A fed-up police officer has lashed out at irresponsible drivers who turned up for Australia's biggest car show, calling them a “subspecies”.
Hordes of car enthusiasts descended on Canberra this weekend for Summernats 36 at Exhibition Park.
During the four-day Revhead festival, from Thursday to Sunday, 13 cars were seized by ACT police.
“If we set up an IQ testing station at the border instead of a vehicle testing station, we would halve our problems,” Acting Inspector Mark Richardson told reporters on Monday.
“The real car enthusiasts are not the problem, it's the idiotic tourism.”
'They just haven't evolved that far yet. I think they've really reached a plateau as a species or subspecies of the human race.”
One revhead was captured by a Federal Police drone testing its wheels, with the black Holden Commodore spinning in circles and sending up huge plumes of smoke just meters from pedestrians on Flemington Road.
The footage shows the car swerving and driving away in front of cheering spectators, with one of its rear tires missing.
A 22-year-old is accused of being behind the wheel and allegedly had two children and two adults in the car at the time.
“The Macquarie man was issued an immediate suspension notice, suspending his right to drive in the ACT for three months,” a police spokesperson said.
“His Holden Commodore was also seized.”
The man is being prosecuted for dangerous driving, driving an unsafely maintained vehicle, driving with incorrectly issued license plates, driving through a red light and speeding.
Two people were also arrested on Saturday for anti-social behaviour.
Inspector Richardson said police were playing 'Whac-A-Mole' in the nation's capital.
“Canberra taxpayers have to drive on these roads that have been dug up by cars causing tire rim burnouts. And I just don't think they should support that.'
“So as far as I'm concerned, that's what you do, your car is gone.”
One revhead was captured by a Federal Police drone testing its wheels, with the black Holden Commodore spinning in circles and sending up huge plumes of smoke just meters from pedestrians on Flemington Road
The comments come after a huge brawl in Summernats, in which a group of attendees formed into a dozen security guards who appeared to chase them off a street.
“It's not the people who go there to enjoy the event, it's the people who go there just to engage in anti-social behaviour,” he continued.
'They literally come here to see, 'How big of a pest can I be this week?'.
Water bottles and beer cans could be seen being thrown at the guards as tensions increased between them and the many shirtless spectators.
You could hear onlookers cheering at the guards before one man started pushing a guard as an all-out brawl broke out.
“Summernats and security contractor Red Dawn have already commenced an investigation into the incident involving security staff and customers on Saturday afternoon,” a Summernauts spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
“Summernats and Red Dawn take their responsibilities for the safety and security of everyone at the event very seriously.
A wild brawl broke out between security and visitors of the Summernats car festival on Saturday afternoon (photo)
'This research will be given the highest priority and the results will be shared as they occur.'
This year's Summernats is the 36th annual event of Australia's most famous car show, which started in 1987 and took a year off in 2021 due to Covid lockdowns.
The event brings rev-heads from all over the country to the ACT and with them around $20 million in tourism.
A crowd of 120,000 people passed through the gates to see the more than 2,500 cars on display, the tougher competition, races and a fireworks show.