Mid Murray home of SA Khanacross battle royale

Friday 28 August, 2020

Photos: Phil Williams

Sixty of South Australia’s best khanacross drivers will be at Cambrai this weekend as the 2020 Motorsport Australia SA Khanacross Championship takes place at Mid Murray Motorplex.

With only one round of the championship in 2020, it will be all or nothing on Sunday as competitors attempt to post the fastest time across six tests to claim title honours.

There will be a large pool of talent all vying for the top prize, with 2018 Motorsport Australia National Khanacross champion Bradley Clements headlining the field.

Clements won’t have it entirely his way either, with some of his biggest contenders boasting strong resumes too.

Leading the charge will be reigning Motorsport Australia SA Rally Champion Zayne Admiraal, South Australian rally and rallysprint star Guy Tyler, and young gun Lachlan Tillet who has been rising up the ranks as of late.

With the organising club, Southern Districts Car Club, now having run four events since COVID-19 restrictions were eased, Club Secretary Trevor Palmer believed the club had become quite comfortable under the circumstances and the khanacross would be a success.

“Everything for this weekend is going along very nicely, and it seems people are really keen to have a crack at the title. So much so, the entry list reached full capacity in under 10 minutes after opening,” Palmer said.

“Because of that enthusiasm we have a really good field of drivers competition wise, so it should be a very entertaining day and hopefully we can squeeze all six tests in.

“While it’s a shame the Championship was reduced to just the single event in 2020 as a result of Coronavirus, there have definitely been some positives to come out of running an event nowadays

“Secondly, we have now put up a satellite dish at the facilities and has enabled us to put live timing online, which is not only beneficial for drivers to see their times instantly, it also means there will be plenty of social distancing because people won’t crowd around timesheets.”

On top of Sunday’s state khanacross, the club has also been running a three-day junior development program with 30 teenagers introduced to motorsport.

“The program is geared for motorsport, but a lot of parents love it as it teaches kids how to drive on the road and on dirt, as well as using different safety measures like a fire extinguisher,” Palmer explained.

“It basically caters for kids of any aptitude, and allows them to understand car control under a situation that could cause them to panic. We get a lot good feedback, which is why we do it.”

The Southern Districts Car Club’s Junior development Program runs until Saturday 29 August, before the 2020 Motorsport Australia SA State Khanacross Championship takes over the Mid Murray Motorplex on 30 August.