Rev heads from around the country have descended on Alice Springs for the 10th anniversary of the Red Centre NATS. Organisers are hopeful the event can shake the trend of a downturn in tourism to the area due to ongoing crime problems.
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00:00Well, there's no shortage of excitement here in Alice Springs this weekend as muscle cars,
00:06street machines and burnout beasts roll into town for the 10th anniversary of the iconic
00:10event.
00:11Earlier in the week, officials were busy checking off hundreds of cars from around the country
00:15to be sure they are safe to compete in events such as burnouts, drag racing and off-roading.
00:20But the really special part is that once vehicles pass scrutineering, they're given a special
00:24exemption.
00:25Meaning vehicles that are usually deemed unroadworthy in other states can be driven freely on the
00:29streets of Alice Springs for the duration of the event.
00:32And I spoke to a gentleman earlier who had tears in his eyes as he was telling me about
00:36the first time he's been able to drive his Mustang that he'd been working on for years
00:40and years.
00:41There's also a special unveiling happening here at the Red Centre Nats.
00:44Former event grand champion Nigel Waugh's custom build will be on display this weekend.
00:48Now sadly, Nigel passed away last year, but his family continued to build the car and
00:53will showcase it this weekend in his honour.
00:56Along with that, the overall grand champion trophy, which Nigel won in 2022, will actually
01:01be renamed in his honour.
01:02Overall, the event, which is now in its 10th year, has all the usual heavy hitters.
01:07Drag racing, burnout competitions, off-roading, show and shine events and even a petrol-powered
01:11remote-controlled rally race, which I really enjoy each year.
01:15Now, of course, Alice Springs has been in the news headlines for quite some time now
01:19for an extended period of heightened crime in the area.
01:22Organisers believe this shouldn't affect the amount of entries this year and are hoping
01:25it will actually buck the trend for a downturn in tourism in the remote country town.
01:30Needless to say, the sounds of V8s, burnouts and drag racing will be reverberating through
01:35the hills of Alice Springs and I think it might be time I jump in one of these beauties.