7 January 2026

WATCH: Car seized after burnout as police warn hoon behaviour won't be tolerated during Summernats

| By Claire Fenwicke
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Holden Commodore on a tow truck

A modified yellow Holden Commodre has been seized after social media activity showed it doing burnouts on the Barton Highway. Photo: ACT Policing.

ACT Policing has issued a warning to everyone – whether they’re taking part in Summernats or not – about anti-social driving behaviour.

It’s after officers seized a modified Holden Commodore that was involved in doing burnouts on the Barton Highway.

Officers stopped the yellow 1991 sedan, which had Victorian club registration plates, at about 7:40 pm on Tuesday (6 January).

Checks showed the plates had expired in December, and that the vehicle had been unregistered and uninsured since 2022.

According to a police statement, officers also saw the tread on the vehicle’s left-rear tyre had been “completely” worn away.

“Melted rubber [was] visible along the wheel arch and rear bumper,” it read.

Checks of social media led to the vehicle being identified as part of “sustained and dangerous” burnout activity on the Barton Highway in Nicholls.

A further examination of CCTV footage in the area confirmed the alleged incident had taken place at about 11:10 pm on Monday (5 January).

Due to the condition of the vehicle and the alleged dangerous driving behaviour, the Holden was seized.

Investigations are continuing to identify the driver at the time the burnouts occurred.

Charges and infringement notices for driving an unregistered and uninsured motor vehicle, and driving an unsafely maintained vehicle, are expected to follow.

READ ALSO Man accused of firing gun at vehicle outside Canberra home

Officer-In-Charge of Road Policing Detective Inspector Mark Steel said ACT Policing has a zero-tolerance approach to hoon driving and anti-social behaviour.

“We will continue to proactively target vehicles driving dangerously, including those identified through social media and CCTV footage. I urge members of the public who have mobile phone or dash-cam footage of dangerous driving to make a report online,” he said.

“As Summernats begins this week, we will be conducting high-visibility patrols in the lead up to and throughout the four-day event, including in and around EPIC and the Braddon Fringe Festival.

“Our focus during Summernats is keeping road users, spectators, and the broader community safe.”

Anyone can submit a dangerous driving report online if they have dash cam footage of the incident, and they are prepared to attend court if required.

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Last night around 11130pm around 50 cars from Bogan Nate rolled through my suburb turning a usually peaceful neighbourhood into a nightmare. I’m so over it that every year we have to put up with this. I would like to see the event banned as all it does is bring interstate losers to town. If Police aren’t able to put a stop to this behaviour what other options are there? Yes some will say it’s a minority and why should the majority suffer but too bad. Perhaps the event organisers should pay for more police to be rostered on to deal with the scum their event brings to town. Perhaps Police can lease a helicopter to be able to track them and shut down roads rounding up the scum and confiscating the offending vehicles. This would only need to occur at one event to set a precedent the ACT will not tolerate this behaviour.

We live in Watson and the amount of rubber smoke in our neighborhood from burnouts definitely exceeds acceptable levels – the toxic fume would mount to a public health hazard in normal circumstances (let alone people who have health issues suc). I think there needs to be a more concerted effort such as a petition, given that multiple areas across ACT are seemingly affected. Take out the hooning and burnouts to make a peaceful car show is all good; otherwise the event really needs to be relocated to somewhere else with lower residential density.

Having worked a total of eight GREAT years I throughly enjoyed it, the staff, the entrants but have not been interested in the new style Summernats. For anyone to assume these tools whoring out burnouts won’t happen anywhere in ACT are as stupid as the ACT Assembly FGS.

Pasquale Obrien3:50 pm 08 Jan 26

We experience illegal activity in our neighbourhood and we told by City services minister that ‘it’s only a few people’ and that ‘traffic calming is not for speeding prevention’. nothing done. Good to see Police disagree

The Drake Walker8:23 am 08 Jan 26

The Summernats speeding and hooning extends way beyond the EPIC area, such as Drake Brockman Drive last night. These grubs from interstate abuse and endanger us every year in their temporary playground.

Holt Citizen5:11 pm 08 Jan 26

For over 16 years residents of Drake Brockman Drive have complained about traffic behaviour through letters, petitions and submissions to the ACT Government. We are told we need to liaise with Gininderry and TCSS have continually refused to meet residents even at our meetings with Gininderry. TCSS obviously think only Gininderry resident’s are problematic drivers along this road. But to who do we pay our rates? As for police, they have been underfunded and understaffed for many years in the ACT. How much of the financial benefits of summernats does the government put toward police funding?

We live in Watson and the amount of rubber smoke from burnout would count as a public health hazard in normal circumstances. I think there needs to be a concerted effort such as a petition to address those absolutely bonkers behaviors. Take out the hooning and burnouts to make it a peaceful car show is all good; otherwise, this event needs to be moved to somewhere with lower residential density.

Agreed. Last night my area was subjected to this grub mentality. The speeding through suburban streets, the burnouts and drag racing down Streeton Drive must stop. If I ever have weeks to live and Summernats is in town and I know how I’m going out. And I’ll be taking some of these grubs with me!

The rather obvious point is that ACT Policing turns a blind eye to hoon behaviour all over the ACT when Summernats isn’t on.

Very true. Goons are active every night along John Gorton drive and Cotter Rd.

Friday night is by far the worst for our local goons. Streeton Drive becomes a drag strip. Burnouts through Holder and Duffy before heading to the ‘drag strip’. A point to point speed camera on Streeton may calm the activity. I dare say it would pay for itself pretty quickly.

I hope their is a follow-up story and video of the car being crushed!

Capital Retro4:57 pm 07 Jan 26

Lucky it’s not an EV Jack D. Their battery doesn’t take kindly to being crushed.

https://youtu.be/t1j9TUV5coc

Here we go again, CR in his never ending quests to undermine progress with another doozy of a video as he trawls the internet in his desperate attempts to undermine those he disagrees with! Another video, foreign accented, barely understandable which drummed on for nearly 12 minutes that only the likes of CR and his best friend Penfold, or are they one and the same, could appreciate! Admission: I lasted barely 10 seconds!

Hint to CR: Strip the car and take out the battery or anything else worth saving before crushing, to sell on and make a profit!

Bill Gilbert10:52 am 08 Jan 26

All cars have batteries, fluids, working motors and resellable parts removed before the shell is crushed for scrap metals.

This would be obvious to (almost) everyone.

Crime n Punishment3:45 pm 07 Jan 26

Summer Twats aren’t car enthusiasts, they’re just pond scum masquerading under the guise of the real thing.

Cheap cars and cheap tricks.

Crush them and leave real car enthusiasts to enjoy the festival.

Auction them off so that maybe an enthusiast can make use of the car or it’s parts. Crushing is such a waste.

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