COFFS Harbour & District Sporting Car Club have started their racing year by holding their first event of the 2025 Khanacross series.

Twenty-three drivers raced at Raleigh Raceway, and after some light morning rain the sun was shining and conditions were perfect, making for fast turns around some very technical tracks.

A club spokesperson gave a recap of the high-octane day of racing on the upgraded track.

“In the women’s category seven drivers jostled for the top spot.

“Christie Shaw pulled no punches in the Datsun 1600 taking out third, Melissa Smith in a Nissan Pulsar Q cruised into second on the tail of Sharon Beard driving a Subaru Impreza who took out first place in the women’s division and third outright.

“There might be some awkward conversations around the dinner table as both Melissa and Sharon beat their husbands in the outright standings,” they said.

“The juniors were unfazed by the wet conditions in the morning and put on an impressive show with the kids pushing the cars to their limits on the track and driving in with smiles for miles.

“It was great to see some of the Kempsey juniors up for the day, mentored by veteran racer Bernie Keast, as well as some new faces joining the juniors in Coffs with the new member Isabella showing real promise racing for the first time supported by her dad Matt, another new face, riding shotgun.

“Another new Coffs junior Harlem Runge (12 years) lived up to his motorsport pedigree, taking out juniors third place at his first ever racing event.

“Kai Hancock (15 years) claimed second place making the wet turns look easy in his 2WD thanks to some drift training on a snow track last week.

“Special mention must go to Harvey Nicholson (13 years) from Kempsey, who not only took out first in juniors and second overall, but only lost out to Liam Beard by 3.75 seconds after knocking a flag on the final run and taking a penalty of five seconds.”

Coffs Harbour & District Sporting Car Club is set for an exciting year, with lots of grass roots events on the calendar, including the Quality Accounting Coffs Coast Rally in May, which is a round of the QLD and NSW Rally Championships.

Grassroots events are open to drivers 12 years and up with no experience necessary, with the club having manual and automatic club cars available free for juniors, and a small fee for other newcomers.

Coffs Harbour & District Sporting Car Club has been running motorsports events since 1966, and relies on community support to ensure that future drivers are able to learn car control in a safe environment.

The club is actively recruiting new members, no experience is needed to get involved, and new volunteers are always welcome.

Please contact secretary@coffscarclub.com.au for more information on volunteering, sponsorship opportunities and event information.

By Aiden BURGESS