11 January 2017

That was Summernats 2017 – so how was it for you?

| Jane Speechley
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20170107_163704The roar of engines is turning into a distant rumble, the smell of petrol and exhaust fumes is fading, and the rubber smoke is clearing.

Summernats is over for another year. And what a year it was, with a record number of 119,000 people attending and around 2,500 cars participating (about 600 vehicles more than the previous record).

Of course, as we’re all likely aware by now, this year’s event was marred by the tragic death of a 30 year old man from Queensland, reportedly the first fatal accident in the event’s history. The young man died while riding on the back of a ute – a practice that is illegal but is nonetheless commonplace at the event. Riding in the tray of a ute has now been banned pending an investigation into the incident, so time will tell if the ban is maintained for future years.

Last week, I wrote about heading back to the event after many years of absence, and what I expected to see.

20170107_143616Okay ‘Nats – let’s do this.

In short, not a lot has changed – but that might be okay.

Here’s what I found.

First, it’s not an event for the faint of heart.

20170107_165637The sombrero – without a doubt, the official uniform of Summernats

Look, there’s no denying Summernats is hot, loud, dirty, and pretty in-your-face. Risks aside, this is probably the nature of many a large-scale outdoor motoring event – V8 SuperCars, Formula 1, whatever.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m no prude, and like many of us, I’ve always thought those who complain about the event year after year to be a bit wowserish.

But as my ears pinged with the constant roar of engines, my eyes – literally – watering from the fumes, and as I watched plume after plume of smoke drift into the sky over the Burnout Track, I did find myself sympathising a little with the wowsers.

Summernats certainly isn’t for everyone. If you love it and embrace all that it is, great! But it would be tough for those who have to deal with it on their doorstep regardless.

sn30-burnout1

Media access terms are suspiciously restrictive.

As I indicated in my last piece, the term and conditions for gaining media accreditation to the event are very restrictive.

My background is in PR and event management, and I’ve managed large-scale events attended by tens of thousands of people as well. And I’ve never encountered media operations that are quite as limiting as these.

I’m grateful to the Summernats team for approving our application to attend, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t point out my concerns with this process.

Why restrict media from filming in the Burnout zone if you’re not afraid of what they might capture? Why ban media from the site after dark if you have nothing to hide? Why not allow media to live stream, when every other punter with a mobile phone is able to do so?

To me, these limitations create – perhaps unnecessary? – suspicion. I spent some time on the outskirts of the Burnout Track (because I’m a rebel like that …), and I found it all to be rather civilised.

Which leads nicely to my next point …

The difference between zones is significant.

After spending a few hours walking around the site, it was clear to me that there really are a number of very different subsets of the motoring community present, and the impact this has on the various different elements of the festival is very apparent.

If you brave the scorching sun to stroll through the Show ‘n’ Shine in the centre of the arena, you’ll find a relative level of stillness and families picnicking in the few shady spots beside their cars.

shannonsshownshine

Visit my favourite location, the pavilion sponsored by Meguiar’s specialised paint and protection products, and you’ll find remarkable vehicles so buffed and polished to perfection, you won’t touch them for fear of leaving fingerprints.

20170107_164532 20170107_163614 20170107_163414 20170107_164112 20170107_162840

Just outside the door however, you have the main cruise strip where the aforementioned eye-watering took place. It’s noisy alright, but still good fun to stand and watch the cars go by. This feels like the centre of all the action.

20170107_161029 20170107_155049

20170107_155513Show us your … spark plugs …

As mentioned above, I wandered up to the Burnout Track expecting it to fulfil all the worst clichés of Summernats. What I found was a really chilled-out crowd, lots of kids and families, happily sipping their drinks, thoroughly focused on the track activities and showing enthusiastic support for the best performers. It was both surprising and really impressive.

burnout1-sat-1

And then there’s Tuff Street.

20170107_165049

Tuff Street runs parallel to Flemington Road inside the boundaries of EPIC.

You don’t need to worry about seeing too many cars, because all you’ll really see are the back of many (possibly intoxicated) dudes in singlets and sombreros, standing on barricades. Many will be screaming ‘Grey top! Grey top! Grey top!’ or such like at any woman passing by, who they suspect might be convinced to show off her, ahem, goodies.

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It was interesting in a way to walk though – a bit like watching a wildlife documentary – but not somewhere I wanted to spend much of my time.

I am all about equality though, so I was reassured to hear about the bloke standing casually nearby, completely naked from the waist down. For quite some time. At about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. I can’t say I saw him for myself though, despite my very, very best efforts …

The real star of Tuff Street, however, deserves its own chapter.

The Puppy Wash. What is this even doing here?

I don’t usually like to point the finger at individual people or businesses, but this was clearly a well-established enterprise and I can only assume it’s taking place with the support of organisers.

The Puppy Wash is apparently something of a Summernats icon, set up alongside Tuff Street.

Lest you be confused, there are plenty of images on display to clarify that the kind of ‘puppies’ on offering for the washing are not small, cute and furry. Apparently it’s $1 for the first ‘puppy’ and the second one is free – I’m just not sure who actually pays, the washer or the washee? …

Amidst all there is to like and to question about Summernats, I could laugh most things off. But this kind of stall represents the very culture that organisers are determined to convince us they’re weeding out.

Absolutely nothing to do with cars, highly offensive to many average Aussies (men and women alike), really not suitable for kids, and overall, making sure the women know their key role at a motoring event is decoration.

Sorry Summernats – 1981 called and it wants its idea of entertainment back. Just because you’re 30 years old, doesn’t mean your sideshow needs to be 30 years out of date.

So all things considered, would I go to Summernats again? Absolutely.

[though I might need to go in disguise after this post].

20170107_165452

Having been back to Summernats now, I do think the nasty element is the minority.

Sadly, at any large public event, there’ll be people in the community who see it as a chance to leave their dignity at the door; and Summernats seems to attract more than its fair share of them.

I do think it’s a real shame there are still ‘no go’ zones, but likewise, there are many really comfortable and chilled spaces too. And a lot of really cool cars, and cool people, and great things to eat.

It’s clearly an event with a sense of humour, and it even supports charity.

Perhaps most of all, I worry that Summernats’ reputation and pervading culture keep many really interested motoring enthusiasts away. This has certainly been my observation following lots of discussions about it over the past few weeks: “I’d love to go, there’s a lot there I’d like to see – but nope, just can’t do it.”

Many people choose instead to grab an outside table at a restaurant or café on Bunda Street in the city and watch the parade of cars from there. Organisers are missing out on valuable dollars, too, something of which they should take note, especially if they’d like to keep setting those records.

Summernats’ Andy Lopez, sporting an impressive ‘Summernats rubber tan’ wraps up the 2017 event:

What do you think? Did you go to Summernats this year? Any ideas on how to make it a more people-friendly event? Or should it be left for the people who love it just the way it is?

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Chris Mordd Richards said :

And every year I read articles like this above, or more informingly, ones like this SMH piece (linked below) that more accurately describe the reason why I have never attended Nats before and am very unlikely to ever do so in the future either.

Er…I actually loled when I read that. Mordd certainly has an interesting definition of “more informingly”…

Jane Speechley went to the event, and reported on it.
That’s called journalism, and it is informing.

Clementine Ford did not go the event, explained that she had never been to any kind of similar event, and then proceded to try to tell us about a bunch of stuff she didn’t see there but imagines she might have, if she had gone, and if those things were there.
That’s *not* journalism, and it is *not* informing.

When I was a member of the Brumbies in 2009 they included a free pass to the Nats for the family day on the Sunday. Lopez – the new owner – had been in the media saying the event had been cleaned up and it was now clean family entertainment.

I went along, took many pictures of the cars and had a good time. It seems that since then the sleaze factor has returned. Last year the CT reported that strippers had been brought in from Sydney for the Saturday night entertainment and that the “Show us your t*ts” girls had returned. Not on the back of utes as in the past but mingling in the crowd lifting their bikini tops for guys to take pictures.

If the organisers are fair dinkum about attracting families and kids to the event then the sleaze factor should be wiped out altogether. The focus should be on the cars and the nexus with the sex industry should be severed altogether.

Chris Mordd Richards1:34 am 17 Jan 17

I also want to know more about this puppy wash actually with pics please. I have not attended Nats myself, ever. I freely admit that all I know of it, is what I see on TV, in the media online, and from friends and family. Having lived in Canberra for almost 25 years now, I grew up around the yearly tradition of the Nats, although I am very glad that neither of my parents ever had any desire to attend or let us kids attend.

Every year I wonder, has it gotten to the point where a non-car person like me could attend and have fun and not end up being sickened by the appalling objectification of women friends tell me goes on every year and has not gotten any better than it was since it started. And every year I read articles like this above, or more informingly, ones like this SMH piece (linked below) that more accurately describe the reason why I have never attended Nats before and am very unlikely to ever do so in the future either.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/news-and-views/opinion/harassment-of-women-by-men-at-summernats-cannot-be-excused-or-ignored-20170115-gtrqet.html

I am sure that I will just be dismissed as ‘well you haven’t seen it yourself so you can’t judge’, but all readers on here seem to be happy to weigh in on issues whether they have direct experience or not, so I am not going to hold back myself on this. I freely admit though that I rely on 2nd or 3rd hand information that I form my opinion of Nats from.

“Why restrict media from filming in the Burnout zone if you’re not afraid of what they might capture? Why ban media from the site after dark if you have nothing to hide? Why not allow media to live stream, when every other punter with a mobile phone is able to do so?”

Those are exactly the questions that should be asked! If Nats has come such a long way, then why such an attempt to censor open reporting of this wonderful event that isn’t as bad as some make it out to be. Or could it be that it’s just hidden behind other stuff, kept out on Tuff Street and we like to pretend it’s gotten better when it really hasn’t changed that much at all. I suspect the latter is actually the more accurate summary of Nats progress or lack of it, and the state of the event in 2017.

Hmmm… B-
Your journalistic duty was to give us further and better particulars (including pictures) of this “Puppy Wash”. You didn’t even bother finding out who was paying whom…?

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