That Travel Bug: Gold Coast Indy 2006 'Power On'

We were lucky enough be part of Queensland's Gold Coast Lexmark Indy 300 in October 2006 and were two out of around 213,000 visitors attending over the 4 days of racing and entertainment.

Part of the Indy course at Surfers Paradise with beautiful beaches in the background.

There was an airshow where the Army showed off its primary assault helicopter the Blackhawk and the Navy presented its Sea King helicopters, the workhorses capable of lifing heavy loads. All part of the carnival's entertainment lineup.

The Indy Carnival is definitely not for the faint hearted, but with an open mind and enjoyment in mind, there are many treats and wonderful events to see or partake in (if you dare!!) You should always take adequate protection from the elements and the noise - Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and the most important of all, ear plugs!

There were support races such as the Aussie Racing Cars (mini replicas of V8 Supercars) and the V8 Utes - Aussie muscle power Ford and Holden V8 production based utes and on and off course action and entertainment with motocross riders, the drivers' parade, cars on display like low riders, jacked up monsters, 4WD’s, hotrod utes and the VB Challenge, a driving obstacle course that puts two V8 Supercar drivers from Ford and Holden head to head.

I saw drag racers, burnouts, handbrake turns, wheelspins, powerslides, smoking wheels and lots of burnt rubber! The colour, noise and atmosphere at Indy is amazing.

Victor and Ben Bray's Burnout Spectacular. The noise from Victor’s 3,200 horsepower Castrol 57’ Chev drag racer was incredible.

CAPA Stunt Team - Professional stunt rider Matt Mingay on two wheels.

Synchronized burnout display

V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ROUND 10

V8 Supercar racing is Australia’s favourite motor racing formula and is a 13-round series based in Australia but also has single rounds held in New Zealand and Bahrain. The cars have a 5L fuel injected V8 engine which produce 620 horsepower at up to 7500 rpm. Their minimum weight is 1355kg and they can go from 0-100 km per hour in 4 seconds. They can reach top speed of 300km per hour.

As a fan, you are either on the team for Holden Racing with their Commodore V8s, or Ford with the Falcon V8s. This is high speed skilled racing and some of the best known names are Ford's Russell Ingall, Jason Bright, Craig Lowndes, Jason Bargwanna and Steven Johnson and Holden's Mark Skaife, Greg Murphy, Todd Kelly, Steven Richards and Garth Tander.

Holden Racing Team’s Todd Kelly took out the V8 Supercar Challenge over Ford’s Mark Winterbottom and his brother Rick Kelly.

2006 WPS (Wright Patton Shakespeare) CARRERA CUP

Developed by Porsche’s racing arm in Germany these 997 based Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars have a top speed which can exceed 300km per hour. They are lightweight and high performance with a 400 horsepower, 3.6-litre six cylinder engine which revs to 8200 rpm.

Porsche makes hubby's favourite cars.

Apart from watching all the action on the circuit, a favourite pastime of racegoers is drinking and partying (this is where you need an open mind and don't take it too seriously!!).

Hanging out the 'empties'!

.... The guys never seem to complain ... the ever popular girls of Indy provide them with colourful displays throughout the carnival, always with a smile!

Another crowd favourite was the RAAF F-111 flyover and 'dump and burn' which is part of the airshow. The F-111 has a wing span of 21m and can hit speeds of up to 2,400 kmph! It is the fastest and longest range combat aircraft in the region and can fly close to the ground at supersonic speeds to avoid detection and you can't hear it until its nearly right on top of you. Then you just get the boom as it leaves.

THE CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES ROUND 13

This was the 16th year of Indy on the Gold Coast. The race was held on Sunday on the 4.47 km long temporary street circuit in downtown Surfers Paradise. 59 laps equalled 263.730 km. This race is part of an international 14 round series held in the USA, Mexico, Canada and Australia.

The Champ cars are open wheel vehicles of about 4m in length and weigh 700kg. One of the most important parts of the cars are their wings which significantly impact on the handling, aerodynamics and stability during racing. They feature a 2.65 litre Ford-Cosworth 750 horsepower engine powered by methanol and can clock speeds over 300km per hour and use Bridgestone tyres. They look similar to F1 cars.

The Lexmark Indy 300 winners in Indy's previous 15 year history were:

(1) 1991 John Andretti

(2) 1992 Emerson Fittipaldi

(3) 1993 Nigel Mansell

(4) 1994 Michael Andretti

(5) 1995 Paul Tracy

(6) 1996 Jimmy Vasser

(7) 1997 Scott Pruett

(8) 1998 Alex Zanardi

(9) 1999 Dario Franchitti

(10) 2000 Adrian Fernandez

(11) 2001 Cristiano da Matta

(12) 2002 Mario Dominguez

(13) 2003 Ryan Hunter-Reay

(14) 2004 Bruno Junqueira

(15) 2005 Sebastien Bourdais

15 different winners in the 15 years!

Airborne!!!! yee hah!

Go Aussie Go! Team Australia. Will Power from Team Australia started in pole position but damaged his car during the race and lost any chance of winning.