Forget what anyone has ever told you, karting is not the easiest way to get into motorsport. In fact, if you want to compete at the top levels of karting, even locally, the sport can prove to be extremely expensive.
If you are a motorsport enthusiast and wish to compete in some form of motorised driving competition then there is no better option than a gymkhana.
My very first competitive outing in a car was at a gymkhana event in my final year of school so when the Witzenberg Motor Club invited me along to compete in a media challenge at its most recent event, and offered me a Mazda MX-5 to pilot I couldn’t say no.
Long history
Long before Ken Block came along and popularised the term with his spectacular videos, adrenaline junkies on a budget have been getting their kicks at club-level gymkhana events the world over.
Taking a page from the world of horse riding, gymkhanas consist of timed speed pattern racing over a set course, usually within a very small space such as a large open car park.
Easy to enter
The beauty of such events is that just about anyone can enter. Provided that you have a driver’s permit and a car that passes scrutineering, you’re A for away. The checks in place are there to ensure the safety of passengers, marshals and spectators.
You don’t need some specially prepared, high-performance slick-shod machine as required in track racing or large horsepower monster as in drag racing – ANY car will do. As courses are usually tight with quick changes in direction, smaller cars tend to fare better.
Making the trek
In keeping with the development aims of the WBMK gymkhana events are held in far off parts of the Western Cape, usually those with residents who may not be exposed to motorsport or without the means to travel to race events such as those are Killarney Raceway.
The Boland Trade Centre Gymkhana was held in Moorreesburg, about 100 km from the Mother City, which necessitated a very early start this last Saturday.
Friendly bunch
As I completed the documentation process at the start of the event I met several other crews. The general nature of the competitors is extremely laid-back and several drivers were quick to pass on advice and well wishes.
While there is a competitive aspect to proceedings, everyone there seems to place fun as their number one priority, which isn’t always the case with motorsport/racing.
Don’t get lost
With no landmarks and myriad cones demarcating the course memorising the route is definitely a plus. Have a look at the image above of the course I had to contend with and you will soon realise how tricky it can get.
Thankfully for me, the WBMK were kind enough to also provide an experience navigator named Tania Vermaak. Not only has Tania called instructions for various drivers over the years, she’s more recently taken the wheel as well.
No practice
Competitors are allowed to walk the course as many times as they wish before the event starts, but there are no practice runs. From the very first run your times are recorded and used to compile the results.
There are two routes A and B, which are quite similar in layout. Teams have to compete twice on either route and your aggregate time of the quicker run on each route is submitted.
Frantic wheel twirling
I have competed in such events before, as these are a staple at new model launch events, but never without practice. Thankfully Ms Vermaak is a great navigator and she made the calls as quick as I needed them.
There was plenty of wheel-twirling in the cabin to get the Mazda MX-5 around the right and, sometimes, confusing course. Somehow, we managed to get in three clean runs without penalty or getting lost.
Lots of smoke
Among the competitors were several rear-wheel drive machines. These are crowd favourites as drivers use the rear wheels and loud pedal to make it around the tight U-turns, some get carried away and end up doing a few more circles than is necessary, but it’s all part of the fun.
Easy as pie
If you’ve long contemplated competing at some level of motorsport, then I highly recommend trying your hand at a gymkhana event. The barriers to entry are pretty low, unlike most forms of racing, and the genial atmosphere is far less intimidating than a fully fledged racetrack event.
On the podium
Oh, when all the times were tallied I placed third in the media challenge.
With many thanks to Patrick Vermaak for the invitation to compete and the images above.
