The 2020 Motorsport Australia WA State Motorkhana Championship has officially begun with around 40 entrants competing in the WA Mini Car Club event over the weekend. 

Taking place at the WA Tiger Kart Club, each competitor completed two runs on six different formations in the season opener, with each test time accumulating to a final score. 

It was a familiar family name who ultimately ruled the event with the Bennett clan claiming every step on the podium, as former national champion Scott Bennett claimed victory over his son William and father Ross. 

The victory didn’t come easy for Scott, despite winning more than two thirds of the 12 tests as both William and Ross applied lots of pressure throughout the day.  

However, Scott was just too good at the end of the day as he eventually finished the event with a total score of 278.13, while William ended up with 297.08 – just three seconds better than Ross in third.  

In fourth place was another motorkhana special car driver in Jim Newell, leaving the best placed tin top car driven by Blake Laidler to steer his Nissan N13 Pulsar to a well-deserved fifth place. 

With the club implementing a handicap total post-event, Laidler was classed winner of the handicapped score ahead of the Mazda MX5 driver Peter Bergman and outright winner Scott. 

Click here to view results.  

Like most events that been run in the past two months, the club implemented a number of safety measures to stay within the government restrictions and were guided by Motorsport Australia Return To Race document. 

The major differences from most of the club's events were a limitation on the number of officials at each test, leaving the driver to line up their own vehicle, as well as making the drivers responsible for taking note of their time from a display board instead of being given their time by an official overseeing the test.   

Following on from the motorkhana, event organiser David Elliott was pleased with how the everything panned out, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the new regulations and restrictions.  

“It was a great day out and we had a great turnout,” Elliott said. 

“There were a lot of cobwebs to be blown off. A lot of the drivers had taken advantage of the COVID-19 restrictions to work on their vehicles so it was good to try out the improvements.   

“It was also good to catch up with fellow competitors after the long break from competition; motorkhanas are also very much a social activity. 

“Apart from the social distancing and no handshaking it was business as usual with stories of mechanical trials and tribulations during the lock-down. It was also bit weird not to have our normally entertaining drivers’ briefing by Ted Curr.”