The 52nd Motorsport Australia Motorkhana Championship is heading back to Mount Gambier this weekend for the first time in eight years, with a broad church of competitors eyeing up outright and class wins.
This year’s Championship, being held over Saturday and Sunday at the Mount Gambier Saleyards in Glenburnie, will be run by the South Eastern Automobile Club for the first time since 2017.
A new Australian Champion will also be crowned at this year’s event, with 2024 Australian Motorkhana Champion Scott Bennett not on this year’s entrant list, leaving the door open for someone else to take the crown.
The Wuillemin-East-Johnston gang, based out of the Renault Car Club of Australia, will be out in force again this year, with eight family members set to compete.
Two-time National Champion and 2025 Motorsport Australia Queensland Motorkhana Champion Aaron Wuillemin is confirmed to take part in this year’s proceedings, but not without a challenge from three-time National Champion Corinne East-Johnson, who is fresh off her Auto Gymkhana gold medal win at the Asia Pacific Motorsport Games in Sri Lanka.
East-Johnson has not stood atop the National Championship podium since 2018 at Quakers Hill.
Wuillemin’s son, Hamish East-Wuillemin, pushed his father right to the end at July’s Queensland event to finish runner-up. Perhaps he can climb one more spot, with both competing in the Special W-003 machine.
Fellow Asia Pacific Motorsport Championship competitor Reece McIntosh will also be one to watch, as he lines up in the Class B field in his Mazda MX5.
The South Eastern Automobile Club, as host club, will also be well represented in the Championship with 16 competitors confirmed in the entry list, headlined by Philip Wilson in his Special AV3.
Event Clerk of the Course and Mount Gambier local Kevin Raedel remarked the community is excited to host the Australian Motorkhana Championship again in 2025.
“I think it should be a pretty exciting weekend. We’ve got a fairly wide variety of people coming in from the likes of WA, we’ve got a lot of Wuillemins coming in from New South Wales, and a lot of locals who have bought Specials in the last couple of years,” Raedel said.
“A lot of tin top guys will compete well for class honours, but I imagine the Specials should very well be the ones to watch as potential contenders.
“A few of the officials were away last weekend at the Australian Hill Climb Championship at Tailem Bend and it was tremendous fun.
“For a lot of us, to be hosting two National Championship events in consecutive weeks is pretty fun.”
At the conclusion of the event, the Presentation Function will be held from 5pm on Sunday at The Little Rippa Brewing Company in Yahl.
To view the full entry list, supplementary regulations, schedule and standing regulations, head to the Motorsport Australia Motorkhana Championship website.
