A week after our trip south to the MRF Tyres Boddington Rally, we were back at our venue running a Khanacross.
With the winter rain arriving, puddles lay here and there around our venue. We tried to set tests using tracks that at least avoided some of the water. The forecast showed rain on the horizon, however a strong breeze and some sun helped dry the roads. The wind did make for a cold day though!
For this Light Car Club event, 31 drivers entered, a good field that approached our maximum of 40. Some regular names were missing from the entry list so some new names took their place. A strong field with many new drivers and plenty of juniors showed the popularity of club Motorsport is rising.
The racing
During the day we set eight tests with a mix of tight and twisty and more open flowing courses. To keep things moving, we split the competitors in to odd and evens and ran two tests at a time. Once each group had finished a test, we swapped over. Also to make sure that the same driver did not start each test, we also rotated the starting order for each run.
On well established tracks, the first four tests did not prove a big challenge with the exception of a cone knocked down here and there. After lunch however was a different story. Out on our flats, we set a course with cones as there’s no defined track. It’s a blank canvas. We didn’t think the route was too tricky however as competitors started their runs, the wrong ways started coming in. In test five, eight different competitors got muddled up. To be fair, for some drivers it was a case of going the wrong side of a cone, however others were creating their own track! As the afternoon continued some surfaces became dusty and the wrong ways did drop
off a bit.
We were glad to see no DNF’s from the big field. Phil Holmes did have to miss a couple of tests in the morning when his Escort refused to start. Several people under the bonnet (and the help of a tow) finally brought the sleeping machine to life.
The top ten
In tenth place, Karen Russell (Hyundai Excel) was first lady. Ninth place was taken by Dave Thomas (Ford Laser) on his first Khanacross and first competition in a front wheel drive. Shane Harmer was eighth in his new WRX rally car. 4WD was foreign to the rear wheel drive rally man. With some seat time and advice, he better got to grips with the car as the day progressed. Jace van Saarloos was behind the wheel of a new shared machine in the form of a V6 Mazda Eunos. He drove well, finishing seventh. Neal Johnson in his Lantra came home sixth just under four seconds behind Mark Keltie in the Eunos who was fifth. Nic Anyan shared Shane’s WRX for the day and drove well to be fourth, only 2.4 seconds in front of Mark. Lee McIlroy brought out a WRX wagon for this event and drove hard all day finishing third. Without a jumped start on 
the last (and luckily the fastest) test, he may have won the event.
The final two
That left the top two places. Craig Puzey had gone quickly all day in his Subaru Legacy RS. Unlike the last Khanacross, the car wasn’t suffering with a blown head gasket. He poured on the pressure and finished the Khanacross in second place, 1.99 seconds off top spot. Most of the day Andrew Percival looked worried. The 4WD cars and rapid drivers all put up strong performances. He had to stay on his toes if he was to place, let alone win. At the half way point he trailed by a second or so. Driving quickly and neatly on the last four tests he managed to get his Honda Civic into the lead and win the event.
The next Khanacross is a daylight event scheduled for the Sunday the 31st of July. Event details will be available by clicking here.
Karl Drummond
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