Summernats 26 Revs Up The Capital

Canberra buzzed with the sounds of Summernats 26 over the weekend, the event once again living up to its reputation as Australia’s mecca for lovers of modified automobilia.

Touted as the largest car festival in the southern hemisphere, organisers claim more than 100,000 spectators over the four days, there to ogle 1767 vehicle entries - up 10 and 15 percent respectively over 2012.

The 26th running of the event kicked off on Thursday with the public Citycruise along Canberra’s main drag (Northbourne Avenue), where over 200 unique vehicles attracted an estimated 30,000-strong crowd.

Other traditional events included the Show and Shine on the main arena, Top 60 indoor show, the Burnout Comp, Go-To-Whoa, grass driving events, Horsepower Heroes dyno comp, and the Sound Off car audio competition.

A severe lightning storm forced the cancellation of Saturday evening’s ‘Supercruise’ on the main arena, but stage performances including legendary rock group Rose Tattoo continued once the storm cleared.

One unique event for Summernats 26 was the establishment of a Guinness World Record for ‘the most simultaneous burnouts’.