Mullets, motors, marriage proposals: Romance revs up at dragway

If you thought a flooded bridge and no power after floods in Wingham could stop Eric Latimore and his VZ Holden Calais from making it to his beloved burnout bash, think again. There was more at stake this year - as his soon-to-be fiancee found out.

Father and son Eric and Lincoln Latimore travelled down from Wingham to compete with their mullets at Brashernats. Picture Thomas Lisson

Some relationships burn out. Others are fuelled by burnouts.

It’s the latter for Eric Latimore, who stole the show on Sunday at Brashernats, the car festival dubbed “Sydney’s premier burnout party”, with a surprise proposal for partner Patty Arkins.

“She was blown away, jumping up and down and cheering to the crowd after it,” Mr Latimore told The Daily Telegraph after the successful proposal.

“It’s the best event of the year. Where else would I do it?”

Eric Latimore proposes to his now Fiance Patty Atkins during the burnout session at Brashernats.Picture Thomas Lisson

He’s had to contend with a flooded bridge, power outages and a lack of phone reception in his hometown of Wingham following recent floods, but Mr Latimore’s main concern was for his smoke-spitting VZ Holden Calais, which has seen more donuts than Krispy Kreme.

“Mate, we were fully cut off, but thank God I wasn’t stuck away from my shed,” he said of the floods. That’s where the Calais lives.”

“She was blown away, jumping up and down and cheering to the crowd after it,” Mr Latimore said following his successful proposal. Picture Thomas Lisson

Mr Latimore arrived at the invite-only show at Sydney Dragway in the eye-catching car, which has “it ain’t weak to speak” spray-painted on the roof in a nod to Men’s Mental Health Week.

But the Calais wasn’t the only thing turning heads in the direction of Mr Latimore and his eight-year-old son Lincoln, who sport matching mullets.

Lincoln got the hairstyle first but Mr Latimore said “people were picking on him”, so he decided to get his locks cut the same way.

“(Lincoln’s) real shy usually but, when it comes to shaking his mullet, he’s a freaking whole different person,” he said.

Originally published as Mullets, motors, marriage proposals: Romance revs up at dragway