SPRING FEVER

AFTER 27 YEARS, SP RINGNATS IS STILL LIGHTING UP SHEPPARTON

- STEVE TITCUMB

SPRINGNATS is one of Australia’s longest-running car events, and central to its appeal is the Shepparton Showgrounds burnout pad – one of the largest in all the land. As well as burnouts, the 2019 event, which took place 22-24 November, offered the usual show ’n’ shine, a massive street cruise through the centre of town, and autokhana, grab-a-flag and go-to-whoa competitions. It’s not hard to see why people travel from as far away as Adelaide or even Kandos in northern NSW for the three-day party.

It all teed off with Friday evening’s four-hour burnout expression session. The free time out on the pad served as a test-and-tune and practice opportunity for competitors, allowing them to get to grips with their machines and the pad without the pressure of the judges looking on.

On Saturday morning, the show hall opened up for the public to check out the sweet rides on display. Meanwhile, the driving events, including the autokhana, grab-a-flag and heads-up go-to-whoa kicked into action on the pad, running through until mid-afternoon, when entrants hit the roads for the street cruise.