Interview:
Tahir Bilgiç and Rob Shehadie. Fat Pizza and
Housos interview. SUMMERNATS, ACT, Canberra.
News
Summernats
Festival delivers Canberra cars, music, girls, tourism
dollars and more
The
25th Summernats festival reved up things for Canberra
again today as it continued on with parade of show
cars.
It
wasn't just about cars as event co-owner Andy Lopez
told the press. It was more about entertainment and
a more family atmosphere, but make no mistake - it
was mainly about the cars...and a good dose of loud
music - as if the roar of the engines wasn't enough
to burst your eardrums (earplugs are provided upon
entrance to the festival - satisfying OH&S regulations).
Event
numbers are understood to be up this year, approaching
90,000, up at least 10,000 from the last Summernats
Festival.
Mr
Lopez said "People are going to get see something
really terrific...two hundred cars in convoy, beautifully
managed, well presented, a complete range of all the
types of vehicles that Summernats has to offer and
I think pretty much the community is excited about
it."
Canberra
has had a bit of a love - hate relationship with Summernats
over the years, but this year there was plenty of
love to go around. There were loads of car lovers,
even love-mobile muscle cars, and of course the Ms
Summernats competition - and not to be outdone, Fever
Australia girls gave the Ms Summernats young ladies
a run for the money with photographers and news crews.
No,
there were not any riots and a good number of police
and event organisers were quick to defuse any potential
incidents before they started.
New
co-owner Andy Lopez, who purchased Summernats said
it's another sign the event has turned a corner.
"This
isn't a choir convention, but at the same time we're
not like a gathering of satanists either," he
said.
"Ninety-nine-point-nine
per cent of people that go to Summernats are there
because they love what the event is about and if there
is anyone else who is looking to cause trouble then
we're going to deal with it."
Mr
Lopez, originally had little interest in cars, said
2012 is shaping be the most successful Summernats
yet.
"We
want this to be the premier street machine, modifier
event in the world," he said.
"We'll
have 1200 people watching our burnout competition
and that's something you can't do anywhere else in
the world.
"If
you win the summernats burnout competition, you are
the undisputed champion.
"That's
what we want the Summernats to be about."
Summernats
attracts many of the nations most talented motor and
mechanical craftsmen, artists and all matter of other
folks who are in the business of hotted up cars. They
also attract news media from from across the country
- and this year its been mainly positive, with the
festival being pro active to remove the more troublesome
aspects of years gone by. The festival also adds a
much needed boost to the ACT economy, with nightclubs,
hotels and restaurants all reporting business definitely
being up since the car-show hit down.
Some
of our favourite aspects of Summernats 2012 included:
The
burnouts - big congratulations to Peter and Debbie
Gray (burnout masters and celebrated husband and wife
team).
Miss
Summernats contestants - Canberra local Sabrina Damiano,
25, who took out the Miss Summernats honours this
year from a field of 14 contestants.
Show
N Shine - car enthusiasts shinned up their toys and
showed them off to thousands of adoring fans
Radio
Revhead - great show put on by John McCoy-Lancaster
and special guest in from Utah 1060AM U.S - J.C Hackett
The
music - rockin with the massively talented Heaven
The Axe (fronted by Phoebe, who is a bit of a Joan
Jet - Angus Young (AC/DC) hybrid in our estimation.
Phoebe and her crew absolutely rock and they reved
up a storm at the Jim Beam Bar
Unexpected
attendance by SBS entertainers / actors Rob Shehadie
and Tahir (from Fat Pizza fame)
Body
ink comp and display
Sidcrome
tools display
The
super cool personalised number plates which accompanied
all show-cars
Top
60 finalist (car) show
A
big thank you to Tom and the media crew for being
so helpful, and to the other great people who worked
so hard to make this years event such a massive success.
It's
not too late to enjoy Summernats - it runs through
to the 8th, and you don't have to be a rev head to
enjoy it. Get your set of wheels and join in the action,
and please drive safely.
