January will become Canberra's month for the revheads from next year with the well-established Summernats street machine event and the emerging Festival of Speed both now packed into the city's north for three weeks next summer.
Organisers of the Festival of Speed at Thoroughbred Park have brought it forward from March to the January 25-26 long weekend in 2025 and have taken a "lesson learned" approach to improving the event further for patrons.
Festival co-founder and Lamborghini owner Martin Tanti said the inaugural event was a success but also provided a huge amount of ideas for the next one.
"Every new event has its teething issues and yes, we had a few - but not many - and overwhelmingly positive feedback," Mr Tanti said.
"We also learned a lot of things that will carry forward to next year around ticketing, crowd movement, access to the infield area, all that sort of thing."
Bringing the event forward will also "release" a lot more potential vehicle entries for the event because it distances the festival from the busy pre-motor racing season preparation in March.
Premium competition cars like the Finnish-built and as-yet-unbeaten Toyota Yaris all-wheel drive turbo rally car driven by Canberra's reigning champion Harry Bates are a certain starter next year.
The European "flavour" of the event will remain but next time "muscle" cars and ex-Bathurst race cars will be added to the mix of premium Ferraris, Porsches, McLarens and ex-Formula One cars. Canberra Supercar driver Cameron Hill will return with his Chevrolet race car.
Festival co-founder Peter Bakavgas said they listened to what the public wanted more of, and will "change it up a little" in 2025.
"We talked to a lot of people over the course of the weekend and there's so much muscle car heritage in Australia that people want to see; some of the Fords and Holdens that raced at Bathurst, for instance," he said.
"And there's plenty of scope to bring that diversity to the event because you don't see that anywhere else."
Events like the all-ages Festival of Speed also serve to remind Canberrans of how much premium high performance is tucked away in garages around the region, including the Summernats-winning hand-built Porsche 911, constructed over 7000 hours by the Real Steel Group in Queanbeyan.
Around 13,500 people attended the March event and around 20,000 are anticipated for next January. Some 30 per cent of patrons were visitors to the ACT.
Mr Bakavgas was cagey as to whether the inaugural event turned a profit.
"All I can say is that we're in a good place financially," he said.
