Motorsport under lights returns to New South Wales this weekend with the Porsche Club New South Wales (PCNSW) to hold their first ever night motorkhana.

 

Taking place at Sydney Motorsport Park, up to 40 cars are confirmed in the club’s first event for more than three months, with each competitor to have a go at four timed-tests throughout the four hour event.

 

It is an exciting prospect for the PCNSW members knowing Saturday night is the first event in NSW since COVID-19 restrictions came into place, but event organisers are treating it more like a practice session for their plus-60 entrant Supersprint next week.

 

While there will not be any official results to come out of the event tonight, club representative Timothy Bickford believes it will be just as important as any other as it sets the tone for the rest of the year.

 

“This weekend is very important because it will help in getting back into the swing of things for us and the rest of the state,” Bickford said.

 

“We have a history of running really good events and people come along and have a great time. We also always get good volunteers, so that's why we need everything to go smoothly.

 

“We made it a non-comp day because we know there are going to be a few things that need sorting on the day and because a lot of the COVID-19 measures we’re putting in will act as a trial run for next week.

 

“We have all the Motorsport Australia guidelines and it’s given us a good idea of what to do beforehand, like get people to sign documents online, having checklists and emailing other documents like drivers' briefing ahead of the event.”

 

Electronic documents and sign on aren’t the only safety measures the club will be implementing at tonight’s event, with the appointment of a COVID-19 checker being the major component.

 

The checker will be at the event to make sure all competitors are adhering to social distancing and are going about the event in line with the Motorsport Australia Return to Race guidelines.

 

“We have a nominated COVID checker who is separate from the clerk of course,” Bickford added.

 

“It’s another trial area for us as they can use this motorkhana, which is in a smaller area and will have less people, as a way to know what to check for during the bigger events.

 

“In a year, we run four motorkhanas and seven sprint days and we get huge turnouts to each event. People usually come back to us because they are run well, so that is what we’re hoping to achieve over the next fortnight.

“Everyone, including us, is really excited about getting this one out the way, so we just hope it goes well and we can start getting back to normal.”

The PCNSW Night Motorkhana takes place at Sydney Motorsport Park on the evening of Saturday, 13 June.