Police happy with record Summernats crowd's behaviour

More than 103,000 people took part in the 27th Summernats festival, up from 101,486 last year. In addition, 1811 cars were entered by motor enthusiasts this year, about 50 more than last year.

Co-owner Andy Lopez said it had been a year of growth and stability for the popular car festival.

''People came here, had a fantastic time in big numbers. They played hard, they played safe and they played friendly,'' he said.

Mr Lopez said the crowd's behaviour had been excellent on the whole and the entire event had been blessed with excellent weather.

''It wasn't blisteringly hot like it was in previous years, which made it a much more comfortable event for people,'' he said.

Thousands of people turned up for the last day on Sunday, where the Summernats Grand Champion was finally crowned.

This year it was won by Henry Parry from Nyngan, NSW, for his 1961 FB Holden.

Danny Makdessi, who accepted the award on Mr Parry's behalf, said the car had been inherited from Mr Parry's mother and it had been her son's dream to see it refurbished.

''He said he wanted to do it in memory of his mother,'' Mr Makdessi said.

Police said on the whole they were happy with how the event had gone.

''So far police are pleased with the behaviour of crowds at Summernats,'' said Traffic Operations station sergeant Rod Anderson. ''We've also enjoyed a good working relationship with the organisers and security.''

Mr Lopez said there had been no major incidents this year and the police had been fantastic throughout the event. ''I couldn't praise them more highly, to be honest,'' he said.

But some retailers at Summernats 27 said they had been disappointed with their results. Most said business had been quieter than previous years, despite a larger number of people coming to the show.

Frank Nohra, who has been selling model cars at Summernats for five years, said this was the worst year.