanted to see was burnouts and lots of ’em, and that’s what they got — contestants were still smoking the tyres well after 6pm. There was plenty of carnage too; it seemed as if every other car was dragged off by the recovery truck.
But that’s what Summernats is all about. Great cars, killer burnouts, a little bit of craziness and a fair swag of mechanical mayhem. You wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?
Grand Champ
The Summernats 21 Grand Champion is Rob Godfrey with his HQ Holden one-tonner and it’s hard to imagine a more deserving winner — an almost unprecedented mix of overwhelming muscle and showcar detail. Featured back in September ’07, Rob’s tonner came to Summernats 21 not only as the reigning Tuff Street champion but also with an 8.8-second timeslip under its belt.
This year Rob decided to put the HQ into the Elite class judging and was rewarded with a spot in the Top 10, putting him in a good position against the 13 other Elite contenders for the Grand Champion title.
Possibly his biggest threat was from Howard Astill. Howard’s ’66 Mustang was born to perform and he’s a past Grand Champion winner. Gary Myers, who carved out his street machine career by driving his cars hard, was also having a red-hot go in the Repco XACUTER, as was Mick Fabar, keen to cast aside last year’s bad memories when fuel system problems in his 1929 Ford pick-up cost him his chance. But after a dedicated effort in the exclusive Grand Champ grass driving events on Saturday night and a stinging run during the go-to-whoa on Sunday, it was Rob who scored the sword.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said later in the afternoon. “I had a great year last year when I came here and I wasn’t sure whether I was going to have a go at it or just relax for the weekend and have a good time. But hey, you gotta be in it to win it!”
After receiving his sword, Rob put on a real smoke-show as he left the burnout pad — is he the first Grand Champion to ever do so? — and then drove straight around and fronted up at the Gentech Horsepower Heroes finals to lay down his 948hp run in the finals and win the Normally Aspirated Big-Block class. Lucky winner? No way!
UC Thrash
Every Summernats has a heart-warming tale but we’ve never seen anything like the mateship displayed when Melbourne’s Steve Loader smashed his UCSMOKE HT Premier on Saturday. Steve and his car have been formidable burnout competitors over the years but things were looking grim when the throttle jammed open on Saturday evening, smashing it hard into a concrete bollard.
“All my mates were saying we should fix it but it looked pretty bad. The subframe was cactus and so was most of the front sheet-metal,” Steve says.
His dad, Rod, wasn’t going to give up however, and tracked down a wrecker with all the gear.
“We started pulling the car apart at 9pm. There were about 10 guys working on it at once, it was mayhem. We found a bloke who had a welder and he put it in a taxi and sent it over! That one shit itself, so one of our blokes called a mate in Canberra and brought another one over.”
The new subframe was walked onto the car at 2.30am and by 9am Steve had the rest. “We painted it and had the car running by 2.30pm.”
He drove straight to the burnout pad and was third-last in line. The car started strongly but the fairly tale was cut short when the blower belt grabbed a lose choke cable, shutting off the fuel tap and ending a roller coaster ride for Steve.
“I want to thank everyone who helped — some people I’d only ever spoken to a few times and a couple I’d never met before — but particularly everyone in the John Taverna jr camp, Robyn and Clint Ogilvie, Steve and Fatty from Queensland, Ryan and Jody from Shepp and Mutt.
Back in black
It’s not every day you get the chance to chuck a lap around Summernats in a blown and methanol-injected big-block making 1000hp. But when Victor Bray asks: “You want to come for a ride?” you can bet I’m going to jump at the chance to ride in a car that until last year I’d only seen in old copies of Street Machine. This was the car that started it all for Victor, a bare-knuckle street car, feared on the track and revered at the ASMF Nationals.
Last year the ’57 was on static display but Vic said he’d get it going this year. It used to run a small-block, but Victor got a deal on a race-prepped big-block and set it up for cruising: “I’ve got five drums of methanol to get through!” Vic said.
When he turned the key she fired into life. No fuss, no coughing or spluttering, just the menacing rumble of some serious horsepower to the delight of the crowds. Love to see her on the burnout track next year, Vic!
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Howard Astill’s Sweet ’66 Mustang was designed to be a driver but that didn’t stop the car slotting into the Elite Top 10, and winning Top Coupe and second Top Standard Paint. To prove the point, he gave the car a hiding in the driving events in his shot for Grand Champion. More on this amazing car soon!
2. After having fun last year with a Lada Niva, Brian Butkovic and his mates screwed this cool Volksrod together, complete with airbags and chop top.
3. Another stonkingly sweet car to debut in the Meguiar’s Great Uncover was Peter Vella’s Passion Purple ’71 Capri. The lttle Ford made the Elite Top 20 and won Top Standard Paint and Top Tudor.
4. Long-time Elite Hall judge Brian Willis brought his Summernats 7 Grand Champion HK Monaro out of mothballs for the show’s 21st anniversary.
5. Damien Lowe won the street equivalent of the Grand Champion award, Top Overall Street. To win the highly coveted prize, Damien’s VB Commodore not only had to perform well in the show ’n’ shine judging, but also kick butt in the driving events.
6. Shaun Horton’s mega-tough FB wagon was one of the cars to make its debut at the Meguiar’s Great Uncover and also scored a place in the PPG Supreme awards. The Shepparton-based car is powered by a blown and injected small-block built by Sandy ‘Doggie’ Graham, with bodywork by Shannon Jenkins. The car was built as a tribute to Shaun’s mate Justin ‘Frog’ Farrar who was the car’s previous owner and passed away in 2005.
7. A new award for 2007 was the Rare Spares Legends. The first of 10 inductees was a natural choice – Castlemaine’s Rod Hadfield. Rod was at the Summernats in his new Ardun-powered Model T Ford and while there’s no doubt that the man is enjoying his hot rods at the moment, Rod has been shaking up the street machine scene for decades – from his blown Chev-powered Zephyr of the early 70s to his street-registered P51 Mustang-powered ’55 Chev. The award was presented to Rod during the Supercruise and caught him completely by suprise. No mean feat!
Allina Leal (left) won the Jack Daniel’s Miss Summernats 21 competition. Aside from her obvious winning attributes, the Darwin girl also drives a stroked and blown VR V8 ute and intends to compete on the burnout pad at Summernats 22.
BURNOUTS
Agony & ecstasy
By Mark Arblaster
While Summernats 21 may have been a party for most, on the burnout pad it was a weekend of absolute carnage. Aside from the constant refrain of ‘fire’ from the commentators, the burnout final was broken with the sound of backfiring superchargers, exploding tyres, tortured rev-limiters and the roar of the crowd as disaster after disaster plagued entrants.
In the Castrol Edge Burnout Masters Clint Ogilvy kicked off the action in an effort that anyone would have said made bulk smoke — until veteran Greg Young hit the pad in his big-block Impala (below). His burnout was nothing less than perfect: massive revs, huge smoke and a driving display that was simply brilliant.
To see that big tank getting thrown around like a rag doll before popping both rear boots made the hair stand up on the back of your neck. His efforts earned him first place — amazingly his first ever burnout win — with the only aspirated car in the Masters.
Sadly Mark Yardie kissed the Armco twice in his blown and injected, 502ci Chevy-powered Yummie ute (below) after what would have been one of the best efforts of his career, and Peter Grmusa once again suffered an engine failure in the revamped ATRISK Falcon.
The trail of destruction continued with Shannon Peterson’s WILDE1 308 VK Commodore popping its blower, while Peter Gray’s new Holden Monaro failed to turn a tyre, suffering tune-up issues.
Debbie Gray managed to snare third place in the blown black Camaro, after a big driving effort that created impressive smoke even though the donk sounded a little off-song.
In the main Castrol Edge Burnout finals, Gary Myers debuted his new XA Falcon in fine style, shredding two tyres to secure third place.
But it was hard-charging Sydneysider Joe Pagano who set the standard with a 7000rpm start-to-finish performance. The alcohol-fed blown 308 VR ute didn’t miss a beat as it totally engulfed the burnout pad in Bridgestone smoke before the thunderous clap of two exploding tyres sent the crowd berserk.
New South Welshman Shane McDonald put on a mighty show in his big block-powered HQ ute but was shut down with a suspected engine bay fire.
After Team Bray leapt in to sort out the fuelling issues, Peter Gray returned in the blown and injected Chevy-powered Holden to take second place, despite being pushed off the pad when the car lost drive.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Chris Michael’s WILDLH came all the way from Western Australia for the second year in a row. Last year he set the car on fire, but this time around it was only the tyres that were smoking.
2. Victorian Alan Mackay seemed to be on winner until he got stuck against the guard rail in his Holden panel van, then suffered a massive transmission fluid leak sending the rear of the car up in flames.
3. For Wagga boy Dave ‘Van man’ Veering, the day ended in tears when he rammed his twin supercharged Holden panel van into the Armco at full noise, suffering massive understeer as he hit the pad at speed.
4. Clint Ogilvie has only just completed a full rebuild on his famous LC Torana, complete with massive tubs and suicide doors. The car made it into the Top 60 Elite show but that didn’t stop him from putting the car through its paces in the Burnout Masters.
SWEET ELITE
By Glenn Torrens
Created by Sydney’s Sefton Concept Vehicles, debuted last year and refined in the 12 months since, it was Ditch Jones’s incredible lemon over silver HR Holden ute that won Top Judged Elite. Holding his fist aloft after the announcement, it was an emotional moment for Ditch as he accepted his trophy from Street Machine editor Geoff Seddon.
“Jeez, I’m over the moon!” he said. “I really have to thank Drago Ostric and the Sefton team for putting the effort in.”
Reknowned Ford builder Howard Astill has been in the Top 10 before and this year debuted his eagerly anticipated ‘driver’ red ’66 Mustang. Aaron Fitzpatrick made a well-deserved return with his Datto 1600 after some minor changes to his car during the year, as did Joe Agnello and his twin-turbo Mustang. Freshman Peter Elliot’s ’37 coupe roadster scored a gaggle of trophies including Top Closed Rod. Ben Sacilotto’s EH Holden ute (below) was another newbie straight into the big league.
The ‘Burple’ XY Falcon of Joe Lore — another new car — was a dead-cert for the Top 10 and thanks in part to a sensational display surrounding the car, won People’s Choice. Robert Godfrey’s orange Holden HQ One Tonner was also popular in the Meguiar’s with crowds constantly milling around it. Mick Fabar was back with his benchmark SWUOOP 1929 Ford rod and rounding out the Top 10 was Darrell Leemhuis’s insane Rodeo turbo mini truck.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Ditch’s HR has received constant fettling throughout the year, resulting in the ute taking out the coveted Top Judged award.
2. Mark Sullivan’s 1BADHK received its Shannons Street Machine Of The Year award in the Elite Hall and drew a big crowd all weekend.
3. Peter Elliot’s ’37 Ford Roadster redefines smooth. Built by Paul Kelly at Smooth Customs and painted by Andrew Ash, it waltzed into the Top 10, grabbing a swag of trophies.
4. Rodney Ritchie received an Encouragement Award with his ProCharger-blown HK Monaro.
TOP 10:
Ditch Jones
1967 HR Holden ute
- Top Judged Elite
- Top Bodywork
- 2nd Special Effects Paint
- 2nd Top Engine Bay
- Outstanding Engineered/Pro Comp
- Top Pro Street
Aaron Fitzpatrick
1969 Datsun 510/1600 sedan
- 3rd Undercarriage
- Outstanding Engineered Super Street
- Top Super Street
- Meguiar’s Superstar
Joe Lore
1971 XY Ford Falcon sedan
- 3rd Interior
- Top Pro Modified
- Meguiar’s Superstar
- People’s Choice
Rob Godfrey
1972 HQ one-tonner
- Summernats Grand Champion
PETER ELLIOT
1937 Ford Roadster
- 2nd Top Undercarriage/Driveline
- 3rd Engine Bay
- 3rd Bodywork
- Top Interior
- Top Special Effects Paint
- Outstanding Engineered Hot Rod
- Top Closed Hot Rod
- Artistic Impression
- Meguiar’s Superstar
Mick Fabar
1929 Ford pickup
- Top Undercarriage/Driveline
- 2nd Bodywork
- Top Engine Bay
- 3rd Special Effects Paint
Darrell Leemhuis
1990 Holden Rodeo pick-up
- Top Engine Bay
- 2nd Interior
- Outstanding Engineered Street Machine
- Top Mini Truck
- Top Engine Bay ’86-on
Howard Astill
1966 Ford Mustang coupe
- 2nd Standard Paint
- Top Coupe
Joey Agnello
1966 Ford Mustang coupe
- 3rd Standard Paint
Ben Sacilotto
1964 EH Holden ute
- Top Ute/Pick-Up
POWERZONE
By Scott Taylor
Jaws dropped all around the dyno cell when Craig Munro reeled off two 1800hp+ runs in his VX ClubSport. The winner of the Summernats 19 Horsepower Heroes had returned to take the crown again at Summernats 21 in the Gentech dyno cell.
Craig’s had more than his share of bad luck over the years but this time the car ran flawlessly all through the weekend and pumped out a best figure 1895.7hp in 36C heat.
But that’s not what had tongues wagging this year. Recent rule changes lifted the bans on race fuel and blown big-blocks, and as a result the power figures skyrocketed. Last year nobody was able to claim 1000hp at the treads but in 2008 there were six cars making in excess of that mark, with four of them punching past 1500hp in qualifying.
Craig, Lyle Lemon and Garry Pope battled it out in the Turbo/Supercharged Small-Block class with their turbocharged Commodores but the highest figure of the weekend came from Gus Nichols in his twin turbo big block-powered WB ute. In qualifying Gus had the Commodore guys scrambling for more boost when he cranked out a best of 1703.3hp. In the finals the 572ci Chev was on a mission when the tailshaft snapped under the strain of a whopping 1939.7hp during its first run. Unable to complete the mandatory two runs, the door was open for Mark Arblaster to take the Turbo/Supercharged Big-Block class win with his WAR440 Valiant.
Jake Edwards was the sixth man to produce 1000rwhp, with his single-turbo LH Torana running in the Exhibition class.
In the other classes, Summernats 21 Grand Champion Rob Godfrey took out the Naturally Aspirated Big-Block class with an average of 945.3hp, while the small-block class was won by Peter Kitrozoski in his 383 Clevo-powered XE sedan with an average of 487.3hp. Julian Gillian was down on power this year but his R32 Nissan GTR still managed to win the Turbo/Supercharged Six class with 583.73hp while Tony Luci and his Chrysler Centura continued their domination of the NA Six Cylinder class, with a best of 350.1hp.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Gus Nichols built his twin-turbo big-block WB ute in just three weeks, with help from Jake Edwards, to take advantage of rule changes. Running methanol and a single blow-through carby, the 572-cube Chev was heading for 2000hp when the driveline failed. As far as we know his 1939.7hp is highest ever seen on a chassis dyno in Australia, possibly the world.
2. Jake Edwards’s Torana has been capable of 1000hp+ at the boots for years but the car never played ball when Summernats rolled around. After torching a head gasket in qualifying, Jake went back to the workshop and fixed it for Sunday when it ran a pair of four-digit runs, with a best of 1031.7hp. The beast runs a stock Holden block and a massive single turbo with a blow-through carb. It displaces 393ci and runs on methanol.
3. Arby’s Valiant made a triumphant return to the dyno cell this year, cranking out a best of 1079hp at the tyres on pump fuel. Running a factory ’65 block and a ProCharger, the genuine 8sec Mopar had the crowd reaching for the earplugs every time the dyno operator’s right foot was planted.
4. “I’m not very happy,” said Garry Pope after the massive T106 turbo seized during the finals. It’s the third Turbonetics unit to die on the car — this time the turbine housing pushed back off the centre section, allowing the turbine wheel to contact the housing and destroy the turbo. Garry still managed third in his 402ci VX SS sedan, with an average of 909.75hp, but in qualifying he was the first man to run in excess of 1500hp.
5. Last year, Lyle Lemon was just shy of 1000hp with his twin-turbo Commodore sedan but this year he had a different car. Built by Horsepower Factory in four months, the VU SS ute runs a 416ci small-block Chev with two GT47R turbos and a dry ice intercooler. After top qualifying with an average of 1568.87hp, the black ute managed 1713.5hp in the finals but it wasn’t enough to match Craig’s numbers.
6. While the other Commodores ran dry ice intercoolers, Craig Munro’s VX Clubbie stuck to its water-to-air system. It worked — when the twin-turbo LS1 ran 1713hp on its warm-up run everyone knew they were about to see something special and the packed hall roared approval when 1895.7hp appeared on the screens after the next run. He backed up with a third run of 1817.8hp to clinch the win.
7. Most entrants had a fiddle with their cars between qualifying and the finals but not Peter Kitrozoski. “All we did was top it up with fuel,” he said. Running on Mobil Synergy, the 383 Clevo-powered XE Falcon cleaned up in NA Small-Block with an average of 487.3hp. Fords took all three places in the class, with Oscar Beltame’s XY second and Phil Mizzi’s AC Cobra replica grabbing third, on top of its Engineering Excellence award.
SHOW ’N’ SHINE
By Craig Parker
Street Awards
Wow! That’s about the only way to sum up the awesome array of machinery entered in this year’s show ’n’ shine. One overawed punter was overheard saying: “There’s no way to get through them all; I’ve been out there walking around for five hours and I’ve still got three rows to go!” The oval was chock-a-block with immaculate restorations, brutally tough muscle cars, trick streeters, bitchin’ hot rods, cool cruisers and finely crafted show stoppers. If you didn’t manage to spot something that made you drool uncontrollably, then I’d be checking to see if you still have a heart beat. Here’s just a sprinkling to whet your appetite.
1. Black is beautiful, and they don’t get much nicer than Peter Sidoti’s ultra-sharp ’65 Mustang — the judges thought so too as it cleaned up Top Coupe, Top Interior, 2nd Engine Bay, 2nd Standard Paint and the big one: Top Judged Street!
2. Nope that’s not a jet engine, it’s a monster 15-inch Orion subwoofer in the boot of Brett Cleary’s VS Commodore.
3. Amazingly, Brett Fogarty managed to get his 1997 GMC Suburban literally in the weeds with the stock chassis. There’s an 11-inch C-notch and four-link system out back, modified control arms up front and a Kings Customs airbag system.
4. Ralph Biagi’s Lemon Yellow 1970 Dodge Challenger may be old school, but it’s way cool.
5. For 2008, Mike Holland tidied up a few things in the engine bay, added a fabricated dash and a custom interior. This year’s trophy haul included Top Sedan, Top Standard Paint and 3rd engine bay.
6. Damien ‘Chubby’ Lowe completely redid his VB Commodore’s engine bay for 2008. He had a grin from ear to ear after being awarded Top Engine Bay — mind you, he was also pretty chuffed with winning Sponsor’s Choice, Top Retro Tech and Best Overall Street.
Tuff Street
Story Mark Arblaster
Nolathane Tuff Street was bigger and badder than ever. Blowers, sheet-metal tunnel rams, fat tyres, big cubes, rollcages, chrome, tubs, big horsepower and suggestions of illegal street use were all on the menu.
With the line-up looking more like the pits of a national Pro Street drag meeting than a car show, 2008 brought out a mountain of new contenders. Almost every car had a blower and bulk attitude, and was a contender for one of the handful of trophies.
Joe Geri’s 1972 Ford Capri made a surprise appearance sporting new GT stripes and a twin-turbo alloy V8, ousting some hefty competition for second in Tuff Street and Top Engineering.
But Tuff Street was all about Craig Hewitt — the big fella snared Top Engineering and Best Tuff Street in his Team Big Block VL Walkinshaw racer.
1. One of the more impressive rides was Joe Geri’s immaculate Ford Capri. Once powered by a 302 Windsor, Geri has retro-fitted the car with a twin turbo, quad cam 4.0l Lexus V8 that is 100 per cent street legal and looks like a serious drag race contender.
2. It was hard to miss Matt Power’s twin supercharged big block-powered burnout machine. Built in four years, in his garage in Lightning Ridge, the ute packs all the right gear up front including Eagle crank, Scat rods and a 6/71 blower on top of an 8/71.
3. What Tuff Street is all about: blower, injector hat, heavily massaged V8 and bulk attitude. Built in his shed in Melbourne, Kallan Mossenton’s blown 308 Commodore has been earmarked for burnout duties. A broken keyway on the crank prevented his debut here.