Forty degree temperatures, a bushfire down the road, yep, it must be time for Motorvation! While the skies didn’t look quite as apocalyptic as they did last year, it was still blisteringly hot for set up day at the 36th running of West Australia’s biggest car festival.

With the state’s hard borders still in place and a requirement to be double-vaccinated to get into the venue, the numbers were definitely affected, but there was still plenty of cool stuff to check out in the pits.

The good news is, the event is back to a three-day format with Friday being mostly for entrants, which is a great idea as it lets everyone get organised, settle in and catch up with mates before the lunacy goes into full swing. The gates opened to the public around 2pm, but I think most sane people probably headed to the beach!

For the entrants, there was cruising, eighth-mile drags and for the first time ever, Motorvation has its own Skid Row, which was christened by the brand-new BMW 3-series from BYE Performance. Like all the BYE stuff, it was on song and easily roasted the tyres with a full complement of passengers.

There are a handful of cars being unveiled in the Elite tent, so we’ll check them out tomorrow for you. I think there will be a few surprises in store.

There’s also some killer stuff parked up in the pits, with Chris Dicker – his HQ coupe was on the cover of SM, Aug ’07 and he more recently created the internet-melting Sandbarra ute – pulling a few late nights to get his HQ5150 project finished for the event.

It’s a wild homage to the Pro Street monsters of the 80s, rolling on Auto Drags and sporting graphics. Up front is a tunnel-rammed SBC that spins some TRW pistons on a steel 327 crank.

Aaron James has slowed down a touch this year, bringing along a bagged EJ wagon full of patina and coolness instead of his nine-second VG Valiant. Another person who’s having a change of pace this year.

For the first time the West Aussies have their own Skid Row and it’s already copped a pretty decent workout. Located in the staging lanes, it’s in a good spot for everyone to be able to check out the action.

Flinty is going to be busier than a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest if he plans to smash all those tyres and give us all the usual awesome burnout content that we know and love.

The Old Skool Rydz lowrider club always put on a great display and even have a couple of cars being unveiled in the Elite tent. I’ve had a bit of a sneak peek and they are wild!

Mitchell Rando thought he better try out his fresh Camaro on the eighth-mile before parking it up in the Elite tent.

Bam Bam looks like he’s getting a little bit out of shape in his rather mental Corolla. I think this is the point when “the boost kicks in.”

While it may not be the biggest Motorvation we’ve ever seen, the quality of cars on offer is top notch. It’ll still be the best the west can offer under the current situation – and I’m sure it won’t disappoint. If you’re keen to head down, gates open at 9am on Saturday and Sunday.