Jones builds confidence through khanacross victory

Tuesday 02 February, 2021

Photos: Georgia van der Drift

The Poly Welding Solutions Khanacross has been run and won with Luke Jones coming out on top with his Mazda 3 in Highclere, Tasmania over the weekend.

Hosted by the North West Car Club, Jones was the most consistent performer of the 22 competitors, recording an accumulated time of 338.54 seconds at the conclusion of the nine run event.

It was no easy win for Jones though, as he faced a tough challenge from Chris Russell with Devin Cullis throughout the day, only for the latter two to make minor mistakes at different stages of the event, which proved to be the defining factor in Jones’ victory.

As Russell guided his Subaru Impreza to second overall over Cullis, Kayden Gardner managed to just edge out Adrian Hodgetts for fourth place with less than four seconds separating the duo.

Other notable results from the event saw Rendal Jones secure a top 10 finish and victory in the 14 to 17-year-old junior class, Georgia van der Drift the fastest woman and young gun Ethan Phillips, who celebrated his 12th birthday with a win in the 12-14-year-old junior class.

Heavy rain the night before the khanacross initially provided slippery conditions for competitors, but as the conditions improved over lunchtime, the track was very grippy by the end of the day.

Reflecting on his first event win for the year, Jones was happy with how things unfolded and how his reliable his car was throughout the various stages.

“I started off just taking it easy around the track and was comfortable by the end of the day,” Jones said.

“The car was really good throughout the event with no issues at all.

“I was actually surprised to come out on top, it was a good day.

“I would just like to say a massive thanks to all the volunteers from the North West Car Club that put these events together and make newcomers like me feel welcome, it really helps us out a lot.”