Street Cruising

Red CentreNATS presented by LMCT+ is the only event in Australia where you can drive your highly modified, unregistered car on the streets, all thanks to the Northern Territory Government.

If your car is unregistered, you will need to apply for a Temporary Registration Permit. The permit costs $51.10. Permit application forms will be available soon.

There are three cruise routes available to Red CentreNATS entrants. Where you can cruise, and when you can cruise, is mainly determined by noise, vision, and ground clearance.

Green Cruising

• Your car is unmodified or has approved modifications

WHEN CAN I DRIVE? Anytime demonstrated on the Green Cruise Route Map. All Temporary Licences will finish at 10pm Sunday 7 September.

WHERE CAN I GO? Green Cruising gets you everywhere you need to go in Alice Springs – including almost every accommodation facility and all the event venues

Download the Green Cruising Zone 

Yellow Cruising

• Noisy cars up to 96 decibels
• Blowers and scoops may be approved providing you have a fully licensed passenger as a spotter when you’re driving

WHEN CAN I DRIVE? 8am until 6pm

WHERE CAN I GO? Yellow Cruising gets you everywhere you need to go in Alice Springs – including almost every accommodation facility and all the event venues.

Download the Yellow Cruising Zone 

Red Cruising

• Your car is noisy, and is over 96 decibels
• You’ve got a locked diff
• Blowers and scoops may be approved providing you have a fully licensed passenger as a spotter when you’re driving

WHEN CAN I DRIVE? 8am until 6pm. Your permit conditions may require you to stop cruising at 3pm if your car is over 100 decibels. You will be advised of all of your permit conditions when you receive your permit.

WHERE CAN I GO? Red Cruising lets you drive the Stuart Highway and to the Red CentreNATS venues including Lasseters, Blatherskite Park, National Transport Hall of Fame and Alice Springs Inland Dragway (ASID). You can also go in the Street Parade which is awesome!

CAN I GET TO MY ACCOMMODATION? Yes! The really cool thing in 2025 is that the Red Cruise Route now extends to plenty of accommodation options in Alice. So leave the trailer parked up and get to all the venues in your ride.

Who can’t cruise?

• Noisy cars making over 115 decibels
• No brakes or indicators – it’s just not safe for other road users
• Very low cars under 80mm – the road’s just can’t handle it

Minimum Standards

• Vehicles must not exceed maximum dimensional limits of 2.5m wide; 12.5m length and 4.3m high.
• Tyres to be road legal including having legal tread and tread depth, 1.5mm minimum on the surfaces, which normally contact the road.
• Vehicle to have minimum of 80mm ground clearance within 1 metre of an axle and/or less than one-thirtieth of the distance between the centres of adjacent axles at the midpoint between them.
• Vehicle to have a complete exhaust system (i.e. exhaust to include mufflers and exhaust to extend to the rear axle as a minimum).
• Any exposed exhaust pipe, e.g. side pipes, to be shielded.
• Vehicles not to exceed a maximum exhaust noise of 115db (A).
• Any moving or rotating components, e.g. supercharger pulleys or belts, exposed or protruding through the bonnet are to be adequately covered by a guard or shield.
• Any hole cut in the bonnet or other external body panels are not to have sharp edges.
• Vehicle must be able to turn in a circle not over 25 metres in diameter
• Vehicle to be fitted with operating seatbelts in all positions in which driver or passenger(s) is/are seated, either standard production items or appropriately complying restraints where the vehicle has been modified.
• No standing positions.
• Vehicle to be fitted with operating brakes on all wheels which comply with the performance requirements as detailed in Rule 128 of the Australian Vehicle Standards Rules.
• Appropriate rear view vision, operating brake lights, indicators and horn to be fitted.

SPECIFIC OPERATING CONDITIONS THAT MAY BE APPLIED

• Vehicles with a driver vision obstruction e.g. scoop or supercharger, which obstructs clear view, will be required to have a passenger at all times when driving on the “Restricted Cruise Route” and may be restricted to daylight use only.
• Vehicles with low ground clearance i.e. 80 – 85mm will be restricted from traveling on certain roads (subject to finalisation of the cruise routes by the road owner).
• Vehicles with poor or no lighting will be restricted to daylight use only. These vehicles must have operating brake and indicator lights.
• Vehicles emitting exhaust noise levels over 96db (A) will be limited to the “Restricted Cruise Route” during daylight hours. Additionally, for vehicles with exhaust noise levels over 100db, time restrictions may apply. Drivers to ensure that exhaust noise is kept to a minimum.
• Vehicles, which are not based on a production vehicle, are individually constructed or fabricated using a full or partial chassis, but, which meet the “Minimum Requirements”, will be assessed on a case by case basis with access and conditions determined accordingly.
• Vehicles fitted with items considered to be “race car equipment” e.g. wheelie bars, parachutes etc. which are seen to be a hazard will require the items to be removed and/or disabled.
• Vehicles fitted with permanently locked differentials will be restricted to daylight use only on the “Restricted Cruise Route” and must not exceed a maximum speed of 80 km/h.

The above list of additional conditions is not exhaustive and specific operating conditions not listed may be placed on a vehicle to mitigate a specific identified risk on a case by case basis and this may include a zero blood alcohol limit for drivers of some vehicles.

Download the Red Cruising Zone