Barmedman farmer Hamish Sandow named national finalist in Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year competition

Barmedman man Hamish Sandow, 23, was this week named one of just 16 finalists out of a pool of 320 motorists for his entry into the 2023 Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year competition.

Hamish entered his Holden VZ 1 Tonner, named Rubitoff, into the competition and is stoked it's done so well.

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"I was pretty excited to find out I was a finalist," he said.

"I put a lot of work into the project and it paid off."

Hamish creation is one of an array of hand built, high-horsepower, tyre-torturing machines built by entrants aged 16 to24.

Purchasing a 1-tonne V6 ute, Hamish spent an 18-month period modifying the car to use as a burnout car in his spare time.

"I converted [the ute] to a V8 then I remanufactured the rear end," he said.

"I then built the tray and shaved the engine bay, so I pretty much changed everything on the vehicle."

A farmer by trade, Hamish "grew up in the workshop" and picked up the skills along the way.

"My dad taught me how to weld and on the farm you need to be mechanically minded and a jack-of-all-trades, which clearly helped me build this project," he said.

While Hamish didn't build the street machine to enter the competition, he got the idea from some friends.

"Some of my mates suggested I should enter and I was very surprised when I got into the top 16," he said.

But the race for first place is not over yet, as members of the public go to the polls to decide who will take out the Young Street Machine of the Year award.

Hamish is keen for the win and said it would be a "massive achievement."

The winner gets $2500 and voters of the winning vehicle also go into a draw for the same amount.

To vote, head to: https://www.whichcar.com.au/sanity/preview/events/smoty/young-smoty-vote

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