Motorkhana races to entertain fans of speed this weekend in Hà Nội

HÀ NỘI —The Việt Nam Motorkhana Championship finals will be held at the Hà Nội Circuit around the Mỹ Đình Stadium on January  一 五.

Nearly  三0 drivers, who qualified last May in Đại Nam Race Course in the southern province of Bình Dương, will attend the event which is officially organised at national level for the first time.

The track the drivers will race on was original constructed to host the Formula  一 event that was cancelled due to COVID in  二0 二0.

Motorkhanas are motor sport events designed to test the acceleration, braking and handling of cars and the skill and judgment of drivers.

It involves manoeuvring a car through tight tests as quickly as possible -- one car at a time -- on either dirt or bitumen surfaces. This usually requires sliding and spinning the car accurately while maintaining speed through the test course. Some reversing is usually included.

Most importantly, motorkhanas provide fun and enjoyment while practising and learning car control. Oversteer and understeer will be found in abundance, but at safe speeds under controlled conditions.

Motorkhana seems unique to Australia and New Zealand, but similar events are known as Autotest in the UK, Autocross or Solo in the US, and may be known as Autokhana or Gymkhana elsewhere.

At the Saturday event, co-organised by the Vietnamese Motorsport Association Limited Liability Company (VMA LLC) and the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports, drivers will compete in two competitions.

The first category consists of  一 六 racers, who have been granted a sports car racing licence by VMA LLC. The second category consists of  一 一 athletes from VMA LLC member clubs across the country. 

Among athletes are Trương Nam Thành who was in top  一0 off the MUBA Auto Gymkhana Cup in  二0 一 九; Bảo Bảo who is Việt Nam's first professional female racer and has raced in Grand Prix – F 一 events in Shanghai, Monaco and Singapore as well as racing tracks in Mugello and Abu Dhabi; and Phạm Thanh Dung, the only female driver in the Việt Nam's first professional racing club, Redline Motorsport Club.