Hosted by the legendary Myers clan, Gazzanats is a bucket-list event that draws rad cars from all over Australia. It all goes down at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway, with track cruising, powerskids and burnouts galore over two days. Scroll on to check out some of our favourite cars from Gazzanats 2024!

1. 1. Western Australia’s Matt James debuted two new builds at Gazzanats 2024: his rebuilt VP Commodore, TUFFLS1, and the TURMOIL VF ute, which he built at his Unwanted Automotive business for customer Joe Thring.

The VF features a Blown Motorsports-built 6.0L LS with a custom-made engine plate, a Shift Transmissions TH400, 3mm tubs with a chassis notch, custom ladder-bar rear, and a 9in diff. It runs a Haltech dash and MSD ignition, and sits on a set of Brembo front brakes and Simmons wheels.

Joe laid down some solid skids at Gazzanats in the ute’s first outing. “Joe’s VF was faultless,” Matt said. “He had a great weekend destroying tyres and getting used to the car. It will be one to look out for!”

2. Matt’s owned his VP Commodore for 10 years and decided it needed a rebirth in 2020, wasting no time in stripping it down to a shell. He smoothed the engine bay, installed a flat firewall, notched the chassis and installed tubs for bigger tyres. He then fitted an engine plate, positioned the dry sump tank behind the headlight, and installed a custom catch can and tank on the other side.

The VP’s 6.0L LS has custom headers, an APD carb, a TH400 transmission with a big 5500rpm stall converter, and a stainless-steel exhaust. Adjustable four-link bars and brackets, a 9in diff and Viking coil-overs round out the rear end, and the car rolls on Walky wheels.

3. Matt Fry went hard in his blown LS-powered HiLux. “I had a ball in the burnouts, but getting to cruise around the track was definitely a highlight,” he said. “I ended up getting an award for the toughest ride, so I was stoked with that!” Matt built the ute when he was 16, complete with 9in diff and 6/71-blown, methanol-chugging mill.

4. Joel Sykes’s blown HG Kingswood, SINNER, took a beating. He smacked the car’s rear end into the wall on the tip-in during Friday’s qualifying.

5. Mick Hamon laid a thick cloud of yellow smoke in his blown ’71 XY GT Falcon, WIDE OPEN. Mick thrashed the Falcon on the track and the burnout pad, clinching the Show & Go Champion title and landing in the Top 10 in the Blown-class burnouts.

6. Wayne Harris and his daughter Brooke took turns skidding their KE20 Corolla. It’s running a stroked, 408ci cast-iron LS with Higgins heads, twin Holley methanol carbs and a custom cam. The duo both made it into the finals, cheering each other on from the sidelines.

7. After a carby issue with her VSAUCEY VS ute on Friday night, Rebecca Griffin and her partner Jay ripped the blower off to install a custom manifold and single carb to skid in the N/A class. Then it was on with the blower again for Rebecca take on the Blown class. She won Best Chicks’ Skid, came runner-up in Iron Maiden, and scored a Red CentreNATS Pro Class invite.

8. Steven Loader scored himself a Wildcard ticket to Summernats 37 in his blown big-block HT, UCSMOKE. A close call with the wall saw him let off the power pedal, but he got right back into it, belting across the pad.

9. Making the trip from WA, Michael Donnelly had his Friday skid cut short in the SYCO MOTH XF Falcon when a tyre came off the bead during the tip-in. But after spending Saturday lapping the track, laying down some phat powerskids and skidding well in the burnout finals, Michael took home the Fire Crew Choice Award.

10. Caitlin Collins christened her methanol-drinking, LS-powered WL Statesman on the Gazzanats skid pad. Caitlin went rounds in the roll racing and laid a solid powerskid, before leaving the pad on rims during the burnout finals, earning her the Iron Maiden title and a runner-up spot in the Chicks’ Skids.

11. Gazzanats saw 16-year-old Trae Bouchere on the pad with his new build, a 700hp WH Caprice running a 6/71-blown L98. “My final skid was awesome,” he enthused. “I got into a tight spot and couldn’t pop the second tyre without risking a wall nudge. So, we got off it and drove off, happy that the car was still in one piece and ready for RCN in September.”

12. A massive tyre fire spat out the back of Daniel Catalano’s MADNESS blown VN as he whipped it around, sending flames flicking above up the wall.

13. For those familiar with a certain viral video, this VR ute speaks for itself.

14. Jake Myers churned out heaps of smoke in S1CKO, dedicating his skid to the memory of Nicole Greenmount. Spectators cheered and fire crews gathered along the wall with their limiter fingers up. It wasn’t long until Jake was swinging the Mustang around on rims, sparks trailing behind him.

15. Scott Winchester brought out his tidy, big block-powered ’63 Galaxie for Saturday’s show ’n’ shine, winning Top Ford and Best Ford Four-Door.

16. Check out Colin West’s hot rod, WILD 32. The Ford three-window has a 4in roof chop and is painted in Candy Red and Brandywine. Power comes from a Chevy 383 stroker, force-fed by a Weiand 8/71 supercharger. Colin took home the King of Show ’n’ Shine in this beauty.

17. Chaise Bouchere built his HSV ClubSport, LMFAO, with his brothers and dad at Bouchere Fabrication. Up front is an 8/71-blown, 388ci iron-block LS cranking out 805hp. Having recently installed a Haltech ECU and datalogging system, Chaise used the Gazzanats track to fine-tune the timing before the burnouts. Despite an engine bay fire, he came back hard on Saturday, smoking out the spectators on the hill.

18. Chris Orchard took out his second Gazzanats Pro Class win on the trot in his GAME OVER VF Commodore.

19. We love Jason Murphy’s sleepy LS turbo powered HQ wagon, which took out the roll racing in fine style

20. And yes, we are suckers for a tough Suzuki Mighty Boy! Hayden Phipps, who took home the Top Engineered award for his example