WESTERN STARS

PERTH’S MOTORVATION MAY NOT BE AS BIG AS IT USED TO BE, BUT THERE WAS STILL PLENTY OF TOUGH CARS AND COOL RIDES TO CHECK OUT

- BORIS VISKOVIC

AFTER the near-apocalyptic conditions in Canberra during Street Machine Summernats, it was nice to return to the clear blue skies and relatively mild temperatures of Perth for Motorvation 34 – the longest-running event of its type in Australia. Yep, it’s been going a full year longer than Summernats, but unfortunately has been in a holding pattern over the past few years.

For a long time, Motorvation was a three-day extravaganza that attracted rave reviews from interstate visitors and locals alike. Things changed in 2016, when the long-term management team of Perth Motorplex – led by the Miocevich family and Kevin Prendergast – called it a day. Since then, the Motorplex has been run by VenuesWest, a government statutory authority that reports to the State Minister for Sport & Recreation. VenuesWest pulled Motorvation back to a one-day event while the government sought a new operator or even buyer for the venue. Four years later, the search continues, and Motorvation has remained a one-day deal for now.