The organisers of Summernats said they were pleased with the way the four-day festival of burning rubber and roaring engines had gone.
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"It's been fantastic, after a year away, just to get back and actually be able to get this party on," said Andy Lopez, owner of the Summernats event.
Last year's Summernats was called off with travel restrictions in effect and this year's version had restricted numbers.
But there was a controversy when it emerged that five years ago, the man who won Summernats' big prize this year had been sentenced to prison for four years for dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.
The court heard Jason Mansweto's 1969 GT Ford Falcon XW crashed into a house in a Sydney suburb, injuring four people, including a pregnant woman whose injuries were described at the time as "horrific". She lost her baby.
The Court of Criminal Appeal later reduced the sentence. The judges thought Mr Mansweto was genuinely remorseful and unlikely to reoffend.
It just may be - it just may be - that burn-out smoke might keep the COVID bugs away.
- Chic Henry, Summernats founder
On Sunday, he won the Summernats' grand champion prize for his 1969 GT Ford Falcon XW.
After an extensive conversation, the Summernats owner decided to offer no comment on whether this year's choice of grand champion had any implications for the image of the festival.
This year's Summernats saw about 20,000 people per day (80,000 over the four days, though some may have come several times). That number was down from the usual 100,000 because of Canberra's COVID restrictions.
Some stallholders said the Sunday afternoon felt far less crowded than usual.
But Mr Lopez was just pleased to get it back on the road.
"The day we opened scrutineering, I knew it was real. That was a massive moment," he said.
A COVID-safe plan was put in place. Masks were not obligatory outdoors but were in the indoor areas in Exhibition Park. People were told if they developed symptoms, they should leave.
"Individuals should seek testing in an ACT government facility as they leave the ACT," the advice said.
"Individuals should travel directly to their home, making only brief stops at isolated rest areas."
It's not known how many cases there were at the festival, if any.
Whatever the controversy and the COVID background, you can't doubt the passion.
"The depth of enthusiasm for people to be here is as strong as ever," Summernats founder Chic Henry said.
He wondered - tongue in cheek - if smoke might be a good antidote to COVID.
"It just may be - it just may be - that burnout smoke might keep the COVID bugs away," he said.
For him, Summernats was unrivalled as a gathering with such a tight feel of a community coming together (he thought the folk festival was the only gathering which rivalled it).
He thought the two festivals were "tribal" in that they both attracted a range of groups each interested in a particular type of folk music or cars.
He conceded the enthusiasm did stray beyond the boundaries of Exhibition Park but said people who objected to screaming cars should recognise the festival was only on for a short time.
"Sometimes, the enthusiasm can go to the next level but it's only for a few days. This event is very much, 'Look at me, look at me', and people bring cars to enjoy. It's going to spread out from EPIC through the suburbs for a few days."
This year, there were two arrests on Thursday night after a disturbance in Fyshwick. Cars were doing burnouts and fireworks were said to be involved.
Mr Henry was the Summernats director for 20 years from its 1988 inauguration.
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He said he finally relinquished the role because of the stress of running it. He said he was $200,000 in debt after the first one but then recouped the money as it became more and more popular.
And he said if there had been an accident with serious injury, he would have had difficulty coping emotionally.
He owned and drove a magnificent 1962, two-door, long, sleek and elegant Chevrolet Impala which he bought in 1977 for about $1200, "but I've only spent 40 million on it since".
Mr Henry thought Summernats would one day involve electric vehicles, though he conceded their virtual silence didn't give quite the same thrill as a full-throated petrol engine.
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Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
