Much of Australia's southeast was on fire this summer. In Canberra, the national capital, Christmas skies were smoky gray as bush fires raged across the city, threatening homes and passing within a mile of the Parliament.
Fortunately, the fires that closed highways over Christmas (remember their different seasonal schedule), eased in early January, allowing for tens of thousands of street machiners to roar into town and make a little smoke of their own at Summernats 15.
After 15 years of outrageous petrol-powered action it's hard to imagine anything stopping the Australian Street Machine Summernats. Fire couldn't do it this year and the event bounced back even bigger after the riots of the mid-'90s.
Summernats 15 got under way at the crack of dawn on the first Thursday in January. Eighteen thousand entrants had their cars scrutinized in driving events like the Go to Whoa, Burnout, Horsepower Heroes Dyno Competition, and Supercruise.
The 100,000 people who came through the gates over the four days were treated to some powerful driving action. They watched beautiful young women strut their stuff on stage at the Miss Summernats beauty pageant. They drank beer, enjoyed rock bands in bars, or just hung out on the cruise loop, taking in cars and girls going by in the summer heat.
Most people said Summernats 15 was a much friendlier and safer place than in past years. Promoter Chic Henry imposed strict new limits on alcohol, and even though this made for a calmer crowd, the event still had that high-powered mix of people and petrol-powered action that makes it one of the hottest horsepower parties on the planet. Roll on Summernats 16!