Here is the progress on my motorkhana / Khanacross car.
Motorkhana is a fun, entry level, cost effective form of motorsport. Think of a timed verson of Ken Block's videos.
Khanacross is a little faster and more flowing form of motorsport. Think of a hill climb but without the incline.
Here is an example of a motorkhana:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLq14ZV8xGE
Here is an example of a khanacross:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PodS9wEFQNg
I am building an electric car to compete in these type of events.
I have been competing in various forms of motorsport for a number of years but I have gravitated towards motorkhana and khanacross. These are relatively low speed, low cost, highly technical forms of motorsport which involve a single car on a track at a time racing against the clock.
Up until know I have used an old Datsun 240z and Nissan pulsar. But about 12 months ago I decided to build something different. I did a fair amount of research before purchasing a DC electric motor in March 2015. Since then I have been progressively building a car from scratch around that motor as the base.
Although I haven’t driven the car I expect the performance to be quite good as the motor normally handles a car with twice the weight. Plus the events I enter are all from a standing start so the brilliant torque provided by electric motors should provide some advantage. I believe electric cars in one form or another are the way of the future for both on and off road. I figure I might as well lead the charge (Pardon the pun).
Technically: The motor is an Advanced DC series wound 9 inch mounted to a front wheel drive gearbox/diff combination. The motor controller is a Curtis 1231C. Although I haven’t taken delivery yet I have ordered 12x 12v Full River High cranking AGM batteries delivering about 150V and about 160AH. The motor and controller can handle 150V dc and 400amps but I don’t expect I will ever use the peak power. Because my events only occur every 3-6 weeks I have decided to charge the batteries individually as I don’t need to charge overnight and a charger for 150V is quite expensive. Range is not a significant issue for me as I only expect to travel around 10km per event and that assumes 2 drivers. I have constructed 3 battery “caddies” to hold four batteries each. This will allow me to have a completely spare set on standby incase I have some fault or just run low during an event. Obviously 150V is quite dangerous so I am applying quite a few precautions to protect anyone who comes into contact with the vehicle.
I am currently on track to complete the build by Christmas giving me a healthy buffer before my first event on Feb 7th 2016 at Willowbank. I have provided some photos showing my current progress. The external appearance of the vehicle will change significantly over the coming weeks as I will be dismantling, painting, reconstructing and adding panels around the sides (just on the 400mm frame you can see) and front motor area.
I am not sure if the first event would be the best to come and check it out as I am sure I will have teathing issues. But I know there will be a come and try event on March 20th. That means you would be able to enter your own vehicle (EV or ICE). It also means I will be able to have passengers on that day for the motorkhana tests(just bring spare undies).




