Rockynats 04 revs up huge crowds and record-breaking results

Published on 12 April 2024

Queensland’s largest car and bike festival, Rare Spares Rockynats has wrapped up for its fourth year after smashing records and welcoming motorsport enthusiasts from all over Australia. 

The event, which took place 29 – 31 March 2024, attracted more than 57,000 people over the three days.

Rockhampton Region Mayor Tony Williams said a total of 20,800 were sold for Rockynats 04. 

“The event was a huge success – we sold 2,200 in the space of four hours, which proves the loyalty and passion of the community,” Mayor Williams said. 

Records were also smashed in entrants with 1,640 cars and bikes participating in the festival across the weekend.

“This year has set the benchmark for future events, cementing Rockynats and the region as the place to be for the motorsports-loving community,” Mayor Williams said. 

“By hosting the event right on our doorstep, we have an opportunity to appeal to local motorsport enthusiasts and welcome visitors from across the country to visit our beautiful region. 

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Summernats in hosting the largest car and bike festival in Queensland,” he said.

Summernats Co-Owner Andy Lopez said rev-heads had the chance to partake in various competitions from the Burnout Pro Series to drag racing, which each saw records broken. 

“We had 105 cars enter the burnout competition, collectively completing 315 burnouts, resulting in 630 tyres destroyed!” Mr Lopez said.

The public also saw more than 400 cars participate in over 1,200 drag passes in this year’s street drag, making the competition the biggest drag racing event in the country.

“The quality of events and entrants in this year’s festival far exceeded expectations. From the professionals at Matt Hall Racing bringing high-octane to Rocky’s skies with his gravity-defying displays at speeds of up to 400kph, to Hot Wheels’ Matt Mingay performing jaw-dropping motorbike and car stunts throughout the weekend – it’s been phenomenal,” he said. 

Incredible cars and competitions were not the event’s only highlight, which boosted the local economy with an injection of millions of dollars. The event also hosted Aussie rock sensation Choirboys as part of a full line-up of live music and family-friendly competitions like the RockabillyNats Pinup Competition and Mulletfest. 

Advance Rockhampton Tourism and Events Manager Zac Garven said he looked forward to seeing the event return next year. 

“It’s fantastic to see the community and local businesses step up to support the event for its fourth instalment,” Mr Garven said. 

“Rockynats is just one of the many milestones in our major events calendar, but as the hero event, we are very excited to continue the momentum and deliver a fantastic outcome for Australians across the nation,” he said.    

Rare Spares Rockynats 05 will take place from 4 – 6 April 2025. For more information on the event or to access FAQs, visit www.rockynats.com.au/faqs.