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Modelled on the style of gymkhana made famous by Ken Block in his ‘Gymkhana Practice’ videos, OZGymkhana will see participants compete over a minimum of four specially designed tests on a tarmac surface at the Tailem Bend Motorsports Park.
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OZGymkhana takes a regular bitumen motorkhana, opens it up, gives it a few more gears and adds a dash of speed. It will allow the competitors to show much more flair in tests and is expected to provide faster and more exciting action for competitors and spectators alike.
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‘We’ve designed the OZGymkhana course to reflect the realistic and accessible challenge shown in Ken Block’s first Gymkhana video,’ says Michael Clements, OZGymkhana Clerk of Course. ‘Every car enthusiast who watched that video must have at some stage thought about how much fun it would be to find an open area and do something like that, and it occurred to us that this would be a fantastic starting point for a new type of event..
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Classes will be split by vehicle capacity and level of modification, and prizes will be awarded for the fastest accumulated time in each class across the day-long event. Gymkhana1, on September 23, will be the first event of a two round OZGymkhana championship, with Gymkhana2 set to be held on December 9.
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Tailem Bend Motorsport Park, which has been developed from the old Mitsubishi testing and proving grounds, was chosen because it is the perfect venue for this type of event. The 1.4km long drag strip, carparks, skid pans and access roads provide almost limitless opportunities to design the series of challenging and exciting tests, whilst providing a safe environment with little risk of injury or damage.
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The team behind OZGymkhana, Ultimate Motorsport Events, is the same team who organise and run the popular Mt Alma Mile hillclimb at Inman Valley and the annual Adelaide Hills Tarmac Rally. The OZGymkhana series continues Ultimate Motorsport Events’ push to grow affordable grassroots motorsport that is accessible to as many people as possible.
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Entries for Gymkhana1 are strictly limited to 60 places and close Monday September 3. The supplementary regulations, including the official entry form, can be found on the series website at www.ozgymkhana.com.au. ‘Like’ the event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ozgymkhana to stay up to date with the latest news and information about the OZGymkhana series.
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