WHILE we don’t have any firm figures to back it up, we reckon that burnouts must be the fastest-growing form of motorsport in Australia. There is a constant stream of new competitors into the sport, bringing with them a seemingly insatiable demand for new events. Most parts of the country are well-catered for with professionally run shows, but one area that could use more skids is South East Queensland.

With that in mind, event commentator Jason Bean has thrown his hat in the ring, with a new show, Burnout Allstars, to be held at Queensland Raceway on 14 October. Jason teamed up with Steve Loader to run Burnouts Unleashed in 2014, and is again planning to bring a new level of pizzazz to proceedings.

Why is a commentator running a burnout competition?

The concept of BA is something I’ve had in my head for the past 15 years. In the 20-plus years I’ve been involved in burnout competitions, they’ve basically always looked the same. I get to more burnout competitions than most people and the standard of competition has improved massively, but the show is essentially as it was decades ago. In the meantime we’ve got shorter, punchier, more entertaining events such as T20 out of cricket and MMA from boxing. So we’ve taken a little of what makes these other sports so appealing and mixed it into the sport of burnouts.

My background is as a nightclub DJ, where you’ve got music and lighting to go with the action on the dance floor. Later, as a burnout commentator, I got to thinking how cool it would be to have lights and a huge sound system around the pad to make the show even more spectacular than just the awesome cars killing tyres on the pad. We’ve already got a natural smoke show, so why not lights and lasers going through it? It’ll be a burnout show, not just a burnout competition.

Burnout Allstars is an invite-only show. How do you determine who comes?

I looked at all the major cars currently skidding in Australia, well-known cars from every state. Then I created a list of probably 120 cars. I looked through and came up with a dream team of the top 65 cars that I think are going to put on the best show possible for the crowd – the guys and girls who push the hardest and turn it on for the people sitting in the grandstand. And everyone wants a piece of it. Within a couple of days of sending out invites we’ve had more than 50 drivers confirm their attendance.

Are we talking exclusively about blown cars, or is there something in there for N/A fans too?

Blown cars are the lion’s share of invited drivers, with 50 supercharged beasts ready to tear up the pad. But there’s a lot for the N/A fans out there too. And unless Lynchy straps a blower on, he’s one of the most popular steerers in the country, so it’s not just a case of all being blown cars. They’ll all be fighting for a share in $17,500 prize money including $10,000 for first place, and one of three Summernats Burnout Masters Golden Tickets.

Why only 65 cars?

Burnout Allstars is a real entertainment package, featuring the best drivers and cars, and a show like no other. That’s exactly what spectators are paying to see and we’re going to give them a night they’ll never forget. Keeping to a fixed number of entries guarantees the highest standard of competition and means fans can come out for an evening’s entertainment and get terrific value for money.

How is Burnout Allstars different to other burnout shows, apart from the lights?

I like to innovate, so for the first time, there’s live scoring happening. Basically, as soon as the judges have finished scoring, that score will appear on the giant screens located around the pad. The leaderboard will be on the big screen so people can follow what’s happening, and they’ll know exactly who’s in the running to make it into the final Top 20. The format of the event also means there’s no delay between the 65th qualifier and the first of our Top 20 finalists. We want to pack as much action into one event as we can so everybody goes home with a big rubber grin on their face.

As well as using the lights to help make the show even more exciting, we’re also using them for the driver’s benefit. The lights on the gantry at the startline will be red and then go green to start the driver off. If there’s a major fire the whole arena pulses red to help let the drivers and the crowd know when judging has stopped.

What else is happening at Burnout Allstars?

We’ve got one or two surprises we’re keeping up our sleeves, but as well as the best burnouts you’ll ever see, we’ve got rides for the kids, market stalls and traders, stunt shows and grandstand seating. Burnout Allstars is a burnout entertainment experience like no other. There’s no other show on earth anything like this and we can’t wait to show a packed Queensland Raceway the time of their life.

Burnout Allstars hits Queensland Raceway on Saturday 14 October. Ticket pre-sale available after Easter at www.burnoutallstars.com. Pre-purchased tickets get you in from 4pm (30 minutes early) to get up close and personal to the cars and drivers all in one spot in the middle of the pad, as well as your choice of a prime position in the grandstand.

PRIZE MONEY BREAKDOWN:
1st place: $10,000, Burnout Allstars title belt & championship ring
2nd: $3000 and belt
3rd: $2000 and belt
4th: $1000 and medallion
5th: $500 and medallion
6th-10th: $200 and medallion
11th-20th: medallion

CONFIRMED ENTRIES:
UCSMOKE
LYNCHY
MADSAM
BLWNVC
LUXURY
ONIT
NUTCASE
VICIOUS
GAMBLE
POOL
1TUFHG
KERMITD
UP4IT
HANFUL
TYRKLR
MATER
FEAR
MUNTED and CASPER (Grant and Jason Tanks – brothers)
2MENTIL
FAT WH
LOOSEQ
ULEGAL
BLWNLUX
LITMUP
HOLDON
TUFFST
FROMHELL
1FATRAT
PROPSI
TOASTER
KILLASET
LSONE
GHETTO
KRANKY
FRYZEM
SMOKINU
FLATRAT
CEMBLO
YATESZ
RUTHLESS
LOOSE
GMHAZD
XBACON
THRASHER
GEMSKID
GEMWAR
TIPNIN
IMMORTAL
FALKY
3FIVE5
UIDIOT