There were 258 cars registered to take part in Griffith’s Biggest Lap, an annual event which raises money for local charities Can Assist and Riding for the Disabled.

Organiser Pete Centofanti said the event was bigger than he had expected.

“We never imagined it would turn into something like this,” Mr Centofanti said.

“We had people travel from Wagga, Albury, Canberra, Bathurst and even Melbourne to take part. The general consensus from people was they would come back next year.” 

In addition to the registered entries, Mr Centofanti estimated another 100 to 200 cars joined in.

People lined Banna Avenue to see all sorts of street machines roll by. 

“The Rowan’s Transport lead truck added a whole extra dimension to the event,” Mr Centofanti said. “We had a methanol-supercharged drag car in the procession and an off-road race buggy.”

The four-year-old event was growing quite rapidly, Mr Centofanti said, from a backyard discussion to a major fundraiser which takes people back in time.

“We originally thought it would be a great idea to get all the old cars, modern muscle and imports to try and get the street alive like it used to be,” Mr Centofanti said.

“Banna Avenue was always renowned for lapping right from the sixties and we wanted to get that interest back. Some of the older blokes have told me this is how it used to be in the late seventies. Businesses were booming, people everywhere and cool cars doing laps.”

Mr Centofanti said they wanted to try and do some good with it as well so people would view the event in a positive way. In addition to the estimated $4389 raised from entries, Can Assist ran a barbecue at the muster area which raised about $1000 and Mr Centofanti’s mother Brenda shaved her head.

Initial estimates showed an additional $1421 was raised at the head shave bringing the total to more than $6800.

“We picked the charities because they’re local and the money stays in Griffith,” Mr Centofanti said.

The organisers were strict about behaviour during the event as they didn’t want to upset police, who weren’t enforcing noise compliance or modifications during the event. One driver performed a burnout in his ute and organisers promptly took down the number plate and reported it to police.

About 9pm, a 57-year-old man was issued an infringement notice by police for negligent driving after he attempted a burnout on Banna Avenue.

Take a look at Foza Photography’s video of the event below.