He might be only 15, but Trae Bouchere is already establishing himself as a serious up-and-comer in the NT burnout scene behind the wheel of his neat, force-fed VP Commodore. We bumped into the Darwin lad at Gazzanats NT, and debriefed after his trip to Red CentreNATS.

First published in Street Machine’s Yearbook 2022

How did you wind up doing competitive burnouts?

My stepfather started drag racing back in 1980 when Hidden Valley first opened, so it’s just kind of run down the family line since then.

My brother’s got a blown VF ute called RAMPAGE, and my other brother has a blown E3 Clubby called LMFAO.

I got the VP for my 12th birthday. It was just a V6, and we put nitrous on it. We skidded it like that at a couple of meetings, won one, and then decided to put the blown LS in it.

We just used spare parts out of the shed and put it all together. It’s been good ever since, touch wood. I’ve been competing since I was 13 with the blown set-up, so two years now.

What’s the combo?

It’s an LS1 that’s just got a cam and valve springs in it. The blower’s a 6/71 with an EFI set-up, running on methanol. It’s got a built Turbo 400 in it, a two-piece tailshaft, and a nine-inch with 31-spline billet axles, billet full spool and 3.0 diff gears.

What was your Gazzanats experience like?

The car was on-song all weekend, but Friday night’s skid was a bit sad. I didn’t get the tyres off, as I miscalculated where I put the car and couldn’t turn it around in time, so I got off the throttle and drove off the pad, which knocked off some score.

And you headed down to Red CentreNATS a couple of weeks later?

I got the Red CentreNATS ticket, but I was too young to compete, so I just had to watch from the sidelines. I was a bit sad, but it is what it is.

It would be great to get insurance changed everywhere to get motorsport out to a bigger base, and get the sport to a place where younger people can come in.

How do people react when they see a 15-year-old with a blown burnout car?

Some accept it, some don’t. I guess it’s just jealousy, really. “Dad’s car”, “brother’s car”, this and that – they don’t know the full story.

Keyboard warriors, eh! My close mates understand where I’ve come from with the car and what I’ve done with it. They back me up; it’s good. My family’s all behind me.

I’m sure you’ve got more plans for the car in the pipeline.

I’ll go bigger and better in the future; a year or two from now I want to be making more horsepower than 600.

I’ll turn it up to 1000 and have some fun! I do drifting and burnouts and a few other little things, but I’d 100 per cent love to give drag racing a crack too.

Anybody you want to shout out?

I’d like to thank my brother Chaise Bouchere and Jay from Bouchere Fabrication for helping me put the car together and get it where it is today.

I’d also like to thank my sponsors, Alvaro’s Auto Electrical and SKiD KiD — Threads with Tread.

My sisters and my mum are always behind me, backing me up and giving me the confidence to go out and compete.

Aged around 21 or younger and have a neat ride? Send some pics and info to: Young Guns, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email us at: [email protected].