OPINION: Public roads are not for burnouts

As a regular attendee of the Summernats burnout championship, I should know.

Regular burnout competition entrant Jai Goward, of Gladstone, performs a burnout in his Holden Commodore SS ute under controlled conditions. Mr Goward said he doesn't condone anyone doing burnouts on public roads. Picture: Rodney Stevens

OPINION: PUBLIC roads are not the place for burnouts.

As a regular attendee of the Summernats Burnout Championship, where Australia’s best, $150,000 plus purpose built burnout vehicles destroy tyres in 60 seconds, I should know.

Andrew “Lynchy” Lynch, Australian burnout legend Gary Myers, “Mad” Mick Brasher, Rick Fuller and Jake Myers all don’t condone burnouts on public roads.

They all have a global following for their exploits.

Trust me, I have spoken to them about it.

On any given day you can drive around Gladstone roads and see burnout marks, two black tyre marks, or one for people whose cars aren’t equipped for what they are doing, covering the streets.

Guys, and girls, it is not on.

Just because you think your car is hot stuff, doesn’t give you permission to put the lives of others, and yourselves in danger.

READ MORE: How to stop burnouts in your Gladstone street

This is why the sport of burnouts has gone professional, and all competition organisers around the nation don’t want people doing burnouts on public roads.

Why, the people who still don’t get it, may ask?

Because it gives, what has become a legitimate sport, a bad name.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are available every year, around Australia, for the winners and placegetters in burnout competitions.

These competitions are conducted under strict regulations, in strictly scrutineered vehicles, by experts.

Have you ever thought about what happens when you snap a universal joint at 7000rpm?

It can spear through the floor of your car, injuring or killing someone, or launch off through an innocent homeowner’s window.

That is why proper burnout cars are built, first and foremost, with safety in mind.

Tail shaft loops, helmets, fire control, paramedics and strictly regulated safety standards all apply at every burnout competition.

So next time you have the thought of doing a burnout, or are egged on by your mates, like I was in my teens and early 20s, don’t do it.

You might save yourself your life, others’ lives, thousands of dollars, or your licence.

Plenty of people might disagree with me about this, but I don’t care.

All the professionals in the burnout scene, and some locals who I know who own burnout vehicles, support this view.

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