Gunnedah Motoring Enthusiasts have been forced to cancel the annual Mount Porcupine Apex Drive Hillclimb for the second time after they were unable to attract enough competitors.
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The event, which the club revived eight years ago, was to be held this Sunday (September 6) after it was postponed from it's original date in March due to the pandemic.
But while expressions of interest were "pretty good", GME event secretary Geoff Hood said that didn't "translate into paper entries".
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"Ten days out we probably had 35 expressions of interest, we needed 20 (competitors) to make it viable," Hood said.
He said they "nearly had enough" but not quite enough.
The sticking point was the clarification of where competitors could travel from.
"We got a map of the area (from Sport NSW) that said where we were able to draw our competitors from. It excluded everywhere west and south of Gunnedah," Hood said.
"We lost a lot of potential competitors."
This year was to be 52nd running of the iconic race.
Hood said it is disappointing to have to cancel it.
Their attention will now turn to the 2021 edition, the uncertainty around the pandemic and three months planning required meaning it is unlikely they will be able to run it this year.
"We're keen to keep the event alive as part of Gunnedah's motorsport heritage," he said.
The club will meet next Saturday (September 12).
"At that meeting we'll lick our wounds and try to figure out the best way forward," Hood said.