Everything you need to know
2024 Red CentreNATS 30 August - 1 September
Meet us in the Middle for the Ultimate Festival of Wheels returning to Alice Springs Father's Day weekend.
Celebrate everything on four wheels over three action packed days showcasing the very best in street machines, elite show cars, hot rods, classics & exotics.
Entries for 2024 are now open.
The information below will be updated for the RCN10 event shortly.
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Getting started
How to enter
2024 entries are now open
- Click here to enter
- Log in. If you've never entered a RCN event before you'll need to register as a new user
- Choose Red CentreNATS10 event
- Complete the application form, remember to save as you go
- Submit and make payment
It's that easy to enter the 10 year celebration of the Ultimate Festival of Wheels.
Burning rubber
Burnouts
Keen for the smell of burning rubber? A fan favourite at Red CentreNATS is the totally outrageous tyre-shredding action that takes place on the Burnout Pad at Alice Springs Inland Dragway.
Enter a rubber-hazed wonderland as drivers spin their wheels into a smoke-filled frenzy for at least a full minute. This is Doomsday for tyres!
It’s illegal to do a burnout on the street, but at Red CentreNATS we’ve got just the spot! Here they’re a perfect reason for the crowd to stand up and cheer. Don’t miss the smoke storm of the Red CentreNATS burnout competitions. Whose ride will survive?
First to the finish
Drag Racing
If you love the drags - and let’s be honest, who doesn’t? – you’ll love the Alice Springs Inland Dragway (ASID). This is where seasoned and novice drag racers take on the infamous quarter mile.
GRUDGE RACING COMPETITION
On Saturday from 9:00AM - 3:00PM entrants are invited to participate in Grudge Racing Fun Run sessions. Grudge Racing Elimination Finals will be held from 6:00PM on Saturday with the following format:
DIAL YOUR OWN / BREAKOUT FORMAT
STREET: 12.00 and slower
PRO: 9.00 – 11.99
Next-level drag racing
Heavy Hitters
Want to win some serious prize money? The Heavy Hitters Competition is the place for you!
Any vehicle that is competing in the Heavy Hitters competition must comply with ANDRA standards, so let the team know when you go thorough scrutineering you want to compete in Heavy Hitters.
RACE IN YOUR BRACKET:
• 6 - 6.99 seconds
• 7 - 7.99 seconds
• 8 - 8.99 seconds
• 9 - 9.99 seconds
• 10 - 10.99 seconds
• 11+ seconds
• Bikes
FORMAT:
• 1 x pass to dial in
• 3 x qualifying rounds for seeding into elimination
• Elimination round
• Heads Up / Pro Tree
• Breakout Format
Are you ready?
Show off your ride
Shannons Show 'n' Shine
Taking place over the event, Shannons Show 'n' Shine will blow any car enthusiast’s mind. The time, money and passion that goes into the vehicles on display at Blatherskite Park is simply incredible.
Every car has a story as owners adorn their pride and joy with creative designs or finish them off with slick paint jobs and full trim. Some vintage vehicles have been restored to their former glory, while others have led such a pampered existence they’ve only got double digits on the clock. Marvel at what hours of TLC can achieve, and get the lowdown from proud owners about the lives of the rigs on display. What exactly does it take to get these rides looking this good?
Cruise the streets
Yeperenye Street Parade
Feel like cruising the streets in your pride and joy with your favourite tunes on the radio, windows down and a breeze in your face? Then join the Red CentreNATS Yeperenye Shopping Centre Street Parade, the largest of its kind in Australia.
This colourful convoy with all sorts of cars and bikes from around the country winds its way through Alice Springs Town Centre on Saturday afternoon and, quite simply, it’s a case of metal mania. Thousands of spectators line the streets to gawk at the fine rides coasting by, with everything from hot rods and blown burnout cars to elites and vintage vehicles on display.
If your fully sick beast is not registered, don’t worry – most vehicles can get a Temporary Permit that means you can join the cruising fun all weekend.
Up close and personal
Motorvation Supercruise
Watch Red CentreNATS entrants of any level head to the dragstrip and burnout pad as they send it at Alice Springs Inland Dragway for a packed crowd. A brand new driving experience, this straight-line skid down the track is an awesome way for entrants to shred tyres without the competition element of drag racing or burnouts.
Up close and personal
Lasseters Scrutineering
All kinds of vehicles take part in Red CentreNATS. If you’re keen to see what they’re packing, head to Lasseters Centre of Entertainment to catch scrutineering in action.
This is your chance for a sneak peek at what kind of souped-up wheels will be rolling through the streets of Alice Springs come Street Parade time. This is heaven for those who want to know what makes each ride tick.
This is where cars are checked for safety, entry worthiness and eligibility to compete. It’s also where entrants get their wristbands and entrant stickers.
Click to view the Entrant Scrutineering Guide.
Pre-judging also occurs at scrutineering. Click here to view the Judging Guide.
Click to see the Entrant Terms and Conditions.
Keep off the grass? Not at Red CentreNATS!
Grass Driving
All entrants are invited to tear it up in the Grass Driving competition, which might just be harder than you think.
Take your rig through a helter skelter, twists, turns and more across a number of different courses. Held at Blatherskite Park, this will really put your horsepower and driving abilities to the test. Have you got what it takes when real wheelwork is required? The grass-driving course is the perfect chance to have some fun in your pride and joy at Red CentreNATS. Word of warning: don’t brag until you’ve given it a go.
Prove your 4WD
Great Northern 4WD Track
Think you’ve got the most well-kitted out 4WD rig in town? Here’s your chance to prove it.
The Great Northern 4WD Track will test not only your driving skills, but also how your gear performs as you tackle off-road tracks filled with obstacles, log hops and barriers.
Held at Blatherskite Park, each course is designed to entertain competitors and spectators, with challenging coursework for maximum enjoyment, speedy recoveries, and some powerful 4WD action. Awards are up for grabs, so hit the course and try your luck.
This popular event is not for the faint hearted!
Beat the clock
Lasseters Motorkhana
You only have seconds to manoeuvre your way through one very tight, short course without incurring any penalties. Sliding and spinning is the name of the game here, so don’t be shy. You won’t break out of first or second gear either, but don’t worry.
It’s an awesome, adrenaline-packed course that will ensure you are pushed to the limit while the crowd is kept highly entertained.
Please note, passengers are not permitted on the course, and neither are purpose-built burnout and drag cars.
Not street legal?
Temporary Permits
The NT Government will continue to give entrants the unique opportunity to apply for Temporary Registration Permits to use Red CentreNATS road cruise routes around Alice Springs over the weekend. This will mean vehicles usually relegated to the trailer, will have an opportunity to cruise the streets of Alice Springs.
Temporary Registration Permit fee will be required when applying.
Download forms and information for RCN09 below:
RCN09 2023 Fact Sheet and Policy Framework
Cruise Routes
Download the Red CentreNATS 09 cruise route maps below.
Motorsports Australia/ANDRA
Event Regulations
We are a Motorsport Australia and ANDRA sanctioned event. This means we operate under their safety and competition regulations.
Motorsports Australia
Any entrant that wishes to take part in the event must comply with the Motorsport Australia standards. You can read all about those here.
In addition, we have some event-specific regulations for the event. The Red CentreNATS09 Supplementary Regulations have been finalised you can read here.
ANDRA
Any entrant that wishes to take part in the drag racing must comply with the ANDRA standards.
Download the the ANDRA guide that details ANDRA’s requirements for vehicles and racers. Review the Drag Racing Supp Regs here.
ENTRANT TERM & CONDITIONS
Can be found here.