First published in the March 2008 issue of Street Machine

There was a time when you could get just about any car into Motorvation. But now Western Australia’s premier show has a long entry list and only the highest standards will guarantee you a spot.

Likewise, the move to Perth Motorplex near Kwinana has seen the show grow and Motorvation 22 was the biggest yet, both for entrants and spectators.

The Motorplex makes for an ideal venue. The pits are open and spacious, allowing plenty of cars in, while the layout means some low-paced cruising is also possible. For the Supercruise, which takes in the drag strip and burnout pad, entrants are encouraged to give a little more of the right foot.

When I eventually managed to drag photographer Brian White out of the air-conditioned box where he was shooting the Miss Motorvation entrants, we set off to check out the huge event.

From around 1000 applications received, organisers whittled the entrants down to 850. Among them were 118 car clubs and groups — clearly the event was all about variety, with street machines, rods, customs and classics, sport compacts, late-model Fords and Holdens, race vehicles and specially entered burnout cars all featured in the mix.

The show area expanded this year, using a grassed space around the speedway to squeeze more cars in. There was also a Performance Park outside the gates but this wasn’t entirely successful as most entrants like to camp at Motorvation, which these guys were unable to do.

There were several new activities for entrants to get involved in. The grass motorkhana had many cutting up the speedway infield in a big way, while the car balance tested drivers’ finesse on the throttle. There were even go-karts to hire if you felt the need to race against your mates — boy, did they cop a thrashing over the weekend!

The event was generally well-received by competitors, though plenty of people suggested there could have been a bit more shade, given the high temperatures which left some people doing their best impersonation of a Virgin Blue plane. Some entrants also wanted some water on the burnout pad during the Supercruise because vehicles were breaking axles on the super-sticky surface!

There was also a difference of opinions about noise levels on Saturday night, some considering that it was party time while others wanted to rest up as soon as the spectators left. Perhaps providing two separate areas could sort that out in future.

The Turtle ICE Elite Pavilion was home to the cream of the show cars, which were mainly street machines. The top 10 was very much a GM benefit with eight Holdens and two Chevs taking out awards.

Chris Dicker won Grand Champion with his 1971 Monaro. He also scooped the Best Driven award and runner-up in Tudor/Coupe; getting involved in various activities over the weekend was key to his success.

Running a pair of dynos helped get all the competitors onto the rollers over the weekend. Richard Leeson took the Horsepower King award after his XH ute recorded 914.3hp. Coming out of the famed Mark’s Workshop, the ute packs a Dart block with a list of name-brand internals as long as your arm, though the V7 SYI Vortech supercharger was the most obvious performance aid. The best power per litre came from Jason Booth’s 582.7hp pull in his Toyota Supra, though he was slightly disappointed; he’d hoped to crack the 600 mark.

With the exception of Andrew Hartl’s 1971 Mustang winning the car balance, the driving events were dominated by Japanese cars. Shane Francis won the slalom in his Nissan GTR, Robert Hoare took out the go-to-whoa with his Subaru Liberty and Paul King won the new grass motorkhana in his Nissan Silvia.

Like so many shows, the burnout competition is what most spectators come to see and it didn’t disappoint, with 100 entrants taking to the pad. The win came down to a single point and Darran Williams, in his Ford Falcon XE, was the grinner. As it’s naturally aspirated he also took home a bonus $1000 in prize money. Second by a whisker was Steve Sings, in his supercharged Holden Kingswood, KINGER.

There was plenty of fire and carnage on both days but the most spectacular effort was by special guest Peter Gray. On the final burnout of the weekend he had a 30-metre trail of fire behind him, as if the Camaro had just scooted out of hell.

John Taverna was at the event as a judge, and was clearly impressed with Motorvation 2008.

“It’s more than on par with any show on the east coast,” he said. “It’s alcohol-free and it’s more family orientated. If an event were run like this on the east coast, it’d be maybe three to four times bigger.

“You could sit on the hill here and simply watch everything go by — I love to see the cars cruising. The quality of cars — drawn from a smaller population — is above any standard you can think of. It shows what can be done.”

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Kyle Clarkson converted his HX one-tonner to run an LS1 and the VZ flukes behind the front wheels were a neat touch. This was his fourth time at Motorvation. “It’s almost as cheap to enter as to spectate.”

2. Stuart Vernon’s HG ute was packing a supercharged 383 and nitrous. The 750hp combination debuted at Motorvation. “We’ll run in the go-to-whoa and just do a skid.”

3. Kyle and Jevon Blake had their Torana out in public for the first time. This purpose-built drag car runs a Nissan RB30 pumping a claimed 800rwhp. “We’re hoping for mid-eights once it is all sorted,” says Kyle.

4. Montana native Chuck Haynes gave his Jet Dragster a burnout of its own on Saturday night. This lightweight racer can touch 500km/h in five seconds.

5. Allan Murphy’s 1981 Holden one-tonner featured one of the neatest engine bays at the show. It might be a bitch to work on but it looks great!

6. Peter and Debbie Gray turned on some big burnout shows. “I’m known as Debbie’s husband now!” Peter said after her great display on Saturday night. The only way he could top her was to set the Camaro alight!

7. Mark Edmonds was enjoying life with his 1972 Fairmont. The number plates, LUVBEER, were popular and it was a neat cruiser. “It’s mostly stock so it doesn’t do a great skid,” he said. “It’s just nice and simple, great for enjoying the Supercruise.”

8. Jose Jardim’s VH Commodore was deafening, with a comprehensive audio set-up including five screens and a PS3, but it also puts out 457hp with nitrous assistance. “We had it on the strip once and ran 10.73@129mph before being told it needed a rollcage.”

9. Vince Belladonna’s Torana took a clean sweep in the Muscle Car awards. This car gets regular track time and is running second in the Perth Motorplex Super Street championship.

10. Brian Elloy is a big fan of Mustangs. On show was his 1967 Shelby; he left the other 10 at home! “My three sons all have Mustangs. I’ve been involved for 15 years now and I’m editor of the Mustang
Club magazine.”

11. Chris Athanassiou’s EH Holden was a stunner and attracted many admiring looks. The 350 under the bonnet is beautifully presented. “I’ve had the car 27 years and I was always going to put a V8 in it,” he said. The car took out Best Engine, Best Interior and Best Sedan in the Street Machine category, plus a Top 10 spot.

12. Clint Ogilvie is a burnout legend and this was his first Motorvation. “I can’t say enough about how friendly everyone is. It’s a killer show.” He was happy to destroy some tyres for the fans, in the recently rebuilt Torana.

13. Chris Dicker gave his gorgeous HQ (SM, Aug 2007) the berries in the driving events, which helped him claim the Grand Champion and Best Driven gongs. The beast is now for sale to fund the next project: if you are interested, contact Chris through our office.

14. Jason James had a great-looking HK Monaro on display. This car has been in SM before, in a different guise. “It burned to the ground — there was a picture of it in the mag. We’ve rebuilt it from there.” Aside from stopping on the Supercruise with a minor fuel problem, it was a perfect resurrection.

15. David Bacchion had a unique 1969 GTS Monaro on display. It was equipped with EFI and the interior from a 2002 Monaro. “I wanted it to look stock from the outside but then to be different once you start opening things up.”

16. ‘KB’ had a blinding HK Premier out on the cruise circuit, with bright orange paint and big chrome wheels. It runs a stock 5.0-litre. His favourite part of Motorvation? “The girls!”

17. George Separovich’s burnout display was curtailed when a blower belt exited stage left. He returned on Sunday to put on a big show, not to mention taking part in all the Supercruises. “It really needs a set of valve springs,” he said. “Other than that we’re leaving it as-is”

18. Adam Utley had his AMC Hornet at Motorvation, fitted out with a 350 Chev and 6/71 supercharger. “It was built for burnouts but we got caught out with the rules this year requiring blower restraints.” At least the extra radiator allowed for plenty of cruising.

19. Monster Bike held the attention of every kid for miles around. Built by Ray Baumann, it crushes cars with ease.

20. Sharon Smith wasn’t shy with her Walky in the Supercruise. She was also popular in Miss Motorvation.

21. We caught Tyrone Utley waiting for his turn to go on the Supercruise in his FJ Holden. It packs a Lexus V8 under the bonnet, giving it some real mumbo.

22. Adrian Guiffre had an ignominious exit from the Supercruise with the 11sec Commodore refusing to restart after a big burnout.