The MG Car Club of Victoria’s Youth Challenge is returning in 2021 with entries for the annual event now open to interested participants.
Open to young Australians between the ages of 12 and 18, the event is aimed at giving junior drivers an opportunity to dip their toe into motorsport and compete at an event.
Run at the famous Rob Roy Hill Climb in October, the event will see participants split across two classes and compete in a khanacross, motorkhana and observed section trial - all of which are run in succession.
Having been a staple fixture on the club’s calendar since its inauguration in 2015, the event has welcomed between 30 and 40 juniors every year, with 2021 the first-time prizes will be on offer to the fastest male and female of each class, courtesy of new major partner Century Batteries.
As usual, the event is open to entries running four and six cylinder spec cars, while V8 vehicles are subject to approval.
The Youth Challenge will also simultaneously run a category open to parents who want to compete while attending as a way to increase participation of juniors.
After the event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, lead organiser Adrian Hunter was looking forward to finally get the event back on.
“We’re really excited to run this year as we couldn’t run it last year, so we’re hopeful of getting a lot of kids coming through after almost two years,” Hunter said.
“For us, it’s important to do it because it enables interested junior drivers to get an insight into the sport and gives them an avenue where they can compete against their peers and not get intimidated by older drivers.
“We like to divide them into classes of 12-14-year-olds and 15-18-year-olds so it’s a bit of an even playing field where they will get the most out of the day,
“We often get participants from a range of clubs, including the Mini Car Club, Toyota Car Club, Pakenham Car Club and of course ourselves, but this event is open to anyone who is interested.
“It’s also great to have a sponsor in Century Batteries come on board this year as it shows that other parties have belief in this program and that what we are doing is contributing to the future of the sport.”
Since 2015, there have been many young drivers to progress through the system and continue competing as they get older – the most notable being 18-year-old, Andrew Coon.
Having taken part in the event and won a class back in 2016, Coon has impressed many with his raw talent behind the wheel, constantly fighting it out for event wins across multiple disciplines.
Eventually Coon was rewarded for his fast-tracked development, taking out the club’s outright 2019 Speed Series title, which is a combination of motorkhana, circuit racing and regularity events.
Entries for the event are open until the week of the event with interested competitors able to book their place via Motorsport Australia’s Event Entry portal.
The MG Car Climb of Victoria’s annual Youth Challenge will take place at the Rob Roy Hill Climb on 24 October.