Canberra Festival of Speed has wild horsepower and horses

These pictures were taken at the Canberra Festival of Speed, which is unique for several reasons.

For starters, the show features anything from real-world Batmobiles to an actual F1 car.

But there’s another reason, too.

Because the venue chosen for the event combines a race track with a horse track – not what you’d except amid the automotive tech.

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The guys behind the show came up with the idea for a simple reason – or at least it appears simple on the surface.

“There’s no other event in Canberra. And basically no other racetrack,” Canberra Racing Club marketing manager, Robbie Ringland, told Supercar Blondie.

There’s recurring criticism that the car-world calendar heavily prioritizes certain countries while shunning others – or, as in this case, certain areas of the same country.

Australia has been home to a Formula 1 race for almost 100 years but that’s in Melbourne, which is over 600 miles from Canberra.

Batmobiles and Formula 1 cars in the same place

Most car shows have a clear-cut theme.

You’ve got shows like Top Marques in Monaco, all about luxury, or events such as the Geneva Motor Show (before it died), which are all about showing the latest cars.

The Canberra Festival of Speed combines various elements in a truly rare and unusual way.

We asked Ringland and his colleagues the one thing about the show that makes them most proud – and their answer was clear.

“It’s definitely the variety of attendees and cars. This is an event where you can find anyone from seasoned collectors to kids that just want to look at cool cars,” Ringland said.

“[And in terms of the cars], over 150 cars are featured. And you can find anything from a real-life Batmobile to an actual Formula 1 car.”

By the way, the aforementioned Batmobile was owned by the same guy who started Zacaria, a manufacturer that builds supercars with F1 technology.

And here’s another fun fact: the guy who had his McLaren Senna hoisted into his penthouse also attended the event.

Canberra Festival of Speed – When and where?

The 2025 edition of the Canberra Festival of Speed is set to take place at Thoroughbred Park, about 15 minutes from Canberra city center, on January 25-26, 2025.

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