Kempsey challenge awaiting NSW Off Road Championship

After a highly successful opening round to the 2021 season, the Motorsport Australia NSW Off Road Championship will return with another huge entry list for round two.

Just like round one in Dondingalong, more than 40 crews have locked themselves into this weekend’s Jim Anderson Kempsey 300 in Wittitrin as many will be hoping to continue their strong starts to the season.

Not only will this weekend’s two-day event see crews battle it out for state championship honours, but there will also be some cash prizes on offer too – with the Kempsey Macleay Off Road Club’s Kings of Kempsey titles seeing each combined class winner from rounds one and two receive $500.

The challenges of the event will certainly be coming through thick and fast for many of the competitors too with the Wittitrin course far longer than the previous round, as well as offering quite a variety of obstacles.

In addition, the countless hours of work to have gone into repairing the track as a result the state’s recent flooding means crews are going to have to tread with extra caution throughout the weekend if they are to finish the event.

Of the crews taking part, there are a few who will enter the long course round with a bit more confidence than the rest of the field – including round one winner Glenn Spizzo.

Although it was years in the making and a bit of fortune came his way, Spizzo’s long awaited victory in the Scotts Hydraulics Dondingalong Off Road Challenge gave the veteran the kickstart he needed of winning that dream title.

Of course, there are a few crews who could easily prevent Spizzo from achieving that dream this early in the season – one of them being 2019 Kempsey 300 winner Matt Huxley.

The event also welcomes back some individuals from the BFGoodrich Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship’s own second round of the season earlier this month, with Phil Lovett and Darren Williamson fresh from the Tatts Finke Desert Race.

With another huge turnout and the event finally going ahead after poor weather postponed its initial date, event organiser David Chandler was looking forward to getting it underway.

“We’re excited to be hosting the championship this weekend and to have 40 crews feature for the second week in a row is just fantastic,” Chandler said.

“Having 40 crews again goes to show that the championship is in great health at the moment. To be strong in Dondingalong, which is a short course, and then to back it up again gives a real indication about how excited everyone is to be back racing.

“It’s also great to see a large contingent of local Kempsey drivers taking part.

“There has been a lot of work that has gone into this event, especially from a track preparation point of view due to the rain and flooding. There was a good metre and a half on the track that we have had to fix.

“With that said, there has been a lot of great support from the town and the community, as well as Jimmy Anderson Earthmoving who has also been super supportive.”

Starting with Friday night’s show and shine in the main town square, the action gets underway on Saturday morning with Prologue and a top 10 shootout setting up the first heat in the afternoon,

On Sunday, crews will complete the remaining two heats as they complete a total distance of 300 competitive kilometres.

Click here for more information on the round and to see the entry list.

The Jim Anderson Kempsey 300 is the second round of the Motorsport Australia NSW Off Road Championship and takes place in Wittitrin on 26-27 June.

Photos: Kempsey Macleay Off Road Club