Victorian competitor Barry Nowell has further solidified his position as one the country’s best khanacross competitors, claiming his third Motorsport Australia Khanacross Championship in Bendigo over the weekend.
The Geelong Motor Sport Club representative drove to his third Australian Championship by six seconds overall, with over 50 competitors participating over the two-day event at the Bendigo Saleyards and Bagshot Motorsports Complex.
Driving his Baztec 23 machine, Nowell’s total time of 13:30.18 was enough to finish him ahead of Brad Hall and his Subaru WRX’s time of 13:36.41, which sat at a 10-second margin prior to the final run.
Both drivers secured F Class and MP4 Class wins respectively from their results, meanwhile Lyndon Kettle rounded out the outright podium in his #39 Subaru WRX, tallying a total time of 14:25.98 and claiming the G Class win.
Nowell’s win continues his reign at the Motorsport Australia Khanacross Championship, following his winning performance in 2024 and his maiden title in 2022.
Jeffrey Salmon (14:29.28) and Tony Strokes (14:30.59) closed out the top five with strong results over both days.
Other class results saw Ross Batson secure the MP2 category with an overall time of 14:32.52 and finishing sixth outright.
Bendigo youngster Henry Moorhead claimed the Junior honours in his Hayabusa Buggy with an overall time of 14:49.29. Darren Colgan’s work in the #5 Ford Fiesta XR4 impressed onlookers as he secured the C Class nod with a finish time of 15:01.74.
Western District Car Club’s Stephen Lanham walked away with the E Class win in a VW Polo clocking an overall time of 15:40.83, and Joanne Woolley was crowned the Ladies winner in the #51 Subaru WRX with a time stamp of 15:50.25.
The remaining class gongs involved James Neilsen (15:50.41) locking up Class A in the #1 1973 Leyland Mini and Harrison Gibson (16:48.93) in Class D driving the #9 Nissan EXA Pulsar.
Event Secretary Craig Button was extremely pleased with how the event panned out, with competitors needing to adjust to two different course types.
“There was enough breeze in the lead-up to the event, so the dust moved away from the track and away from the competitors,” Button said.
“Spectators got a bit filled in a couple of times, but a lot of smiles and faces, very few frowns.
“A couple of the fancy guys had big hiccups through the day, which put them back down the order at times. But there were a few surprises and a lot of joy had by all.
“A special shoutout to our officials as well, it would not have been possible without them and congratulations to all of the winners from the weekend.”
Full the full results, head to the Motorsport Australia Khanacross Championship page.
Expressions of interest for venues to host next year’s Motorsport Australia Auto Test and Speed Championships are also now available. Head to the Motorsport Australia website to submit an application.
