Old couch scrubs up into a petrolhead's dream

Clims Lammers and Jesse Bagley smoke it up in their couch car at Dargaville over the weekend. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Two Northland dairy farmers have come up with a novel way to express their boyracer tendencies - from the comfort of their own couch.

Hikurangi neighbours Clims Lammers and Jesse Bagley wowed the crowd of 2000 with their modified four-wheeler at the sixth annual burnout competition in Dargaville on Saturday.

The duo bought a Mitsubishi car, stripped most of it then threw in a second-hand couch for that "special look" and sped on the tracks.

They won $500 in the four-cylinder class and a further $100 for their most unusual vehicle. It was the first time Mr Lammers had entered in the competition, which had prize money of $10,000.

"It was awesome ... a really good day, although it started raining in the end but I don't think there was anybody amongst the crowd who didn't enjoy it."

He built a similar couch car last year and it featured on Campbell Live.

"The whole thing was built from scratch. It took us two weeks and we used to start after work and go until midnight."

Watch out - their special car will soon go on Trade Me.

"In the last round, we took the steering wheel off, had a drink, and put the steering wheel back on," he laughed.

Mr Lammers is an avid car enthusiast and participates in offroad races annually. On his plans for next year's burnout competition, he said: "It has to be a V8."

Car enthusiasts from all over the region converged on the area to smell the burning rubber as about 40 vehicles did prolonged burnouts.

At least two competitors laid it down so thick they had to rush from their cars after the engines caught fire.

Members of the Dargaville volunteer firefighters were on hand to quell the flames.

Event owner Shane Vuletich was disappointed the numbers were down on previous years but blamed rain.

However, Whangarei band Tempist Fugit kept the crowd dancing into the night.

Mr Vuletich said the skid pad was on his family land, which he opened up to competitors a week before the event to practise.

- APN