Aussie burnout competitions are so serious that competitors like this LS1-powered sedan practice slaying tires.
This nutty burnout video comes to us from the YouTube account of tammie and it features a Holden Commodore VX practicing out in the middle of nowhere. Practicing burnouts might seem unusual to people who live outside of Australia, but their burnout competitions are so popular that the competitors have to make sure that their machines are ready for battle.
Aussie Burnouts
In most American burnout competitions the vehicle sits in a small area, usually at a drag strip and spins its tires for 30 or 60 seconds. In Australia, the drivers have a big, open area where they can toss the car around and do whatever is needed to create as much smoke as possible. Most (if not all) major automotive events Down Under have a burnout area and these competitions are generally a key attraction. For good reason, too, Aussies show the rest of the world how burnouts should be done.
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore has long been one of the most popular performance cars in Australia, often featuring a similar powerplant to the Camaros and Firebirds sold in the USA. For example, the 2000-2002 Commodore, known as the VX, is powered by the same LS1 that motivated C5 Corvettes and the 4th generation Camaros. The big Holden sedan is rear-wheel drive, so it offers similar driving dynamics to the American muscle cars, but, more importantly, it does wicked burnouts.
With Aussie burnout competitions being so popular, the participants really want to win, so they practice. The video above shows a modified, LS1-powered Commodore VX practicing tire slaying out in the middle of nowhere. The burnout action is great for the first 80 seconds or so, when something goes wrong. The tires stop spinning and the car sounds oddly unhealthy. The driver and passenger both jump out to investigate the problem with the LS1 Holden, but up until that point – this Commodore puts on a great smoke show.
Once this car is fixed, we imagine that this Commodore will shine in the local burnout events.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
