Summernats 37 Open burnout final & Ultimate Redemption Round

The final day of Street Machine Summernats 37 turned up the heat in more ways than one. The scorching sun sent temperatures soaring on the burnout pad for the Open-class finals and Ultimate Redemption Round, creating brutal conditions for drivers and plenty of carnage, much to the delight of the diehard fans in the grandstands.

Proceedings were opened by Summernats icon Chris Christou in HO 775. On Saturday night, Chris was inducted into the John Petersen Burnout Hall of Fame. The winner of the Burnout Championship at Summernats 3 and 4 did not disappoint, lighting the pad up and treating the crowd to his iconic double-fist salute.

The Open final kicked off at 1pm, with three tickets to next year’s Last Chance Wildcard Shootout on offer for the top contenders. Tristan Lee-Madgwick stole the show with a textbook skid in his blown VF Commodore ute, MISCHIEF, to claim first place. Phil Kerjean followed closely behind in second in his VK-fronted VC wagon, TUFFST, while Justin McKinnis’s MRCHOW VS ute locked in third, making it an all-Commodore podium.

“This wasn’t just a win for the car, but for the MADNATS family,” said Tristan after his win. “We’ve been chasing this feeling for a long time and to finally have it under our belt is surreal. Massive thanks to all the boys who help me glue this thing back together when I want to burn it to the ground or mid-comp I don’t have to ask, they just hook in and get shit done.”

Eight Pro Burnout Series drivers then returned to the pad for the Ultimate Redemption Round, each looking to score a Wildcard entry for next year’s ’Nats. Brad Kilby came out on top in his HAMMERTIME Daihatsu Feroza, delivering yet another stellar performance that was emblematic of his consistency across the event. Second place went to Kiwi Shaun Jury’s BARELY Falcon, while Matt Addinsall had a strong third-place finish in BLWNVL.

Results: Open Burnout Finals, Summernats 37

1st Tristan Lee-Madgwick – MISCHIEF
2nd Phil Kerjean – TUFFST
3rd Justin Mckinnis – MRCHOW
4th Jordan Denham – CMFRY
5th Steven Loader – UCSMOKE
6th Drew Strauberg-friend – BELTZM
7th Grahame Rowe – GAMBLE
8th Josh Rendall – CANFRY
9th Jay Chun Tie – TINYTOW
10th Tyrone Arrow – 2EASY

Our own Peter Flint has been filming burnout videos with us at Summernats for ten years had his own car at the event for the very first time. An oil down just before his qualifying run on Saturday meant that Pete had to wait until Sunday morning to crack his Summernats cherry.

Steve Titcumb’s DRAGON sounded as angry as its mythological namesake, belching purple smoke. A small fire interrupted his effort, but once it was out, Steve was able to continue and drive off the pad.

Hayden Kirkwood brought his Mazda Cosmo all the way from NZ! And yes, not only is it 13B-powered, but manual too! Hayden won the Four & Rotary class and just missed out in a Top 10 spot in the Open comp.