This edition’s Club of the Week story is timely for the Barrier Sporting Car Club, as they head out to Eldee Station today for the first round of their 2024 Kahancross Competition.
The club, now in their fifty-ninth year, launched in 1965 to provide locals with an opportunity to race their sports cars in rally-style events.
In its hey-day, the club hosted the Don Lee Motors Rally in Broken Hill, which started off from the Don Lee Motors shop and took members out of town, through back-roads and across properties in the region.
Today, with about 50 members on their books, Vice President Darren (Larko) Larkin chatted to us about the upcoming 2024 Khanacross Season.
“As a club we’ve always promoted rallies, and Khanacross is raced on a two kilometre track full of twists and turns. The longest straight line would be 100 meters in distance,” Larko notes.
“Khanacross has really opened the club up to the public,” he added.
Larko is joined on the Committee by President Brett Baldwin, and Secretary-Treasurer Bec Baldwin, with other members including Mick and Julie Baldwin, the Andrews family, Marie and Ross Wrecker, Elaine and Mal Smith, and Kerry Turley – and all are stepping up to make sure the club makes it to their sixtieth anniversary next year.
In thanking many past and current long-serving members for their contributions to the club, Larko paid particular tribute to the late Paul Rook from Don Lee Motors, whom the club awarded life membership to. “He was a great stalwart for the club,” Larko says.
Today’s event at Eldee Station has been made possible due to support from Naomi and Steve Schmidt, who have supplied some land in their backyard so the event can go ahead.
“We can run around through the oak trees, onto the flats and through the sand hills,” Larko says, and thanks Ms Schmidt’s Silverton Bakery for sponsoring the event.
Looking ahead on the Khanacross calender, round two will be held at Limestone Pitt, Menindee Road on April 6, round three will be held at Rockwell, Menindee Road on May 18, and round four will be held at the Racecourse, Tibooburra Road on June 15.
On July 13, round five will be held at Hazelville Station, Sydney Road, round six at Eldee Station on August 31, and round seven at the Racecourse on September 28.
Avondale Station on the Sydney Road will host round eight on October 26, while round nine will be held at Hazelville Station on November 16.
The club will hold their Christmas function in the front lounge of the Mulga at the end of the year.
With a busy season looming, Larko invited those who are interested in joining the club to pop into Baldwin’s Auto Shop at 631 McGowen St and speak to Brett or Bec.
