Internationally renowned rally journalist and presenter, Colin Clark, will return as a special guest of the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally in April.

Known the world over as ‘The Voice of Rally’, the Scotsman has a large fan base on various forms of social media, and will bring a worldwide audience to the Dunedin based event.

While Clark is most known for his work in the World Rally Championship, he has increasingly travelled the world to visit some of rallying’s most iconic events. Having gone to university in Melbourne, this part of the world holds a special place in his heart.

“I love the rally scene down under.  The Kiwis, and their Australian cousins, know what the sport is all about,” Clark said.  

“Fantastic roads, lots of competitive kilometres, great camaraderie, and great competition in a wide range of cars.  I can’t wait to be back!”

Similarly, organisers of the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally are excited for what Clark will add to the event, in front of the camera, and across all forms of media.  

“We’re delighted that Colin is able to return,” event promotions manager, Roger Oakley, said. “He uplifts everyone with his enthusiasm, and his journalism brings the sport to life. 

“Colin will join a large media contingent, including Australia’s renowned RallySport Magazine, that has been a regular at the rally since 2003.”

The 2025 Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is the opening round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, and also includes the International Otago Classic Rally.

Former WRC star, Kris Meeke, will be the headline driver at the rally for the second year in succession, going head-to-head in the Classic Rally against New Zealand star, Hayden Paddon.

The event is grateful to the Dunedin City Council for Premier Event funding.

Brotherly love will go out the window this year with Jack Stokes joining older brother Robbie in the Open 4WD class of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.

In a major off-season shake-up of the Stokes Motorsport Team, the two brothers will run cars in the main class – Robbie acquiring a Skoda Fabia Rally 2 evo and Jack piloting the Ford Fiesta AP4 previously run by his brother.

On the surface, it appears a smart decision from the team with Robbie having a clear desire to just drive as fast as he can in a reliable car and having a genuine crack at winning a championship.

Jack on the other hand will be making his first foray into the top class and has a passion for the development side of rallying.

“The decision to get the Skoda Fabia Rally 2 evo was a lengthy one,” Robbie Stokes said. “We were looking for a while after the season last year and this car came up. It was a good deal and the people we dealt with were very professional.

“The Rally 2 comes with a very good track record for reliability which was a huge point for acquiring it.

“Jack has been getting itchy feet to step up to the top class and knows the AP4 mechanically very well, so it made sense for him to jump into the AP4.”

The older Stokes has no qualms about competing against his brother but he also knows he will get some genuine competition from him at the same time.

“It will be great competing with Jack, he has proved his speed in the R2 so I have no doubt he will be on the pace.”

The season opens next weekend with the traditional Otago Rally set to kick-off a gripping six-round calendar.

Find out more about the championship by visiting www.nzrallychamps.co.nz.

A bumper entry of over 100 cars will start next month’s Central Machine Hire Otago Rally, the opening round of the New Zealand Rally Championship.

To be based in Dunedin from April 4-6, the rally has attracted an impressive 21 international teams from all around the world, as well as some of rallying’s biggest names.

Local star, and reigning two-time European Rally Champion, Hayden Paddon, will compete in the Classic Rally field for the first time since 2015.

Paddon will drive an Escort RS1800 as he goes up against last year’s Classic winner, Northern Ireland’s Kris Meeke, in a similar car.

The top-end of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship is also looking strong as well, headed by last year’s winner Jack Hawkeswood in a Toyota GR Yaris AP4.

The fight for the national title looks like being at least a five-way battle, with the favourite again likely to be last year’s championship winner, Ben Hunt, in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo.

Moving from a Ford to a new Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo also puts Robbie Stokes right in contention as well, while Dunedin’s own Emma Gilmour will also be eyeing off the title in her Citroen C3 Rally2.

The 2025 Central Machine Hire Otago Rally begins with a rally show and ceremonial start in Dunedin’s Octagon on Friday, April 4, ahead of two days and 15 stages in Central Otago.

Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard worked hard to win the first day of the Rally of Canberra on 22 March in their Hyundai i20N Rally2 car. However, coming across a mob of kangaroo at high speed on the opening stage of day two took the pair out of contention for the overall win.  

Paddon and Kennard, from Cromwell and Blenheim respectively, are competing in the 2025 Australian Rally Championship for the first time. The six-round championship kicked off on 21 March with a well-attended rally show in Canberra before crews headed for high speed forestry roads west of the city for the first day’s action. The second day’s special stages were all to the east, with about 223 km of competitive action in total for the ARC’s opening round.  

An interesting feature of the ARC is that the top three seeded drivers participate in a ballot to determine their running order for both days. Rally of Canberra is one of the sprint rounds which means competitors can earn points each day depending on their classification for that day.  

“We drew number one in the road position ballot which put us slightly on the back foot from the outset,” says Paddon. “Having to sweep the roads combined with me making the wrong choice of tyres yesterday morning meant we were struggling a bit for speed against local competitors who set a hot pace.”  

Paddon and Kennard finished Saturday morning’s four stages with a narrow lead overall of 11.6 seconds to Lewis Bates, with defending ARC champion Harry Bates temporarily out of the overall running following an offroad incident.  

“Once we corrected the tyres for the afternoon loop, the car was much better and we were able to be back on stage winning pace,” says Paddon who recorded his first three stage wins of his debut ARC season and ended the day 29.7 seconds ahead of Lewis Bates. “To win the day yesterday was a good bonus considering it wasn’t our best performance. We were pleased to get a solid result and start the championship banking some points by winning the first day.”  

However the second day in Canberra didn’t go to plan for Paddon.  

“We encountered a mob of kangaroos on Sunday morning’s first stage. At 160km/h over a crest, there was absolutely nothing we could do to avoid one of them in the middle of the road. We’re okay, the car is repairable, but we weren’t able to rejoin for later in the day to try and recoup some points on the final, double-points power stage as the rules state you must complete 65 per cent of the day to be classified as a finisher and claim any points. It’s just one of those unfortunate things that sometimes happens in motorsport. We have to take it on the chin, reset, and go again for the next round which is in Western Australia in May.”  

Kiwi fans can follow Paddon and Kennard during all six ARC events thanks to the championship organisers providing a mix of on-stage action, interviews and analysis via live streams broadcast on the ARC’s Facebook and YouTube channels.  

PRG appreciates the support of their partners including Hyundai New Zealand, Caltex Havoline Oil, Mitre 10 Trade, Winmax Brake Pads, Bar’s Bugs, EROAD, Ben Nevis Station, Wipertech, Design Windows, MITO, Repco, Machinery House, King Gee, KiwiFibre and TrialLite.

Auckland driver Jack Hawkeswood, currently resident in Millers Flat in Central Otago, set a scorching time on the last run of the day to seal his second consecutive Eastern Southland Car Club Crossroads Clinton Popotunoa Rallysprint in South Otago on Saturday.

Hawkeswood, in his Toyota GR Yaris, and Dunedin driver Emma Gilmour had a massive battle throughout, with Gilmour in her Citroen C3 leading after the three runs through Leg 1, her best time a 5 minute 10.26 seconds placing her ahead of Hawkeswood prior to Leg 2 which was the same piece of road traversed in the opposite direction.

Hawkeswood grabbed the lead after the first run through Leg 2 before Gilmour regained it on the second run. Hawkeswood then produced a time of 4.47.59 on his final run. Gilmour also set her best time of Leg 2 on that final run with a 4.52.18 but when each driver’s best time from each leg were tallied, it was Hawkeswood with an elapsed time of 9.59.02 who took the victory, just ahead of Gilmour on 10.02.78. Hawkeswood’s last run of the day also set a new record for Leg 2 of the event.

Sixth seed James Worker of Mossburn in a Mitsubishi EVO 6 was third with his young son Sam in the co-driver seat while Carter Strang of Wallacetown (EVO 10) was fourth followed by Caleb MacDonald of Queenstown in his EVO 6 and Kingsley Jones of Pukekohe in his Skoda Fabia R5.

Derek Ayson of Gore was seventh overall and first 2-wheel-drive car home and the winner of Class C in his Opel Manta 400 while Ian Warren of Dunedin in his Nissan Pulsar VZR took the Class B honours in eighth, one spot ahead of Class B runner-up Thomas Paul of Cromwell in his Honda Civic.

Class A was taken out by Jak Elliott of Glenavy in a Toyota Echo from Kevin Brockie of Dunedin in a Toyota Vitz.

Other class placegetters were Paul Cross of Gore in his Toyota Corolla AE86, third in Class B behind Warren and Paul, and Tim Mackersy of Dunedin, third in Class C behind Ayson and Gill. With the top three overall not eligible for class prizes Strang took out Class D from MacDonald and Jones.

Three competitors did not finish the event, Gore drivers Damian Vincent and David Kirk plus Jake Thomas of Mosgiel all succumbing to driveline issues.

Event Secretary, Roger Laird of the Eastern Southland Car Club, said “we were very lucky with the weather and the event was very well received by competitors and the landowners with many favourable comments received. Thank you to the competitors, landowners, volunteers and Crossroads Clinton for their support of the event. A special mention to Kingsley Jones who made the big trek south from Pukekohe for the event.”

New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard get their Australian Rally Championship campaign underway this week when the ARC begins with Rally of Canberra on 21 March.  

The Canberra Rally marks the start of a new challenge for the Kiwi duo – the first time they’ve contested a full Australian Rally Championship. It also marks their 20th year rallying together in a career which has taken them through the levels of rally competition from regional New Zealand events to becoming the only New Zealanders to compete in the full FIA World Rally Championship and win a WRC event.  

They’re both looking forward to the fresh challenge of new-to-them rallies in Australia where they’ll be competing in their New Zealand championship-winning Hyundai i20N Rally2 car.  

“It’s great to get our Australian campaign started,” says Paddon. “John and I are very much going into the unknown with new rallies, new stages and new competition. But we are looking forward to the challenge and we are ready to go.”  

With the Hyundai’s arrival in Australia slotting in after Paddon’s participation in the Race of Champions event in Sydney two weeks ago, he’s given the car a brief run on Australian roads to ensure the PRG-prepped Hyundai is also ready for competition on the fast and demanding forest stages running through the heart of the Australian Capital Territory.  

“Our approach is to ease into it a little,” says Paddon, who’s seeded number two to defending Australian Rally Champion Harry Bates, and has his Cromwell-based PRG team on-hand to run the car in Australia.  

“We know the locals will be fast on this rally and you don’t win the championship at the first round. Our goals are to be consistent and feel our way in for this first event. Points on the board is the target to give us a base to build the rest of our championship on.”  

The 2025 Rally of Canberra takes place in the ACT’s Tidbinbilla Forests and Kowen Forests. Teams undertake reconnaissance on Thursday 20 March and Friday 21 March before a rally show in Canberra opens the event on Friday evening. Saturday’s eight stages cover 112 competitive kilometres and another eight stages on Sunday cover 111 km. The pine forests and gravel roads of Canberra’s surrounds are regarded by local competitors as legendary for their complexity and speed.  

Kiwi fans can follow Paddon and Kennard during all six ARC events thanks to the championship organisers providing a mix of on-stage action, interviews and analysis via live streams broadcast on the ARC’s Facebook and YouTube channels.  

PRG appreciates the support of their partners including Hyundai New Zealand, Caltex Havoline Oil, Mitre 10 Trade, Winmax Brake Pads, Bar’s Bugs, EROAD, Ben Nevis Station, Wipertech, Design Windows, MITO, Repco, Machinery House, King Gee, KiwiFibre and TrialLite.

Rising New Zealand rallying stars Zeal Jones and co-driver Bayden Thomson finished an impressive third last week on their Japanese rally debut in the first round of the Japanese Morizo Challenge Cup, the Mikawawan Rally.

But the duo, still learning about their GR Yaris Morizo Challenge Cup Car and perfecting the set-up, felt there was more to come and are eager to go even better at the second round in April.

“We were delighted with the result, but were also left with a feeling of what could have been as it was a steep learning curve,” explained Zeal on his return to New Zealand last week.

The crew got off to a flying start and were up to speed by the afternoon of the first day of the rally, which had 81 entries and a major media presence.

A minor mistake at the end of the first day missing a cone on a super special stage left them with a one minute penalty but this only served to fire the team up for Day 2.

That was when Jones showed his huge potential, grabbing two early stage wins and a second place to push the car up the order.

More frustration followed in the afternoon as they lost time in stages avoiding crashed cars and slowing for blocked stages – though in the case of the latter they were later given the time back by event stewards. It was enough, however, to cost them any realistic chance of second.

A third place finish was nonetheless a remarkable achievement on debut and left the crew optimistic about the remaining rounds of the championship.

“Competing on the tarmac for the first time and showing championship contending pace against drivers with over a year of experience with these cars and on the surface left us feeling very optimistic and taking it to the factory Toyota team TGR WRJ with the Cusco Racing car obviously felt good too!

“We’re happy with our performance and going forward we feel confident we can get ourselves into the fight for the championship.”

“The GR Yaris Morizo Challenge Cup Car is one of those rare machines that feels just right from the moment you get behind the wheel. It’s incredibly stable, easy to get to grips with, and gives you the confidence to push harder with every stage.”

The second round of the championship isn’t too far away – the Tour de Kyushu in Karastu gets underway in a on April 11th. 

The Kiwi Driver Fund – a pivotal supporter in the career of Formula One driver Liam Lawson and many other rising New Zealand circuit racing stars – is set to end, but has one more driver to support.

Rising rally star Zeal Jones will be the beneficiary of KDF’s final round of funding, and will take part in Morizo Challenge Cup - a GR Yaris spec series championship that runs in conjunction with the Japan Rally Championship and is organised by Toyota Gazoo Racing.

It is composed of six tarmac and two gravel rounds, totalling 8 rounds across Japan. The first round gets underway this weekend - 28th February till the 2nd of March.  

Jones attracted support from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand late last year in his efforts to secure a seat as a junior in Toyota’s world rallying programme. He got incredibly close, making the final six from an initial entry of 100 drivers.  

Jones aims to win the championship this year, giving him the best chance at securing a spot in what he narrowly missed in December. If successful, he will be given a paid-for program to live in Finland and develop through the programme to reach the WRC.  

Support for the young rally driver is the perfect final act for KDF.  Bob McMurray, a Trustee since the Fund was first established ten years ago, says the time is now right to move aside for other players in the space.  

“We are very proud of everything that has been achieved by KDF and its drivers over the last ten years,” he explained.

“It’s been a remarkable programme that has helped support drivers in their quest to compete at the highest levels.  

“Many of them have achieved that aim and proved the original concept of the trust was valid.”  

The funding landscape has changed in recent years in regard to supporting New Zealand’s rising circuit racing stars. The Tony Quinn Foundation is a key supporter as is the Giltrap Group with both its Porsche Scholarship and Junior Scholarship programmes.  Rodin Cars has its Formula Ford to Formula 1 pathway and there are numerous other companies running scholarship schemes..  

“The final KDF support will take us in another direction as we look at New Zealand rallying talent and sign-off with support to help one of our young stars in that arena – Zeal Jones – make the next step forward in his career,” added McMurray.  

“He is an outstanding prospect and is a fine candidate for funding in every respect, a great ambassador for his sport and an amazing talent.”  

“The funds will be spread across a range of costs. However, direct racing costs, ie entry fees, insurances, fuel, and tyres, will make up most of the expenditure. But also travel costs as competing in Japan can come at a price” Jones said.  

The list of drivers who have benefitted from significant KDF funding is a significant one, and back in 2020 Lawson summed up just how important the support had been in his career progression, when he said.   “Without the Kiwi Driver Fund I would not have been racing this year or last year. It's a massive part of what helped me get onto the Toyota Racing Series grid.”

Hayden Paddon will tick a bucket list item and give rally fans an incredible show during the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally this April.

After finishing the event in the Classic section, he will return to the start of the final stage, the famous Kuri Bush, to complete a second run in his famous Hyundai i20 World Rally Car – the car in which Paddon outdrove Sebastien Ogier on the final stage to win the 2016 Rally of Argentina.

It will be the first time a World Rally Car will run down the famous 15-kilometres, and it’s sure to be a huge delight for spectators lining the stage.

“Firstly, a big thank you to the Otago Rally organisers for allowing this opportunity,” Paddon said.

“It’s always been a bucket list thing for me to drive a WRC car on Kuri Bush, one of New Zealand’s most famous and hair raising stages.

“We hope to put on a good show for the spectators and see what sort of time the car can do, but at the same time, we’ll drive with a degree of caution to not take risks and look after this unique and special car.”

Paddon imported his WRC-winning Hyundai to New Zealand in 2024 and plans to use it sparingly at events in the future, with the famous Kuri Bush stage being just the second of such instances.

Whether the car overhauls his existing stage record of 7m12.8s, set in 2023 (Hyundai i20 N Rally2), remains to be seen, however, he’s wary of keeping the car neat and tidy, given its historical significance and value.

“We hope to put on a good show for the spectators and see what sort of time the car can do, however, at the same time driving with a degree of caution to not take risks and look after the car.”

The itinerary for this much-anticipated run will be communicated prior to the event to ensure fans don’t miss out on their chance to witness history.

The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is grateful to the Dunedin City Council for Premier Event funding.    

New Zealand’s most successful rally driver, Hayden Paddon, will light up the 2025 Central Machine Hire Otago Rally aboard a special rally car.

Ten years on from his record breaking outright win in an Escort BDA, Paddon will again drive the famed model when the rally runs from April 4-6.

Steering the eye-catching blue BDA owned by Tim McIver, Paddon will take the fight to international star, Kris Meeke, in a bid to wrestle the International Classic Rally crown back to New Zealand.

Recently announced to complete a full program in the Australian Rally Championship, Paddon will begin his New Zealand program with the Dunedin event, just two weeks after the Canberra opener across the Tasman Sea.

Having won the Otago Rally on 10 occasions, more recently in Hyundais, he has also competed in the Classic Rally on three occasions, with mixed results.

First competing in the class in 2012, Paddon finished fourth after a puncture, and a return two years later ended in retirement. 

It was 2015, though, where he delivered a stunning outright win to trump not only those in the Classic Rally, but also every New Zealand Rally Championship competitor.

Competition for the Classic win won’t be easy, especially with Kris Meeke travelling south to drive the Rossendale Wines BDA for the second year running.        

“I’m looking forward to tackling the Otago Classic again, 10 years after our win there last time” Paddon said. 

“Firstly, a big thank you to Hyundai NZ for allowing us to take up this opportunity, and Tim McIver for the use of his car.

“I have some very good memories from 10 years ago, and with Kris also being present this year, I think it will be a mega battle that will only amplify the experience. 

“First and foremost it’s about fun for us all, but the competitive side will for sure come out in the stages, and I think we will be egging each other on.”

The Paddon-Meeke battle is not the first between former World Rally Championship round winners to occur in classic cars at Otago. Bjorn Waldegard and Hannu Mikkola both contested the rally, seeded cars one and two, in 2003, while Didier Auriol would also go up against future WRC rally winner, Paddon, in 2014.

Intentions to enter the Otago Rally, regardless of class, have exceeded 130, with a great number coming from overseas. More than a dozen Australians are planning to make the trip, while other teams are hoping to come from the United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Japan, Ireland, and many others.

The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is grateful to the Dunedin City Council for Premier Event funding.