Cantabrian Robbie Stokes claimed an emotional maiden rally win at home on the roads he grew up on in the third round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship on Sunday.

Stokes, in his Stokes Motorsport Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo, led from start to finish at the Lone Star Rally of Canterbury in association with Joe’s Garage to beat reigning national champion Ben Hunt by 12 seconds.

Hunt (Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2 evo) was second ahead of Jack Stokes in the Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4, who was a further 50.1 seconds adrift.

The younger Stokes’ podium finish adding to an already special day for the family as Robbie becomes the second ever second-generation driver to win a round of the national championship, following Jack Hawkeswood’s win at Otago last year.

Haydn Mackenzie completed a solid fourth place finish in the Albany Toyota Yaris AP4 while Jack Hawkeswood (Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris AP4) was fifth.

Bryn Jones held off Tim Mackersy in a back-and-forth battle in the NZRC 2WD class between the two Ford Fiesta Rally4 drivers.

Mackersy endured a mechanical problem in the penultimate stage that ended the fight, but still managed to finish.

Paul Cross (Toyota Corolla) was the sole finisher in the Open 2WD championship after (still) series leader Dave Strong retired in the first stage and Dylan Thomson left the road in stage 3.

Deane Buist completed another dominant performance to win the Historic 2WD class in his Ford Escort – making it three class wins on the bounce.

Tim McIver was second in his season debut in the Ford Escort while Stephen Gill (Ford Escort) was third.

Caleb MacDonald picked up his third straight win in the Rally Challenge 4WD class in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 – seeing off the challenge of Josh Keighley (Subaru Impreza H6) and Brian Green (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) while Keighley also won the Group A Challenge class.

Ian Warren survived the challenging day in his Nissan Pulsar to win the Rally Challenge 2WD class and now leads the category after Thomas Paul's Honda Civic succumbed to mechanical failure during the afternoon.

The championship takes a break over the winter months before returning with the Dayle ITM Goldrush Rally Coromandel on Saturday August 23.

The Lone Star Rally of Canterbury in association with Joe’s Garage returns to the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship for the first time since 2019 when it serves as round three this weekend. The one-day event on Sunday is based north of Christchurch, using some iconic forestry stages including Mt Grey Road, as well as North Canterbury public roads, which should provide competitors with a great mixture of stages.

Reigning national champion Ben Hunt starts as favourite in his Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2 evo having won the first two rounds of the season. He was also the winner last time the championship stopped in Canterbury.  

The Battle

Hunt deserves to be favourite, but he will face a stiff challenge from a handful of rivals, including three super-fast Cantabrians. The Stokes brothers – Robbie and Jack – will fancy their chances of a break-through rally win at national championship level. Both proved to be right on Hunt’s pace at the season-opening round in Otago and both know these roads well. Robbie is the closest challenger to Hunt in the championship battle in his Stokes Motorsport Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo and a maiden win can’t be far away. Jack Stokes suffered misfortune at both Otago (after leading for much of the first day of the event) and South Canterbury and should be considered a genuine threat.

Another local driver is the super consistent Josh Marston, who has put in two solid performances across the opening two rounds. Like the Stokes brothers, he knows these roads well and was champion here in 2018. The RDL Holden Barina AP4 driver is another who is in the championship battle and he will see this as a golden opportunity to get a rally win.

Jack Hawkeswood (Force Motorsport GR Yaris) is another to consider. He suffered an engine failure with a podium berth locked in at South Canterbury and appears to be getting quicker and quicker this season. Unfortunately regular Co-Driver Jason Farmer is out due to an injury, but Jared Hudson is sure to be a more than capable replacement.

The luckless Haydn Mackenzie (Albany Toyota Yaris AP4) is well overdue to have a trouble free run and that could see him as a dark horse this weekend. The talented Mackenzie has endured a tough run of mechanical dramas over his last few rallies but is more than capable of landing on the podium.  

Other Classes

Canterbury local Dylan Thomson enters the Open 2WD class in his Ford Fiesta ST150 2.3 this weekend. Thomson is a proven elite driver but gives away a lot of additional horsepower to Dave Strong (Honda Jazz RS). Strong will need to focus on his championship battle with Paul Cross (Toyota Corolla) and cannot afford a slip up trying to battle Thomson for a class win.

Deane Buist will be an overwhelming favourite in the Historic 2WD battle. Buist, another Canterbury local, has dominated the class in the opening two rounds. Behind him though the battle looks fierce, particularly with the inclusion of Tim McIver (Ford Escort) this week. He should drop right in to the Escort battle alongside Stephen Gill and Andy Martin. Pat Norris (Toyota Corolla) and Mike Cameron (Mitsubishi Lancer) will continue their gripping battle in the class as well.

Caleb MacDonald will aim to make it three straight class wins in the Rally Challenge 4WD class in his Mitsubishi EVO 6. Behind him, the Subaru H6s of Josh Keighley and Kevin Laird will keep Macdonald honest while fighting each other for places, while veteran driver Brian Green should not be discounted in his Mitsubishi EVO 9.

Darren Galbraith, fresh off a win at his home event in South Canterbury, will pace the Rally Challenge 2WD field in his Ford Fiesta ST150. It will be interesting to see how Thomas Paul (Honda Civic) and Ian Warren (Nissan Pulsar) go pursuing him on the Canterbury roads.  

Keep a close eye on

The NZRC 2WD battle has been a two-horse race between Bryn Jones and Tim Mackersy (both in Ford Fiesta Rally4 cars) and we expect that battle to be fierce this weekend. Jones has managed to edge Mackersy at the opening two rounds, but the southerner has enjoyed success against Jones in forestry stages this season. With a couple of key tests taking place in the forest on Sunday, look for Mackersy to be right on Jones across the day. To keep the pair honest, Japanese driver Fuyuhiku Takahashi is competing in the class this weekend too and could prove to be a fly in the ointment for the two title combatants.  

Best Spectating

The iconic Mt Grey Road is one of the most popular stages in New Zealand Rally and is easily accessible for spectators.

Christchurch based fans can see the cars up close at the ceremonial start at Lone Star Manchester Street from 5pm on Saturday while the rally finishes with a blast around Ruapuna Raceway on Sunday – another excellent vantage point.      

New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard overcame intense competition and muddy conditions to win the Forest Rally, 23 to 25 May, in Western Australia.  

This second round of the 2025 EROAD Australian Rally Championship was run as two single day events, like the first round in Canberra. The Kiwi stars worked hard to secure the maximum available 50 points each day and take out the rally win in their Hyundai i20 Rally2 car.  

Paddon now leads the ARC drivers’ series by 7 points over Lewis Bates and his brother Harry a further 11 points behind after two of the six championship rounds.  

Seeded fourth on the road for Saturday’s heat one, Paddon and Kennard were amongst the top-runners from the outset as expected but the competition was hot with 2020 FIA Junior World Rally Champion Tom Kristensson winning the first stage, three-time ARC champ Harry Bates taking the second, and Paddon the third.

A lot of rain made conditions very slippery in places, but high grip in others, and nothing like the iconic loose, ball-bearing surface typical of this rally run in the forests near Nannup, south of Perth near Margaret River.

Into the afternoon loop, Rally of Canberra winner Scott Pedder took the fourth stage win, then Paddon and Kennard were able to wrap up the day to their satisfaction by winning the last two stages with a margin of 12.3 seconds over Pedder, and secure maximum points for heat one.  

Sunday morning’s loop of three stages were very wet and muddy, but Paddon says drying conditions in the afternoon suited them and the car better. Four different stage winners – Kristensson, Pedder, Harry Bates and Paddon – throughout the day highlighted the intense competition with Paddon ultimately the day’s victor by a margin of just 5.4 seconds over Bates.  

Paddon was delighted to take the rally win and maximum points for the team.

“It was a really good weekend and we’re really happy to come away with the win on both days. It was more than we expected especially as the conditions were very challenging. Conditions with rain on both Saturday and Sunday made the first pass very slippery and probably didn’t work to our strengths with the car, but on the afternoon loops we were able to bring it back in some very close battles with Scott yesterday and Harry today. We had to really dig deep to try and get the result. To get the win in that fashion is very satisfying. It’s been a huge effort from everyone in the PRG team being over here for the week. It’s great to get our bid to win our first Australian championship back on track with our next challenge taking place at Rally Queensland near Gympie next month [early July].”  

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, TrialLite, Hankook, Z Energy, Blaster and Signbiz.  

Keep up with Hayden Paddon’s news via the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/paddonracinggroup. 

Rising Kiwi rallying star Zeal Jones currently sits in third position overall in the points table after three rounds of the all-Japan Morizo Challenge Cup series.

Jones and co-driver Bayden Thomson were in action last weekend in the Rally Asuka, battling their way to fourth overall in the ten-stage rally despite weather and mechanical challenges. Punctures and the loss of crucial second gear late on the first day limited the duo to fourth on times after six stages with plenty of work to do.

Day 2 was a much cleaner one for the Kiwis and they were able to focus on catching the three crews ahead of them.

They charged hard on the final four stages of ten on the rally, beginning the day 11 seconds in arrears of another podium finish.

They had battled their way to third by lunch but lost time to CUSCO teammate Shusei Matsubara on the penultimate stage.

At the close Jones and Thomson were five seconds in arrears and had to be content with fourth overall.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate my teammate Matsubara for his first podium. He drove really well. We just weren’t at his level on stage nine where he put in an absolutely great drive,” said Jones afterwards.

“Fourth place is not a bad result, but considering where we were aiming, it’s still disappointing.

“It’s only a five-second difference, but in the championship, these small differences can make all the difference. Finally, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to the team for the great job they did, including changing the transmission during the final service on Saturday.”

“We don’t have to wait too long for the fourth round, and we’ll be coming out fighting for that first win. We’re learning all the time.”

The Morizo Challenge Cup is a new category run as a class within the All Japan Rally Championship.

All crews compete in Toyota’s GR Yaris, where tight rules and limited modifications put the focus on driver skill and teamwork.

All drivers must be under 25 years old, and the objective of the championship is to provide a stepping stone to higher rallying categories for Japan’s rising rally stars. With a Japanese mother, Jones’ entry into the championship was welcomed.

Round 4 is another Tarmac event in Cusco's home territory - The MONTTER Rally starting on June 6th.

New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard head into new challenges with the second EROAD Australian Rally Championship round taking place in Western Australia this week.  

The Forest Rally runs 23 to 25 May around the towns of Busselton and Nannup, south of Perth near Margaret River. The two day rally features a stacked entry list of 39 crews including international stars like 2020 FIA Junior World Rally Champion Tom Kristensson and co-driver Andreas Johansson of Sweden and regular local top-runners like the Bates brothers.  

With the roads described as “unique, ball-bearing gravel”, Paddon and Kennard are expecting plenty of fast, sideways-sliding action on the stages in their refreshed Hyundai i20 Rally 2 car.  

The Kiwi pair again have the support of their Cromwell-based PRG crew in Australia, with Paddon being fresh from taking the outright win at Rally South Canterbury with Jared Hudson co-driving in the team’s Hyundai i20 AP4.  

While the pair’s first Australian outing this year didn’t go to plan in March, thanks to some local wildlife, they’re looking for maximum points this coming weekend and have been working through their pre-event preparation with their usual thoroughness.  

“This is our first time competing in Western Australia,” says Paddon who’ll be starting number four on the road. “We’ve heard a lot about the loose marbles here that make it slippery, but from what we have seen from our homework, the stages look generally smooth and flowing.  

“We’ve been working on a couple of small upgrades on the car, so we are looking forward to trying to get our championship bid back on track. That means we really need to target maximum points here, but we are also expecting a lot of fast teams here like the first ARC round in Canberra. Our goal is to focus on doing the best job we can from when recce starts on Thursday until the end of the rally on Sunday night.”  

The Forest Rally gets underway with a rally show on Friday evening near the Busselton foreshore. Saturday’s six special stages take competitors into the Nannup forest and comprise two repeated loops of three stages with a total competitive distance of 103.28 km. Sunday’s six stages are also three tests repeated morning and afternoon, total 81.02 km, before the rally finish and podium celebrations in Nannup later in the day.  

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, TrialLite, Hankook, Z Energy, Blaster and Signbiz.  

Keep up with Hayden Paddon’s news via the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/paddonracinggroup. 

Quentin Palmer (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) has taken first round honours at the 2025 Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series (NIRS) which got underway on Sunday 11 May 2025 with the Ruarangi Rd Rallysprint run by the Northland Car Club.

Phil Campbell (Ford Fiesta AP4) finished runner up gaining valuable points for defending his 2023 and 2024 NIRS title, with Ben Huband (Subaru Impreza) third.  

“It’s been a surprising day,” commented Palmer who recently switched from his older Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 to the Skoda Fabia. “I didn’t think we’d win first time out in this car.  I thought Phil (Campbell) would be gone but he wasn’t, and I found myself on top of the timesheets.”  

Competitors faced four timed runs over the 7.0km Ruarangi Rd, Mangapai Rallysprint course (South of Whangarei) in a South to North anticlockwise direction.    

“It was a very fast cool piece of road, quite cresty and one that rewards the brave,” said Palmer.  “The new car is a new level above what I was previously used to.  Its driveability is fantastic, and it goes, stops, and turns incredibly well.  There is certainly more speed and time in there once I get more used to it.”  

Tony Young (Datsun 1200) took out Class A (2WD 0-1300cc), while Mike Goldsbury (Toyota Corolla) was fastest in Class B (2WD 1301-1600cc).  John Whooley (Honda Civic) finished ahead of Kieran Comelius (Nissan Pulsar) in Class C (2WD 1601-2000) and in Class D (2WD 2001 and over) Charlie Evans (Mazda RX7) had a commanding win ahead of Jeff Torkington (Toyota MR2) and finished fifth overall. In the Classic Class E, Kyle Percival (Ford Escort Mk2) finished ahead of Nick Flanagan (Peugeot 205).  

Palmer also picked up Class F (4WD 1601-2000) honours from Campbell while local Ben Huband (Subaru Impreza) won Class G (4WD 2001 and over) ahead of Dave Strong (Ford Fiesta S2000) after both competed in the NZ Rally Championship round, South Canterbury Rally, the day before in the South Canterbury region.  Having flown back to the North Island on Saturday evening, Huband finished third overall and Strong finished fourth overall and obviously benefited from their extra seat time. Bradley Stewart (Subaru Impreza) all the way from Danniverke took out Class I (4WD Pre 1996) ahead of Chris Burke (Toyota Celica).  

Drivers and teams now prepare for their first tarmac event of the season.  The SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally have their entries open and is timed to go on Saturday 12 July 2025 based in New Plymouth.

The 2025 Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series (NIRS) gets underway this Sunday 11 May 2015 with the Ruarangi Rd Rallysprint run by the Northland Car Club.  

Phil Campbell (Ford Fiesta AP4) tops the entry list as he returns to defend his 2024 NIRS title.  

Also doubling as the third round of the Newstead Lodge Northern Rallysprint Series, the one-day event is known for its high speed, cresty gravel road and has been compared to the 1000 Lakes stages at WRC Finland and is not for the faint hearted.

Campbell will be under pressure right from the start with Quentin Palmer competing in his new Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo.

Palmer finished runner up to Campbell last year driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5.  

Also making a return is Charlie Evans in his Mazda RX7.  Last season Evans won the Class D (2WD 2001 and over) title in a Honda Civic from Dave Strong (Honda Jazz RS) who also lines up this Sunday in his Honda V6 powered Ford Fiesta S2000.

Local hot shot Ben Huband will be keen to keep the front runners honest in his ex-Richard Mason Subaru Impreza whilst talented young rookie Alex Johnstone will be competing in his first ever rallysprint in his Mazda 323 GTX.  

“We have a great variety of pilots and machinery lined up for this exciting Event” said NIRS coordinator Marty Roestenburg.

“Bradley Stewart and William Menzies are making the big haul North all the way from Dannevirke to compete.”  

The Ruarangi Rd, Mangapai Rallysprint (South of Whangarei) comprises approximately 7.0km of ridge top gravel road run in a South to North anticlockwise direction.  

The event gets underway at 10am with a familiarisation run for the field of 35 cars.

Competitors will then have up to four timed runs and the fastest two cars in each class will have a fifth run to determine the class winners as per the Northern Rallysprint series Rules and Regulations.  

The NIRS competitors times over the four runs will be cumulative and they must retain the same co-driver throughout the competition to qualify for points.

Ben Hunt has extended his lead in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship after claiming victory at the South Canterbury Hydraulics Rally South Canterbury on Saturday.

Hunt, the reigning national champion, backed up his opening round win at Otago last month with a dominant win by one minute and 56 seconds.

The Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2 evo driver led home Josh Marston (RDL Holden Barina AP4) and Robbie Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Skoda Rally2 evo).

The battle between Marston and Jack Hawkeswood (Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris AP4) ran throughout the day until Hawkeswood stopped on the penultimate stage, while Stokes overcame a mechanical issue on the opening stage to salvage a podium finish.

Dylan Thomson (Kiwi Carpet Cleaning Subaru Impreza) scored fourth in his older model Subaru Impreza WRX.

Hawkeswood, Emma Gilmour (Vantage New Zealand Citroen C3), Jack Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4 and Haydn Mackenzie (Albany Toyota Yaris) all failed to finish.

Bryn Jones (Ford Fiesta Rally4) backed up his opening round win with victory in the NZRC 2WD class – leading home Tim Mackersy (Ford Fiesta Rally4) by 40 seconds.

Dave Strong also went back-to-back in consecutive rallies in the Open 2WD class in his high-powered Honda Jazz RS, beating Paul Cross (Toyota Corolla).

Deane Buist triumphed in the Historic 2WD class, with a win in his Ford Escort. Stephen Gill (Ford Escort) and Andy Martin (Ford Escort) completed the podium.

Caleb MacDonald extended his lead in the Rally Challenge 4WD class in his Mitsubishi EVO 6, though Josh Keighley (Subaru H6) and Kevin Laird (Subaru H6) kept him honest. Keighley led home Laird and Ben Huband (Subaru H6) in the Group A Challenge.

Local driver Darren Galbraith won the Rally Challenge 2WD class in his Ford Fiesta ST150 with Ian Warren (Nissan Pulsar) second and first round winner Thomas Paul (Honda Civic) third.

The championship continues with round three at Lonestar Rally Canterbury over King’s Birthday weekend.

The 2025 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally continues with round two this week as competitors head to Timaru for South Canterbury Hydraulics Rally South Canterbury.

The one-day event sees competitors tackle a mixture of forestry and public roads on the outskirts of Timaru before a final blast around the Levels Raceway circuit on Saturday afternoon.

The Battle

Defending national champion Ben Hunt takes a narrow points lead into the event after his victory at Otago last month. But the Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2 evo driver will be pushed hard in the second event with a range of contenders staking their claim to be favourite for the top step of the podium.

Robbie Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) was superb in debuting the car at Otago and only just finished second to Hunt. With more time behind the wheel and super-fast roads suited to his brave driving style, Stokes should feel he has what it takes to beat Hunt.

Jack Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4) will be ruing a mistake late on the second day that cost him the chance of a win on his 4WD debut. But a brilliant performance at Otago and the fact that his AP4 car might be more suited to the South Canterbury stages should make the younger Stokes as strong a favourite as any this weekend.

Jack Hawkeswood saw his lead in the championship slip from his fingers after a mistake in the forest here last year at but his improved pace on the Sunday at Otago should instantly fire the Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris into the title battle.

Emma Gilmour had her Otago Rally ruined by an opening stage puncture but the Vantage New Zealand Citroen C3 Rally2 driver should expect to bounce back in round two.

Josh Marston (RDL Holden Barina AP4) made a long-awaited return at Otago and should be better for the hit out. His Holden will be suited to the South Canterbury roads and his knowledge of the MRF control tyre should also stand him well for a charge at winning this weekend.

Dylan Thomson returns to the championship in the older model Kiwi Carpet Cleaning Subaru but the car’s extra top end speed and Thomson’s ability to extract everything from it will see the reigning 2WD champion in the mix.

Haydn Mackenzie rounds out the Category 1 battle pack in the Albany Toyota Yaris AP4 and the North Shore based driver should not be ruled out, particularly if he can have a trouble-free run in his car.

Other Classes

Bryn Jones and Tim Mackersy – both in Ford Fiesta Rally4s – will reignite their NZRC 2WD battle at South Canterbury after a back-and-forth effort in Otago. Jones came out on top but he had to really work for it and South Canterbury’s two forestry stages could see Mackersy take it to the Waikato driver.

Dave Strong (Honda Jazz RS) will have too much power for Paul Cross (Toyota Corolla) in the Open 2WD class but Cross is a fine peddler and Strong will need a clean run to repeat his win from Otago.

Deane Buist starts as the favourite in the Historic 2WD class in his Ford Escort but there should be a terrific contest behind him. Stephen Gill (Ford Escort), Andy Martin (Ford Escort), Paul Fraser (Nissan Silvia), Pat Norris (Toyota Corolla) and Mike Cameron (Mitsubishi Lancer) are all capable of finishing on the podium and their battle should be one to watch.

Caleb MacDonald (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6) starts as favourite in the Rally Challenge 4WD class but will have plenty of competition from the likes of Gavin Feast (Subaru WRX), Brian Green (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9) and the Subaru H6 contingent that includes Josh Keighley, Ben Huband, Kevin Laird plus Terri Taylor in her Impreza.

The Rally Challenge 2WD class gets a massive boost with Timaru local Darren Galbraith joining the championship for his home event. Galbraith will be favourite to win the class in his Ford Fiesta ST150 but will be kept honest by Otago winner Thomas Paul (Honda Civic) and Ian Warren (Nissan Pulsar).

Best Spectating

A ceremonial opening in downtown Timaru on Friday evening provides a great opportunity to see cars and drivers up close, grab a photo or autograph and be part of the action.

Spectating out on the stages is good in many places although the Kakahu Forest is off limits to spectators.

Stage two (Waitohi Long) has a great junction to view at the corner of Draffin and Galbraith roads while the final stage at Levels Raceway sees the cars blast around the racetrack with good vantage spots.

Maps – South Canterbury Car Club Facebook page

A total of eight Class 1 competitors headline the entry list for the South Canterbury Hydraulics Rally South Canterbury next week.

The second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship sees the return of Dylan Thomson in the Subaru Impreza WRX that he drove impressively to 3rd overall at Whangarei last year.

Reigning national champion Ben Hunt is the top seed having won the opening round at Otago last month in his Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2 evo.

The Stokes brothers – Robbie and Jack – are second and third seeds in their Stokes Motorsport Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo and Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4 respectively. Both brothers proved their rally leading ability at Otago.

Jack Hawkeswood got better and better at Otago and should be in the mix in the Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris while Emma Gilmour is another who could contend in the Vantage NZ Citroen C3 Rally2.

Josh Marston will be better for his first event in 18 months when he lines up in his RDL Holden Barina AP4 while Haydn Mackenzie will be hoping for better fortune in his Albany Toyota Yaris AP4.

Bryn Jones and Tim Mackersy will continue their battle in NZRC 2WD in their matching Ford Fiesta Rally4 cars.

Dave Strong (Honda Jazz RS) and Paul Cross (Toyota Corolla) will battle it out in the Open 2WD class while in the Historic 2WD category, a trio of Ford Escorts will look to fight for the top spot in the hands of Deane Buist, Stephen Gill and Andy Martin.

Keeping them honest will be Paul Fraser (Nissan Silvia), Pat Norris (Toyota Corolla) and Mike Cameron (Mitsubishi Lancer).

The Rally Challenge 4WD battle will resume with Caleb MacDonald (Mitsubishi EVO 6) and Gavin Feast (Subaru WRX) leading the charge.

Josh Keighley and Ben Huband should be relevant in Subaru H6s while Brian Green (Mitsubishi EVO 9) and Kevin Laird (Subaru H6) could also feature.

A tight battle is expected in Rally Challenge 2WD with the return of local driver Darren Galbraith (Ford Fiesta ST150) alongside Thomas Paul (Honda Civic) and Ian Warren (Nissan Pulsar).

The event begins with a ceremonial opening in Timaru next Friday evening before a day of 8 stages on Saturday that will cover almost 150kms of high speed action.