CRACKER

For a while, it looked like the 25th Bi-Annual Australian Street Rod Nationals was never going to happen. Thankfully, after being mucked around in Albury, the decision was made to take the show on the road to Western Sydney…

When word went out that the Australian Street Rod Nationals were heading back to Sydney for Easter 2023, the hype spread quickly. So quickly in fact that in no time at all, accommodation was drying up at a rapid rate. It was a great sign that the Nationals were going to be a big event. When last held at Clarendon Showgrounds between Windsor and Richmond in Sydney’s west, the Street Rod Nationals attracted lots of cars from all over Australia and early on, it was evident the 2023 event was going to be the same.

Fast forward to Wednesday 5th April, and the roads leading into the venue were starting to fill with all kinds of cool Rods, Customs and Muscle cars...

Fast forward to Wednesday 5th April, and the roads leading into the venue were starting to fill with all kinds of cool Rods, Customs and Muscle cars – with the event now open to Pre ’78 model cars. Those arriving early used the down time to set up camp and get familiar with the surroundings before the Nats officially kicked off. When Kathy and I arrived in the Chev on Thursday afternoon, there were already plenty of entrant’s setup in the camping area and the cruising was in full swing. As soon as we went through the registration process – an easy fiveminute deal, we thought we’d check out the cruise route and idled the Chev around the showgrounds, checking out the variety of cars scattered around the venue. But it was the impending wet weather that was the talk of the event at this stage. With the forecast warning of torrential rain and possible hail, everyone was preparing for a wet Friday.

Whilst Friday did start with a fair bit of rain falling, by late morning the sky started to clear and soon the venue was bathed in sunshine. Like everyone else, we had the chamois out getting the Chev gleaming yet again. Friday is an Entrants Only day with no public allowed into the venue which allowed for plenty of cruising. It was also an opportunity for the entrants to scour through the trader’s hall looking for some new gear along with stocking up on the official event merchandise. While many cruised, many more kicked back around the roadways edge to take in the cars cruising the grounds. The weather gods tried to dampen the enthusiasm by sending a bunch of black clouds over the venue, threatening with heavy rain and predicted hail. Thankfully, we watched it go around us, with just a little rain falling for a short time. Still, the bands played on and cruising continued until the 10pm curfew. The next day, we heard lots of stories of hailing falling just five minutes from the showgrounds proving the man upstairs is a Hot Rodder at heart…

Blue skies greeted the thousands of spectators who made the journey out to Richmond to take in the Nationals, the first time this event had been back in Sydney since 2001. Due to the rain the night before, the decision was made not to send the 950-plus cars onto the grassed oval, instead opting to have them fill every available spot around the venue. Whilst some were jammed into positions they didn’t want to be in, I personally think it added a great atmosphere, keeping the cars (and therefore spectators) around the traders, bands and food outlets. The area looked full and colourful and gave the venue an American

Fairground feel – something like you’d see at a Goodguys event. Saturday saw the pre-booked Ladies luncheon take place at the nearby tavern, a meet and greet session with the invited American Guest Matt Murray from Iron Trap Garage, the kids ride’s in full swing and lots of cool live music on the main stage to entice those keen to kick up their heals on to the dance floor. With the general public leaving the grounds around 4pm, the cruising kicked off again between 5pm and 10pm, with plenty of cars flexing their muscle around the ground. It was a big day and was looking good for more of the same on Sunday.

Thankfully the blue skies stayed around on Sunday, allowing the show and shine to move out to the large oval where it was wall to wall Hot Rods and Customs. The great thing about this scene is no two cars are the same. Sure, there were lots of black and red 32, 33 and 34 Ford coupes, but each one was individual in its own way, making a walk around the 900 plus cars on display that much more enjoyable. When it came time to choose the winner of the

Killer Rides Show Standout award, I could have handed out a dozen. But it was the Barra-powered Pro-Street

‘48 Anglia Van that scored the trophy for Grant and Keith Azzopardi. The fact that Grant had turned 18 just as the Van was finished the week of the show and he was cruising with the P-plates attached won me over. There were so many standout cars at this event, that I don’t envy the judges that had the task of choosing the Top 25 Cars of the show.

All in all, the 25th Street Rod Nationals was a complete success. After a few years of work and organising, and with nearly 1000 cool cars in attendance, it was certainly an event to remember. Lots of traders took advantage of the event and were kept busy with customers, justifying their investment, the food vans had long lines of people all weekend (even though their prices were outrageous!) and the music played on providing the entertainment. For us, we had an absolute ball. Its just a shame that the Nationals doesn’t have a permanent home in Richmond as the potential to grow this event at this venue is huge. But that’s not to be as the 2024 Street Rod Nationals heads to Mandurah in WA over March 22-25 before the event returns to Victoria in 2025 at a location still to be determined. For more info on future events, check out the ASRF website – www.asrf.org.au