WHILE some online squawkers said it was destined to fail from the beginning, arguably the biggest success story from Street Machine Summernats 32 was the new Skid Row section of the cruise route. This 45m concrete-lined lane allowed burnout-hungry entrants the ability to rip off a skid next to Tuff Street, without security peeling their sticker.

Right from the word go on Thursday afternoon there was a queue of cars waiting to line up and roast a set, although static skids, doughnuts, tip-ins and other wild shenanigans were not allowed. This was a place for punters to have a quick blat with their friends in the car, before rejoining the cruise route for some relaxed lappin’.

“It has been awesome,” said Skid Row marshal and YouTube celebrity Ben ‘Mechanical Stig’ Neal. “We haven’t had any real problems and everyone has been in a really good mood.”

There was a noticeably much more relaxed vibe around the event, as tension between entrants and security over bad behaviour on the cruise route was dispelled. Skid Row had given the spectators and entrants what they wanted, which was an area to have fun with their friends and without the pressure of going onto the actual burnout pad to compete.

Realising that Skid Row has been a genuine hit, Summernats organisers have already hinted that they’re looking at ways to improve the concept, including investigating ways to give more people a look at the cars as they chuck one down