Local tuners Damian Lomax and Lachlan Nordsvan are part of a semi-professional motorsports team. Their goal is to bring plenty of interstate titles home to Canberra. Photo: Damian Lomax.
Canberra may not have a purpose-built track but our local car racing scene is bigger than you think.
The community is tight-knit and surprisingly active, driven by a shared love for diverse and top-performing builds.
Social media is the place to find pop-up meets, casual drive days and the odd convoy to an interstate track. Whether it’s rally, drag, drift, endurance or circuit racing that catches your eye, there’s bound to be a Facebook group to match.
Damian Lomax, co-founder of Stay Tuned Performance in Fyshwick, says there’s a deep camaraderie among Canberra car lovers. His interest in racing was fuelled by his first car, a 1996 R33 Nissan Skyline.
“My father signed me up for an advanced driving course so I’d know how to handle the Skyline safely and the rest is history,” Damian says.
“I love the adrenaline that comes with competing on the track and being part of a passionate community that shows up for its people.
“It’s great to see so many personalised builds out there. You can easily tell that these cars are their owners’ pride and joy.”
Not everyone falls into the scene like Damian did. Drivers and their supporters come from all walks of life; many don’t start racing until well into adulthood.
“Lots of drivers were general car enthusiasts who ended up going to a track day out of curiosity,” Damian says.
“Some come from Canberra car clubs, which are usually affiliated with a certain make such as Nissan, BMW or Mazda. Canberra also has race-specific groups like the Light Car Club.”
Having this hobby in the ACT means plenty of travel. Most drivers are forced to head to Goulburn or Sydney if they want to race, so Damian would love to see a purpose-built track closer to home.
“We just don’t have the facilities to race locally in a safe, legal way,” he says.
“There’s a hill climb run by the Southern District Motorsports Association at Fairbairn Park, but noise restrictions limit what you can do there.”
As well as travel, anyone interested in casual racing needs to be ready to fork out some serious cash. A single set of circuit tyres retails at about $2500 and multiple sets are a must for drivers who compete semi-professionally.
“Motorsports, horses and boats are the three most expensive hobbies out there if you ask me,” Damian says.
“You also need a close relationship with an experienced tuner and performance mechanic for mods, or the time and motivation to upskill and work on your car at home.”
Even for drivers committed to the DIY route, some changes just shouldn’t be made outside of a specialist shop.
Master tuners are the only players in the game who can modify the software that runs a car. Their specialist knowledge is always in demand and since there aren’t many around, experts like Damian are highly sought after.
“Some tuners specialise even further and only work with cars designed for specific racing, like circuit, rally or drag,” Damian says.
“We work on just about anything and offer all your average services, but the vast majority of our customers come to us for tailored performance mods.”
Damian’s current project is a 2002 Holden Monaro race car, which has already taken home first-place trophies in circuit and rallysprint events.
With an aggressive development schedule over the next 12 months, the team is keen to take the Monaro from strength to strength.
Just a few customer projects to roll out of Stay Tuned’s workshop recently include a turbocharged V8 “resto mod” HG Holden, a V8 converted Nissan 370Z track car and a 4AGE AE86 Toyota Sprinter track car.
“Cars like these aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. But that just showcases how personalised racing is, depending on whether you’re driving to win or just for fun,” Damian says.
“And it is absolutely a lot of fun. I encourage everyone to get out to a track and spectate at least once.”
Stay Tuned Performance offers a comprehensive range of tuning, electrical, mechanical and fabrication services at 76 Maryborough Street, Fyshwick.
Keep up with the Stay Tuned team’s racing ventures on Facebook and Instagram.
