Burnouts and Drag Races Take Over Alice Springs at Red CentreNATS

Montana Taylor beamed from the passenger seat as her father lined up his classic Ford Falcon XC 393 Stroker for a drag race at Alice Springs’ Red CentreNATS.

“I love it so much, I'm so glad I get to come and experience this,” she said. The teenager told ABC she hoped to drive her father’s car one day. Ben Taylor replied, “Maybe one day.”

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I love it so much, I'm so glad I get to come and experience this.

The four-day festival has been part of the Alice Springs calendar for 12 years. This year, about 700 entrants registered, more than half of them from interstate. Their spending contributes about A$5 million to the local economy each year.

The programme included street cruising, show-and-shine displays, drag races, burnout competitions and a street parade that brought crowds into the town centre. Hundreds of cars passed around Alice Springs’ largest roundabout, beneath the MacDonnell Ranges.

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Maybe one day.

For local owner Paul Totani, the event is also a chance to bring out a family heirloom. His pale blue 1984 Holden Kingswood ute has been in Alice Springs throughout its life. Totani, whose family has lived in town since the 1960s, normally works as a licensed aircraft engineer and pilot. At Red CentreNATS, he traded the sky for the dirt dragway.

“It’s a family heirloom. It will go to the kids later on, but we get it out once a year for Red CentreNATS,” he said. Owners displayed carefully maintained cars inside the Alice Springs Convention Centre and outdoors, while spectators watched the racing and joined the parade.

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It’s a family heirloom. It will go to the kids later on, but we get it out once a year for Red CentreNATS.