The 2nd April 2017 Khanacross and Motorkhana results

A strong field of sixteen drivers lined up for the third round of the Douglas Shire Motor Sport Association’s 2017 Championship, under clear skies last Sunday, a welcome change from the two previous events that were rained out.

Among the drivers keen to give defending club champion, Heath Barry a run for his money were Dave Coulson, John Kenna and Krista O”Dell, all driving Ford Lasers, and Steve Van der Brug in his V8 powered Nissan 200SX.

Added into the mix were the usually consistent Graeme Colls in his Subaru Impreza and Phil Pyke in another Subaru.

Also competing for the first time in over a year was Rick Ranscombe in his Toyota Corolla.

Josh Yendle, Mackenzie Barry and first time driver Brooklyn Henry lined up in the Junior Motorkhana. The Motorkhana is a separate event run along side the Khanacross for junior members aged from twelve years old.

Over night rain had made the track slippery in places which hampered the efforts of many drivers especially the ones at the top of the running order. None more so than car one on the track, Steve Van der Brug, who’s times on his second two runs which were held in reverse running order were twenty seconds faster than his first laps.

Heath and Rick tied for the fastest time on the first run of the day and coming into the last run of the day, less than a second separated the pair for first place.

A couple of very fast laps by Heath enabled him to draw away and take his first win of the year on 745 seconds, seven seconds clear of second placed Rick.

Phil Pyke cruised into third spot a further 16 seconds behind, while Steve Van der Brug and John Kenna rounded out the top five.

Graeme Colls had a mixed day setting fastest times on several runs but then being penalised with a slowest time on other runs for failing to stop in the garage. He did this not once but three times. At one stage it was even suggested that he should have paid two nomination fees for the number of laps he drove.

In the Junior Motorkhana Josh Yendle showed his experience by claiming fastest time on all but two o the fifteen runs to claim first spot. He was followed home by the fast improving Mackenzie Barry and Brooklyn Henry who was driving for the very first time.

The Associations next event is on 7th May.