COOL and laid back one day, hot and crazy the next, and finished off with a rain-soaked burnout competition — Summernats 24 was as unpredictable as the Canberra weather.

Friday was cruisy, with people enjoying the mild weather and taking the opportunity to check out the fine iron on display without any hassles or drunken stupidity.

You could have taken your nanna along on Friday and she’d have thought Summernats was a lovely family day out. Unless you headed down to the burnout pad where there was the usual mayhem, carnage and craziness for the qualifying rounds.

The atmosphere and action really stepped up a gear on Saturday. Cars packed the cruise track, the oval and the Elite Hall was chock full of sweet streeters and the burnout pad was filled to capacity as the legends of tyre frying took to the track.

The day was capped off with the Supercruise, stunt show, and an arse-kicking performance by the Angels.

Sunday dawned wet and miserable and the biggest worry was how to hold a burnout competition in the pissing rain. Still, the show must go on as they say, and go on it did.

With the rain falling steadily and the Power Pit looking more like the Power Pool the finalists came out to strut their stuff. It turns out you can make smoke on a wet track — but only if you’re standing still. Not good in the judges’ eyes but the crowd didn’t seem to care as long as the drivers put in some effort and made smoke.

At the end of it all, two legends of street machining took home the big awards. In the Burnout Masters Gary Myers and his black and flamed ’66 Mustang rose to the top with a precisely controlled and perfectly executed burnout in very tricky conditions, narrowly beating out Mick Brasher’s impressive effort; West Aussie Steve Sines filled the final spot on the podium. And as some added cream on the cake, Gary also won the Go-to-Woah in his XA coupe and came third in the Mustang!

In the main burnout comp, Adam Slorach’s HR scooped the win – the first time a six-cylinder has done so.

Taking home the Grand Champ sword was Peter Fitzpatrick, who was always going to be tough to beat with the People’s Choice and Top Judged Elite — a first for Fitzy — already under his belt. All he had to do was complete the driving events and the prize was his. There was never any doubt that the twin-turboed small-block would perform and despite the rain that fell on his parade, he gladly stood there soaked to the skin as he raised the sword for a record fifth time.

It’s good to know that rain, hail or shine the show will go on. Roll on Summernats 25!