Grassroots Battle of the Disciplines
Where else on earth can you see a Ford Falcon speedway car battle it out with a Nissan 350Z drift car, historic rally cars, thorough bush-bashers, and slick road cars, all on an even playing field?
Welcome to the world of khanacross.
On Sunday, the Pakenham Auto Club hosted a grass khanacross under the Group 5 banner, essentially a joint gathering of different car clubs from across Victoria, who regularly meet for dirt and paved events at the very grassroots level of the sport.
Encompassing both khanacross and the shorter, more technical motorkhana events, the G5 calendar features events at Werribee, Avalon and Pakenham, with a highlight of the season being a skid-side seat at August’s Winton Festival of Speed, which features a double-header with the Victorian Motorkhana Championship.
In a sign that the sport is in good shape, a total of 54 competitors fronted on Sunday, taking in five tests over three different layouts.
As you can see from the images on this page, it is incredibly inclusive – run what you brung – absolutely anything is eligible and invited.
Outside of the secure fitting of a fire extinguisher, you simply need to ensure that your car is in safe working order, while the driver’s safety kit consists of an up-to-date, not necessarily HANS-enabled helmet.
While some cars have roll cages fitted, it is in no way a necessity, with mods such as the use of rally-spec tyres forbidden.
Want more? It’s not exclusively the domain for the big kids to have a run – competitors can be as young as 12 years old, with passengers allowed to guide newbies around the course.
What’s more – many cars have multiple drivers, with families having as many as three different drivers jump behind the wheel on any given day – it’s a formula that results in cheap motoring.
How cheap?
Try a $40 entry fee for adults, $20 for kids, with multiple car clubs offering the use of club cars for juniors at bargain basement prices.
The end result is a lot of smiles, good times with good people, with the spirited competition providing some spectacular driving, and ridiculously close times on the scoreboard, no matter what type of car you have.
Want to know more and join the action?
Check out the Group 5 page on the Ford Four Car Club website for competition details, and contact your local car club for more information.
Khanacross and motorkhanas are held right around Australia – join the fun – you won’t be disappointed.
Mark Walker (administrator)
A vastly experienced Motorsport Public Relations operator, journalist, commentator and photographer, Mark brings his unique angle to The Race Torque in both words and imagery. As well as serving as our key photographer on the ground at major events around Australia (and overseas), Walker will often chime in with his unique and pin-point sharp viewpoint of the racing world via the keyboard too.
