Queensland rodder Melissa Laan is heading to Rockynats for 2026!

Melissa grew up immersed in a world of engines and speed where her early memories were shaped by the speedway and Matchbox cars.  

“Dad would bring a new car home, and my brother does up cars too,” she says. “That’s how I saw how much thought and pride goes into it. There’s so much attention to detail.”  

Her household was a place where mechanical curiosity was encouraged rather than  questioned. Mel explained to us, “My Dad raised me with an ‘off you pop’ attitude, it’s  how I got my pilots license at 15, and my truck license too.” So whenever she saw  something she liked or wanted to check out, she did – and so her love for everything horsepower began to ramp up.  

Now, that lifelong obsession has taken physical form in ‘Babs’, her tough-as-nails  1937 Ford Tudor slamback street rod, powered by a supercharged LS1 and finished in a wild purple-and-pink combo with flames running down the sides.

“It’s a really different-looking car,” she laughs. “People definitely notice it. The purple and pink does that.”  

Built in New South Wales, the Tudor previously appeared at Street Machine Summernats before Melissa purchased it last August.  

“I saw it and wanted it,” she shrugs. “I had a change in lifestyle which gave me the confidence to branch out and add it to the car collection.”  

The minute it rolled into her driveway, she knew two things. She wanted to immerse  herself in every detail of her new ride, and that she was entering it into Rare Spares & Repco Rockynats.

This year’s Rare Spares & Repco Rockynats runs from Friday 17 April to Sunday 19 April in Rockhampton, Queensland. The three-day festival transforms the city into a celebration  of car culture, featuring elite show cars, controlled cruising on closed roads, drifting, burnout demonstrations and the popular street parade through the Rockhampton CBD.  

“Rockynats gives people a safe, organised place to do their skid and burnout and let  loose,” says Melissa. “Rocky has been a big thing, and I knew my car had to be in it.”  

Rockynats marks Melissa’s first official show entry, and represents more than just a  debut. For her, it’s about sharing the car, the skills behind it, and the culture that  surrounds it. “Everything’s custom and restored with so much thought behind it,” she  explains. “There’s a lot of fault-finding in this car, so I turn to my network and learn along  the way.”  

With family and friends travelling from across Queensland to support her, the weekend will be about the street parade, meeting new people, soaking up the builds on display and getting ideas for what comes next.  

“It’s about making memories,” she says. “Being with my dad, my brother, family and friends, and seeing the level of talent out there.”  

Melissa is also clear about something else: she’s not waiting for permission to be in this  community.  

“There aren’t heaps of women with my sort of car, but I’ll show up anyway,” she says. “If you enjoy it, do it properly.”  

After facing serious health challenges, including cancer treatment, her outlook is  simple – take the opportunity while you can.  

“We’re not guaranteed anything,” she says. “When the chance came to make good  memories, I took it.”  

“There’s a lot of meaning to me for this car,” she says. “It’s about expression, a real  appreciation of nice things, and hard work.”  

Visit rockynats.com.au for tickets and more information.