Renault State Motorkhana on 20th May
13 May 2018 / Words by Ian Combes
The motorkhana scene in the MX-5 Club has been a bit of non-event for in 2018. All my doing I’m afraid – that’s what happens when you don’t get your skid pan dates early enough… It’ll be better next year, promise!
As some of you hopefully know, the MX-5 Club will be running a round of the NSW State Motorkhana Championship later in the year, on the 12th August. That motorkhana will be held at the NIRIMA TAFE college at Quakers Hill. Unlike the motorkhanas that the Club usually runs, this one will be on dry tarmac, and requires a different technique as a result. More on that below.
If you want to get some early practice for that event, or you are really hanging out for a motorkhana, the Renault Car Club has kindly invited the MX-5 Club to enter the state round that they are running next Sunday on the 20th May. You don’t have to be registered for the championship, and you can even enter on the day – they will even accept cash.
Don’t worry that it is a state motorkhana – it will be a pretty laid back event. If you’ve done a Club motorkhana, you can do this one. One difference (if it hasn’t changed from when I did them), you only get one shot at each test though.
At Nirimba, the area is bigger than the skidpan at SMSP, so 3 tests will be run at the one time, so you won’t be waiting long before your next test.
Being dry tarmac may worry a lot of members. Yes, if you want to hang the tail out and slide the car around, your tyres will get a hard time (not that you will be doing a lot of sliding in a stock MX-5 – the surface is a bit more grippy than the SMSP skidpan). Of course if you have a turbo, go for it😊 In the teaser video, Scotty shows what you can if you do have a turbo, but you have to be quite that keen!
Despite what you might think, it is possible to do quite well, and have a good time without being your car being disrespected. You just drive around the flags in wide arcs, taking advantage of the MX-5’s short wheelbase and great handling. It’s all about technique – it’s just different. Back in the day, I found these events ay Nirimba to be a lot of fun, so I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed if you come along.
The Supplementary Regulations and entry form are listed below.
