It was baking hot and took two hours to line it all up, but for Urunga’s Ben Bolton and Simon Biggs being part of the Summernats attempt to regain the Guinness world record for an en masse burnout with their hotted up cars, was worth the effort
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… and the drive, all the way to Canberra!
“There were 150 cars and they lined us up in rows with concrete barriers in between,” Ben explained.
“We each had a stopwatch and when the buzzer went we had 30 seconds to get revving and do our burnout for 10 seconds.
“The noise was deafening and the smoke actually blocked out the sun, it was so dark you couldn’t even see the door handles!”
The next step was the verification, which is done by checking the quantity of rubber on the concrete behind each car … and half and hour later the announcement was made –
“We’d been successful – 126 cars – and the whole crowd exploded.
“Us Aussie bogans really wanted that record back.”
Ben, who owns Urunga Waters Tourist Park, has engine oil in his blood, having grown up with a machine loving father, with whom he shared many happy drag racing adventures.
“And now my 15-year-old son Blake is working on the car and sharing this with me – it’s really special.”
Partner in the burnout bonanza, Simon Biggs, said the Summernats weekend was “an absolute blast”.
“It was so much fun – there were so many people and so many cars. Right now I’m getting ready for my next burnout comp on January 26.”
For Simon it was his first Summernats with his own car, his first burnout comp and now he has made history. Not bad for a couple of blokes from Urunga!
Both Ben and Simon thank Ben Biggs for all his support and mechanical skill.
Summernats wrap –
Over 2,000 cars and more than 100,000 people celebrated the best of Australian car culture at Exhibition Park in Canberra from January 3-6, 2019.
Summernats co-owner Andy Lopez said he was sure every person that came through the site walked away with a smile on their face.
“That is what the Summernats is all about," he said.
Also making the news:
Ute Schulenberg
Journalism was always my plan but plans being what they are, I did not get to realise it until my early 40s ... and have loved every minute since. For me community journalism is the most intimate and honest place to be in this field - telling the stories of people I live with, side-by-side, every day. It is an honour.
Journalism was always my plan but plans being what they are, I did not get to realise it until my early 40s ... and have loved every minute since. For me community journalism is the most intimate and honest place to be in this field - telling the stories of people I live with, side-by-side, every day. It is an honour.
