MX-5 State Motorkhana Round 12th August

24 July 2018 / Ian Combes

The MX-5 Club has taken on running a round of the NSW Motorkhana Championship on 12 August!

As some of you hopefully know, the MX-5 Club will be running a round of the NSW State Motorkhana Championship on the 12th August. That motorkhana will be held at the NIRIMA TAFE college at Quakers Hill. Don't be put off by the fact that it is a State motorkhana round - it is about as relaxed as one of our club motorkhanas - you can even enter on the day - just turn up!

Also don't worry about the level of competition - informed opinion has it that many MX-5 Club members would be very competitive at a state motorkhana. Having been to a Renault state round earlier in the year, I can assure you that that is certainly true. If you can do our club motorkhanas, you can do this one too...

Unlike the motorkhanas that the Club usually runs though, this one will be on dry tarmac, and requires a different technique as a result. More on that below.

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.

Please refer to the event page on the Club's website:

MX-5 State Motorkhana Round - 12th August