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Picture: ADAM McLEAN Back for the annual celebration of horsepower: Debbie Gray, of Victoria, with her supercharged Chevrolet Camaro at the inspection centre at the Canberra Racecourse.
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Queen of burnout pad back to defend her title at Summernats
By PETER BREWER, Motoring Editor
For many, the pilgrimage began at dawn.
They began arriving yesterday in their hundreds, from all parts of the country; coming to Canberra in all manner of machinery from thundering Chevs to muscular Mazdas for the annual horsepower celebration known as the Summernats.
Official scrutineering and registration began for Summernats yesterday at the Canberra Racecourse, where the long queue of cars and trailers offered proof that the controversial alcohol clampdown imposed this year by event organisers has had very little visible effect on attendance.
"We don't come here to drink anyway," Kevin Grech, of Wallan in Victoria, said.
"I don't mind people having a beer but from my point of view, petrol and alcohol don't mix. We're here to compete in the events and to see as much stuff as we can."
And Grech is doing it in style.
He has built his own customised caravan-cum-car trailer equipped with four bunks, a full-sized fridge "stocked with barbecue chooks and heaps of food", microwave oven, air-conditioning and his supercharged Chev-powered Holden one-tonne ute.
"I built it [the caravan] myself; I decided I'm getting too old for a tent," he said.
Some entrants, like Tamworth builder Michael Jackson, drove all the way in the hot rod he'll be showing and competing in this weekend.
"We left [Tamworth] at 5am," Jackson said.
He and his mate Jason Garrett drove virtually non-stop "aside from Maccas and two fuel stops" all the way in the purple '29 Chev Tourer. "It's a long drive but you get plenty of good reactions out on the freeway," Jackson said.
"You cruise along at 110km/h and people come up behind, sit there for ages and then go past as slow as possible so as to check the car out.
"There's something about a nice hot rod; it always makes people look and smile."
Although his rod was covered in bug smear and road grime from the long journey, Jackson will apply the elbow grease and have the duco shine back, he says, "in no time".
One entrant who is likely to face some pressure this weekend is the queen of the burnout pad, Debbie Gray, who is back to defend her Summernats title in the trusty matt black supercharged Chevrolet Camaro.
Debbie and husband Peter, of Nooroolbark in Victoria, will take turns at firing up their trademark Chev for all the driving events.
Since beating all-comers last year with a spectacular display which culminated in two blown rear tyres, Debbie has become something of a celebrity among the street-machine fraternity.
"Since I won here last year, I've had invitations to do quite a few burnout demonstrations, including at the V8 Supercar race at Sandown raceway, at Tarmac dragway in Tasmania, and at an art-car festival down at Docklands, in Melbourne," she said.
And has she any special tricks planned to see off the competition again this year?
"People think we soak our tyres in diesel and all sorts of things to make all the smoke but it's all about having the right car and the right technique," she said.
"I don't plan too much about which direction to go or what to do once I reach the doughnut pad, I just do what feels right."
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You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen. It said, 'Parking Fine.'So that was nice.
Picture: MARTIN JONES Defending go-to-whoa champion Trinity Stewart with her Ford Cortina.
Quote:
Summernats women begin roaring into action
By STACEY LUCAS
The women of Summernats are roaring into action, and if Trinity Stewart has her way she'll beat all the boys from go to whoa this year.
Ms Stewart and her 302 Windsor-powered Ford Cortina TC have topped the "go to whoa" event in the women's category four times, and she came fifth overall last year.
"It was a bit of a shock for the guys when I made the top 10 out of 300 drivers," she said.
The event involves speed and precision, drivers accelerating and then stopping exactly on the line in the fastest time possible.
Even when her transmission blew up and the car caught fire in the event two years ago, she was not deterred.
"This year I've got my title to defend. I'm going to try to go one better and win it outright."
Female car enthusiasts like Ms Stewart, of Richardson, are making their mark at Summernats, a woman taking top honours in last year's burnout competition.
While some of the boys resent the intrusion, attitudes are changing. "A lot of the reaction is really good, and the officials encourage you to beat the men," Ms Stewart said.
Her Cortina thundered along with about 500 other Canberra vehicles yesterday to the betting hall at the racecourse, for the pre-Summernats scrutineering.
Their tyres, lights and mufflers were checked to ensure the safety of drivers and people attending Exhibition Park.
Paivi Torronen, of Hughes, was one of seven women examining the long line of vehicles.
Ms Torronen has been involved in Summernats for about six years, entering her Statesman Caprice in the street class event with her partner Murray Newman, a "car nut".
She's been a street machine lover for 20 years. "It's great - you get to meet a lot of people, and there's an opportunity to travel to different parts of Australia," she said.
While she and her female clubmates from the ACT Street Machine Association do their part in helping at the event, Ms Torronen was keen to see even more participation from women.
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You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen. It said, 'Parking Fine.'So that was nice.
Picture: MARTIN JONES Defending go-to-whoa champion Trinity Stewart with her Ford Cortina.
I hope she received another award for that mullet. It's exceptional!
Had that model Cortina in that colour about 12 years ago, had about 15,000 miles on the clock until some moron ran a red and I t-boned him.
Best car I ever owned.
im sorry but your all crazy..........they are the best damn looking men in the world............what?.........they're women?............there musn't be a god
Summernats Burnout Queen
Picture: ADAM McLEAN Back for the annual celebration of horsepower: Debbie Gray, of Victoria, with her supercharged Chevrolet Camaro at the inspection centre at the Canberra Racecourse.
No car ATM but I am looking at one... 
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