Dave Casey's little four-wheel drive has seen plenty of action — deep gullies, steep hill climbs, big rocks and loads of mud.
Now, after more than a decade gathering dust at the back of the shed and housing a snake or two, he's giving his first motor a new lease on life on the drag strip.
"It's definitely had a good story this car, you could write a book on it," he said.
"It's transitioned a lot over the years, but especially now it's nothing like you buy off the factory floor."
Casey is one of 480 people who'll be competing in the street drags along Rockhampton's historic Quay Street as the city revs into action for the third annual Rockynats car festival.
It's fitting that Casey's first car will be roaring to life again this weekend after providing his gateway into semi-professional racing.
The three-day car bonanza is expected to attract more than 50,000 people to dozens of events ranging from burnouts, drag racing and drifting, to a pin-up competition and live entertainment.
There's even a mullet competition, but Casey's undecided about entering.
"I won't win it … mine's more of a corporate mullet I reckon," he joked.
"My nickname with the commentators on the Supercars is Mudflap because I've got a mudflap on the back of my head. So it's got to stay now."
Event is 'just unreal'
Rockynats is the type of event Casey could only dream of growing up as a racing-obsessed kid in central Queensland.
Rockhampton Regional Council signed a five-year contract to host the event, as an extension of Summernats in Canberra and Red CentreNATS in Alice Springs with the inaugural festival running in 2021.
"I always loved cars … give me a wheelbarrow and I'll race it," Casey said.
At 16, he raced in winch challenges in the same four-wheel drive he's now re-built and ramped up for this year's street drags.
Eventually, Casey joined the SuperUtes – a feeder category to the Supercars series – and races in seven rounds including Bathurst, Gold Coast and Sandown.
But nothing beats the feeling of competing in your hometown, one of the reasons Casey is so proud to see Rockynats growing each year.
"[My family] have been involved in the motorsports scene for so long. They know how much of a pain it is to travel everywhere," he said.
"To have something in our own hometown where we can go to sleep in our own bed every night, is just unreal."
Casey expects his little red four-wheel drive will surprise a few people in the drag races now it's been fitted with a high horsepower motor that "should pop".
Ongoing economic impact
Building the car has been a team effort and Casey has prioritised supporting small, local businesses.
One of those business owners, upholsterer Trad Duffy, said the impact of the event since 2021 has been "unbelievable".
"It's the busiest time of the year for us … and the flow-on effect of that carries you through the year," he said.
"It's not just the one event. People spent the full 12 months getting things ready.
"There are more old cars getting built in central Queensland now than there has been for the last 20 years at least."
Leading up to this year's event, Mr Duffy said has completed four complete re-trims – equating to about four months' work – and has "patched up probably 20 cars".
"I've been in business over 10 years and I've never seen the buzz as good as it is these days," he said.
"I've got a lot of mates in business in town in the automotive repair game and every one of them is busy. No one can scratch themselves they're that busy at the moment."
Rockynats was initially set to run annually for five years, but Mr Duffy is among those who hope its early success will secure it as a long-term event.
Greg Bowden, manager of Advance Rockhampton, said the event had also transformed a traditionally quiet Easter weekend for hospitality and accommodation businesses in town.
He said the economic impact from the first event in 2021 was $4.9 million and increased to $6.6 million in 2022.
