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Carpe diem, Quam minimum credula postero . |
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Event Reports |
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WAC Motorkhana 10th May 2008
A fine warm day greeted over 30 competitors for the first Motorkhana at Awaba for some time.
This would be my first timed event since a Super Sprint at Eastern Creek in 2005 (TSOA National Meeting) where, on the way home, the Dolly’s motor cried ‘enough is enough’ and failed to proceed.
Three tests were set up and competitors would go from one test to the next, so there was no time to think about the best way to tackle each test.
The first test was called ‘The Corridor’ and was a test I had never done before. Without a hand brake good enough to lock the rear wheels, hand brake turns were not an option, so my times would not be competitive. So I decided to concentrate on not doing any WD’s (wrong directions) and having a bit of fun power sliding the Dolly around the flags.
The second test was called ‘Gate Slalom’ and was a more open and straight forward test which was quickly followed by ‘Plumb Crazy’, a test crying out for a hand brake.
The second run through each test followed with my best time in each test counting towards the result.
A short lunch break followed while the hard working and dust covered officials reset the tests for another three events.
Test four ‘Mothballs’ had the same lay out as test one, but with a different way of doing it. Test five was called ‘Double Hat’ and another test I had not done before. Test six, ‘Crazy Square’ which looks easy on paper but is a bit of a ‘Who-Do-Test’ for me going back to the 70’s, I just can’t seem to get it right.
Some competitors opted out of the second run through the test as the course was starting to get a bit rough and the dust clouds were getting bigger. In one test I had to just about stop as I could not see where to go.
Motorkhana classes are determined by wheel base, the Dolly being in class ‘C’ with Datsun’s, Mazda’s and Toyota’s. We managed 13th in class and 18th outright.
Thanks to all the dust covered hard working WAC officials for a great day’s motorsport.
Yellow Duck Motorsport
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Night Khanacross – 28th June 2008
It’s been a while since I competed in a night khanacross, last time, about three years ago, I ran off the road and hit a small earth mound, but still managed to bend the Dolly’s steering rack. This event was being organised by Westlake’s Automobile Club at Awaba, there would be three tests to be run in each direction, varying in length from around 6 or 700 mtr to a km.
The Dolly had a lot of brake work done on it since its last outing, a proportioning valve, a different master cylinder and different rear wheel cylinders all in the hope of making the hydraulic hand brake work better.
Around 45 competitors lined up behind a pace car for a convoy around the course. This was the first khanacross I have competed in that required some navigation, all the ones I have been in, in the past just required me to follow the road but this time I would have to follow the arrows. A quick trip back to the pits to adjust the driving lights, the two spread beam lights needed to be pointing at about thirty degrees to help see around some of the corners and then line up for the first run.
Out of the first garage and turn hard right, down a nice straight, into second gear, the roads were in very good condition thanks to a lot of work by WAC with a lot of new gravel in places where I remember it being slippery, around a few corners, a bit sideways on the new gravel, I stared to think, ‘this a bit funny, I don’t remember the other cars going in this direction, bugger I’m doing this in the wrong direction!!!
On to the next test with a reminder from some of the other competitors, ‘look for the red arrows’. Completed the next two tests without problem but not very quickly, age, both me and the car, fear of breaking the Dolly and then having to fix it, well, all together leads to a slow time.
A meal break followed while the officials reset the course and we lined up for another look around the course, I paid more attention this time to where the course went. The final three test when off with out a hitch and I drove a bit quicker, but there is one thing for sure, I will never compete in a timed dirt road rally again, I am just too slow, my goodness, I would run out of late time.
A big thank you to all the WAC officials for putting on a great event as well, as standing out in the cold all night.
Yellow Duck Motorsport
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