Revving Up for RockyNats 03: A Journey of Passion and Performance

Shakey, nervous and filled with adrenaline. There’s this foot-tapping, leg-shaking feeling as we get set to line up with 1,500 other entrants for RockyNats 03.

As spectators and sponsors for RockyNats 02, watching from the sidelines was almost unbearable, and we just had to be entrants for 03! Revheads at heart, suppressed by responsibility, it took one visit to RockyNats, and the shackles were off. Weeding through the Mustangs found by my 13-year-old son, Alan, and joking about buying a V8, I decided I’d had enough of the ‘Mum car’ SUV and, with a family of five, decided to buy a vehicle with four seats and two doors. Practical right? Follow me for more parenting advice!

After much searching, we found ourselves an Lightning Blue 2018 Mustang GT.

Ten months of performance improvements and upgrades to enable a daily driven vehicle to be performance ready and competitive on the street drag strip. Every inch of this car has been inspected, enhanced and modified for ten months. With plenty more improvements to come, a stop has been placed for now until post-RockyNats 03.

First, some cosmetic changes were made with a Shelby GT500 Boot Spoiler supplied and painted to change the stance, and then side window louvres and tinted windows were added. The engine work is simple; a Roush cold air induction kit was sourced and installed to keep the intake temperatures as low as possible. Then a complete X-Force exhaust system was installed, including 4 into 1 1” 7/8 Headers, High Flow Catalytic Convertors, X-Pipe, and Hiflow mufflers, all in stainless steel. 

To round out the modifications, Dave Sheehy from CPV Tuning provided four options in the tune, which means the vehicle can run on PULP 98 or Ethanol 85 Race blend fuel.

With the extra horsepower came the need to stop the vehicle, and the result was a slotted and drilled disc rotor with carbon ceramic brake pads. The Mustang already had a Brembo Brakes Calliper on the front, so there was no need for a calliper upgrade. At the same time, Foose Design wheels in 20” and Yokohama Advan tyres were sourced to make it look amazing.

Sponsors, spectators, entrants and number one fans, and we can’t wait for it all to kick off with the Street Parade on Friday, 7 April, where we’ll see a procession of incredible vehicles come out from hiding and arrive from all over Australia—cars which are the pride and joy of their owners and deserve respect and admiration. We’ve got a long way to go with our Mustang, but for now, it’s ready for RockyNats 03 and will feature in the Street Parade with 1,100 other cars and bikes, travelling from the Showgrounds through the CBD and along Quay Street, and then back to the Showgrounds, starting at 1:30 pm.

The Street Drags are on all weekend, and we’ll feature on Saturday, 8 April, with our Mustang being driven by Nathan. This event will see Rockhampton and Australia’s fastest street-driven drag cars and bikes roar down the nation’s first true street-built 1/8th mile drag strip.

Partial to a good 4WD, we’re looking forward to visiting Dave Casey and the SWL Racing team in the 4X4 Zone, which features some of the best rigs in the country, in the CBD precinct.

You can’t miss the Pinup competition either! With two competitions designed for experienced Pinups and beginners, I will indeed have another tough time judging the winner again this year.  

The entry process with the SummerNats Team was simple to navigate, entirely online and left no room for error with the expectations outlined for entrants clearly. To ensure we’re ready to roll and are compliant with scrutineering, one final addition to the Mustang will see us fit a tail shaft safety loop and purchase some PPE to wear.

Nominated, paid, approved and ready! Be sure to give Nathan and me a big cheer or a wave as you see us around. There will be plenty to see and do across the three days of jam-packed programming in a car festival like no other in Queensland, right here in our own backyard!