Special feature: Burnout action
The epic Burnout Symphony! The smells, the sounds, the sights, this was one for the ages.
The aftermath, and to think Woolys banned single-use plastic bags?! Somebody hurry up and invent reusable burnout tyres!
Never lift … until tyres burst, that is!
Smoking kills: A minute earlier, this was a perfectly healthy tyre!
If it ain’t blown, it ain’t goin’
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The epic Burnout Symphony! The smells, the sounds, the sights, this was one for the ages.
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|
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The aftermath, and to think Woolys banned single-use plastic bags?! Somebody hurry up and invent reusable burnout tyres!
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|
|
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Never lift … until tyres burst, that is!
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Smoking kills: A minute earlier, this was a perfectly healthy tyre!
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If it ain’t blown, it ain’t goin’
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Australia’s Cobey Bartels gets down and dirty with Filthy – the biggest burnout machine there is
Whether it’s a subtle shed skid, a sneaky clutch kick, or an all-out tyre fryer, us petrol heads love it.
Everyone’s seen burnout cars – big HP V8s shoehorned into whatever you can get your hands on – be it a Cortina, Corolla, Commodore, as long as it skids, it’s a go’er. Over a beer or two, we had a crazy idea: why not go bigger? Why not find the biggest, angriest burnout machine Australasia has to offer?
We set out to do just that. How does this sound: 12 cylinders, two turbos bigger than your head, and 900 angry horsepower ready to obliterate all eight drive tyres? Say hello to Filty.
Filthy started her life as a highway specialist, a workhorse built to get from A to B. Fast forward 30 years, the old girl’s had a facelift and a bit of a career change. It’s all bling and burnouts now.
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Ready for battle: More than 3000hp and a few of the angriest burnout machines down under
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Proud owner of the wild burnout truck, Mick Lake, was more than happy to drive the rig out and show us what it’s capable of, in exchange for some tyres, of course. The legends at Tyres4U hooked Mick up with eight Double Coin tyres, which proved to hold up well under immense punishment.
When chatting with Mick, we suggested we pit Filthy up against other (much smaller) burnout machine, despite not being sure how he’d react. Fortunately, he was keen and put us in touch with his mate Terry Skene, who happens to own Kingston Park Raceway in Brisbane.
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Precision driving, the smell of E85, and plenty of smoke. Drifting is where it’s at!
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If it’s got wheels, Terry is your man, and he was able to line up some mental burnout and drift cars in what was shaping up to be the ultimate mechanical showdown. The aim, aside from absolute tyre torture, was to host a burnout competition between dedicated big horsepower burnout cars, drift cars, and, of course, Filthy.
But, beyond that, we also wanted to provide the general public with a better understanding of the sport of burnouts, covering its strong roots in drag racing and its now worldwide popularity as a legitimate motorsport.
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Cobey gears up to take the wheel of a 1,200hp XE Falcon Panelvan – a car built to do one thing and one thing only: shred rubber!
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After leaving it up to Terry to hook us up with the wildest burnout and drift cars on offer, we turned up on the day and admittedly our jaws dropped when we saw what Filthy would be up against.
Well-known burnout chariots Vicious and Gamble were warming up as we arrived and their idle alone could be felt through the ground. There’s something special about a car with 1000 plus methanol-fuelled horses, ready to be unleashed with one stab of the throttle.
When Filthy lined up against the cars, pure carnage ensued.
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The craziest of all, the burnout guys! Did they stand up a chance against Filthy, though?
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It was a mixture of smoke, methanol, and diesel filling the air, as it snowed fine black tyre rubber. Oh, and let’s not forget the noise. Two blown V8’s limiter-bashing for minutes on end, a sooty Cummins V12 on song, and the sound of a screaming RB25 sliding its way around the action.
It was a symphony of sorts – a burnout symphony. Our hearing may never be the same again, and we’re just fine with that. As the smoke and tyre rubber settled, we came to a realisation. Filthy just might be the ultimate burnout machine.
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