Fri. Jan 17th, 2025

Do you love a bit of four-wheel action? Do you want to control the uncontrollable? Do you feel the need – the need for speed? Then the New England Sporting Car Club (NESCC) wants YOU!

The Armidale-based NESCC kicks off their 2025 season this Sunday, January 19, and they are encouraging anyone with an interest to come and experience the heart-racing excitement that motor sport can offer people of all ages. And it’s not just a blokey pursuit – the Club is actively inviting families and young people from 12 years and over to see what this sport is all about.

“New England Sporting Car Club is a great activity for young people because it shows them a driving skillset that they would not learn anywhere else,” said Matt Carey, President of the NESCC.

“They learn skills and techniques in car control, and they also soon learn what happens and how to react when a car loses control on slippery surfaces. It’s also a great social day out and you get to meet some new and very exciting and entertaining people.”

This grassroots club has a very strong history of success at state and national levels, with several notable local drivers having cut their teeth and honed their skills to take on the professional ranks.

2024 Rally NSW Champion Josh Redhead spent his junior years perfecting his skills with NESCC, as did Molly Taylor, daughter of Rally Australia Champions Mark and Carol Taylor, who went on to dominate the Australian Rally Championship in 2016 and achieve amazing things for the sport of Rally racing and for Women in Motorsport.

There are still some very experienced drivers within the Club who are keen to pass down their knowledge and expertise to anyone willing to learn.

“David Opie is still competing in our club and has a lot of experience to offer young and up coming drivers. He also competes in the State Rally Series in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4. He has won multiple Motorkhana and Khanacross series’ and is a multiple club champion for NESCC,” said Mr Carey.

“Paul Kennedy and Ken Behrend, who formed PKB Rallysport in 1984, are the most successful team from within the Club, having won the NSW Clubman Series and the Group 6 Rally Series in 1986, then going on to win the New South Wales Rally Championship in 1991 and again in 1995.”

“The pair finished fifth outright in the Australia Rally Championship in 1998, while placing second in their Group N class.”

“Both Paul and Ken are still active members of NESCC and are always happy to help out newcomers to the sport. This is the calibre of motorsport experience and expertise that is on offer through the New England Sporting Car Club”.  

“We are still involved with rally, but the club’s main focus now is on enjoying the various forms of motorsport while encouraging junior participation. So, while our members are still participating in rallying, we are also involved in lap dashes, hill climbs, rally sprints, Khanacross and Motorkhana events.”

“For 2025 our club is looking to introduce some new ideas to open more opportunities for participants including drifting at the local skid-pan, and we are also looking at trying to get more dirt events up and running,” Mr Carey said.

NESCC has been affiliated with Motorsport Australia since its formation in 1966, receiving a 50-year “Milestone Recognition” award in 2016. The Club has maintained a strong presence in the New England with membership consistently around 35 to 40 participants ranging between 12 and 78-years-old.

If you have ever had the urge to put your pedal to the metal and test your skill against some of the best, this is your time to get down the the Armidale Traffic Education Centre on Sunday 19th January from 9am to witness all the action and find out how you can get involved, maybe even get an adrenalin-pumping run with one of the experienced drivers on the day.

More information can be found on the New England Sporting Car Club Facebook page.


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