NEW England sporting car club revved their engines for their August motorkhana event.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Held at the Armidale traffic education centre, the event attracted 23 competitors and their vehicles to tackle the challenges on the day.
Club president Richard Opie said the event consisted of mainly locals and it was a fun day out for all ages.
"It is a bit fun, low speed thrills,” he said.
"It is the entry level to get into motorsport and it is cheap.
"We only charge $25 to drive in it for adults. .
"You can use any sort of car, it doesn't hurt the car.
"It is just for people who want to get out and have a bit of fun in their cars where you can slide around and let rip.
"Most of the motorkhana events you rarely get out of first gear, maybe into second occasionally.
"It is only low speed.”
They club hosts the motorkhanas up to seven times a year with a larger-scaled khanacrosses, which run at higher speeds, three times a year.
Opie said the motorkhanas provide a stepping stone for bigger motorsport events and enables for young drivers to get more education to get behind the wheel.
"We have lots of kids that come there because the minimum age to drive a car in these events is 12,” he said.
"There are a lot of people in the club where their children, such as my own, started driving in motorkhanas at 12 and by the time they get their licence at 17 they have already had five years driving experience so driving on the road is not a great drama.
"It is a good way of getting people introduced into motorcars at an early age.
Opie said a lot of the drivers are regulars with new faces at each event trying their hand at the sport for the first time.
"We probably have 50 to 70 per cent repeat people for the whole year,” he said.
"At each event there are always a few new people who come along and some come back.”
The next motorkhana will be held again at the traffic education centre on October 30.
Opie said if anyone is interested in trying it out, their website www.nescc.com.au has a calendar with upcoming events on it and a bit of information on the club.
In the meantime, the club is hosting the final NSW rallysprint series round at Echidna Gully on October 22.
Rallysprints are shorter events where any car can be used.
They allow people to get involved in the sport before progressing to longer rally races.
The round in Echidna Gully will be the eighth event in the series.