2022 SURVIVAL GUIDE

AFTER a one-year hiatus, the biggest horsepower party of the year is finally set to return to Canberra when Street Machine Summernats 34 rolls into Exhibition Park, 6-9 January. The 2022 ’Nats promises to be a cracker!

“This is looking like it’s going to be the biggest Summernats ever,” said ’Nats managing director Andy Lopez. “There’ll be record-breaking entry numbers – over 2500 – as well as the largest Burnout Masters field ever with the biggest prize money we’ve ever offered, the most unveilings we’ve ever seen and the world-first Summernats Fringe Festival activation in Braddon.”

The Fringe Festival will be a groundbreaking new addition to the ’Nats, with a portion of Braddon closed to civilian traffic on Friday and Saturday evenings, leaving the roads vacant for up to 600 Summernats entrants to cruise in a controlled environment. All the bars, pubs and businesses will be open, there’ll be live music and food trucks at the car wash, and the public will be allowed in free of charge (on foot). “The residents and business of Braddon really wanted this to happen, and we reckon this is a first of many activations like this,” said Andy.

COVID-safe practices will be implemented throughout the precinct, but there is no vaccination requirement for entrants or spectators, as per ACT Government regulations. “There may be capacity limits on the indoor spaces, but the grandstands will be at maximum capacity, which is awesome,” Andy said.

The rules around masks are constantly changing, but as Andy said: “Observe social distancing where you can, and if you can’t, put a mask on.

“No matter what we’re asked to do, we’ll do it,” he continued. “If wearing a mask or observing social distancing is the price to pay for going to the best car festival in Australia – and the price to pay for us to put it on – then we’ll do it, with a big bloody smile on our face. We’re really lucky to be back, and what we are about is putting on a really safe event.”