As speculated in my last post, the competition at Otago was intense and incredibly close as the three NZRC front runners fought for every Second – and Split Second for that matter - throughout the 16 rollercoaster stages.  

Apart from the central city tarmac test (at 86kph), only one other stage – the as expected Waipori Gorge – had a winning average speed of under 105kph; and even that was 97.42kph. Most of the other 14 were in the 120’s as Robbie Stokes, Jack Stokes and Jack Hawkeswood put on an amazing show.  

Up until Robbie’s unfortunate retirement when touring to Stage 11 on the Sunday, the trio were never separated in stage times by more than 10 seconds on all but two stages, and on those the two Jacks virtually cancelled each other out as Jack S beat Jack H by 17.1 seconds on the 46k Tuapeka stage and Jack H took almost all of that back on the very next one – 13.4 on the 32k Mitchells Flat test.  

Despite this fast and furious fight over almost 285 kilometres, Otago was the second NZRC round in the last three where a Penalty decided the winner. Jack H and Jason Farmer had a communication misunderstanding when leaving the second Service on the Saturday and thereby incurred a very costly 2 Minute Early Penalty. So from then on, despite their best, spirited attempts in the stages to make up the time given away, they were really depending on Jack Stokes suffering a delay of some sort if they wanted to take their second Otago win.  

They netted 9 stage wins along the way, with the Stokes brothers taking 3 each – Aussie Alex Rullo put his Supercars experience to great use by winning the tarmac test. So Jack H actually had the lowest total stage time – by 26 seconds, which equates to just 0.09 of a second per kilometre – but the Penalty turned that into a 1minute 34 second victory to Jack S.  

However, this in no way should take anything away from Jack Stokes’ performance, as from stage 6 on, he knew exactly what the significance of the Hawkeswood/Farmer slip up meant, and with Robbie incurring a 1 minute 30 second Lateness Penalty out of the first Service, the whole scenario changed into managing the advantage he had been presented with, and what followed was an incredibly mature, heady drive to control the rally from the front.  

The pace that he continued to drive at to maintain his lead and his overall performance was even more meritorious when you consider Jack had never won a rally before – let alone an FIA sanctioned event - which could well mean he and Hayden Graves are the first ever crew to win a round of an FIA Championship on debut.  

Otago was the first time they had driven their new Skoda in a rally, and such was their minimal amount of seat time in it, when it began to rain on Sunday, it was the first time they had driven it in the wet. It was also Jack’s first time driving Left Hand Drive in a top flight car – let alone a state-of-the-art Rally2 version.  

And it was just as well Jack is an accomplished rugby flanker, as not many others could have stood their ground the way he did when his (still helmet wearing) brother charged into him with a victory hug at the Kuri Bush Stop Control.  

Apart from a small incident during testing, Jack’s build-up to his home rally was capped off very nicely last weekend at the MotorsportNZ Annual Awards evening in Wellington when, not only did he receive his 2025 NZRC Junior Rally Champion Trophy, but he was announced as the overall winner of the 2025 Elite Motorsport Academy and now adds the Ian Snellgrove Trophy to the Bruce McLaren one he was awarded as the top athlete at the week-long Dunedin Training Camp.  

It’s my understanding this makes Jack the first-ever Rally Competitor to win the Overall Award, as Zeal Jones did win the Bruce Mclaren as the top participant, but was pipped by circuit racer Ayrton Hodson for the Overall in 2023.  

Robbie managed to make the most of the ability to re-join for the Power Stage and claimed the maximum 5 NZRC points, to salvage as much as he could, but 15th on the Championship Table and 33 points behind his brother (and 29 down on Jack H), means he is already depending on them coming unstuck on at least one of the remaining five rounds to have any realistic chance of getting back into the title fight.  

Taumarunui’s Quentin Palmer made the trip south very worthwhile by completing the NZRC podium, although with the white-hot pace upfront he found himself in a bit of No Mans Land behind Jack H and similarly well clear of fourth placed Ari Pettigrew.  

Ari was another to shine as he debuted his new Porsche and had everyone in awe of how well he and Jack Norris went first time out. The speeds they hit were astonishing – at one point reaching 223kph – and Ari’s skills in harnessing a car more commonly seen on tarmac and in marathon rallies around the world was a sight to behold.  

As always Otago provides superb Highs for some, but equally the lowest of Lows for others, so we need to spare a thought for Cantabrians Dylan Thomson, Tim and James McIver, who all had significant off-road excursions that mean their seasons were literally turned upside down in an instant, and we hope to see them back sooner rather than later.  

Dylan’s incident could also mean it’s the end of the road for the ex-Ben Hunt double championship winning Skoda, which has been such a dominant presence on our stages since its first appearance at Otago in 2022. In its four previous visits to Otago the car was never off the podium – with 2 x 3rds, a 2nd and finally a 1st last year – and across its four NZRC seasons and 23 rounds, Ben and Tony had just 2 x DNFs – and they were both Off Roads – on Day One of WRC Rally NZ in 2022 and the 2023 Rally South Canterbury. So you could say the car has a 100% Mechanical Finishing Record.     

OTHER NZRC CATEGORIES  

While the Overall Championship fight inevitably grabbed much of the attention at Otago, several of the other categories also provided great competition.  

As mentioned, Ari Pettigrew was the star of the 2WD Championship, powering his Porsche to a 3-minute advantage over Deane Buist who, it should be acknowledged, did a fantastic job hanging on to Kris Meeke’s coat tails in the Classic 2WD Division. Tim Mackersy showed excellent form to finish 3rd with Derek Ayson, Dave Strong and Ben Harding within 40 seconds of each other after an event long battle. All of them will be back in action at Canterbury, so we are sure to be in for more of the same.  

The Rally Challenge at Otago went the way of defending champ Caleb Macdonald, who will have regular Co-driver Larisa Biggar back alongside, over Hawkes Bay’s Grant Blackberry, just under a minute behind over the Day One stages. Young Thomas Paul was very impressive in third, a similar margin down on Grant, so much so that he and Bridget Airey won the Classic 4WD Division. All three will be at Canterbury, along with locals Harri Silcock and Josh Keighley, who will both be very keen to take out podium positions and make up as much ground as possible on home roads.  

The new Classic Rally Championship has Deane Buist, Derek Ayson and Ben Harding currently in the podium positions, but another to turn heads against much more powerful competition at Otago was Paul Cross who sits fourth, just 5 points behind Ben. Unfortunately, Paul is a late withdrawal from this round, as his good friend Jared Leabody passed away unexpectedly earlier this week. Our sincere condolences to family and friends and all in the rally community who knew Jared. As usual, Deane will be expected to dominate, particularly with so much experience on these North Canterbury roads but, if Otago is anything to go by, Derek and Ben are set for another Battle Royale.  

For the first time I can remember an NZRC round will run with no entries in a category, as Cat 2 will not feature this time around.  

Cat 3 is likely to be another Ari Pettigrew show of strength with both Tim Mackersy and Dave Strong ready to pounce should the unthinkable happen to the flying Porsche.  

In the finish Phil Macquarie was a runaway winner in Cat 4 from Mike and Helen Cameron. It will still be Team Cameron at Canterbury, but this time - hopefully with a next generation Lolly Lady - as Mike and Helen’s youngest daughter Kelly – the Sky Diving Instructor – will join Dad in LILEVO for her debut outing in the Co-driver’s seat after their first attempt together, almost 20 years ago at Otago way back in 2007 turned out to be a Did Not Start. However, Kelly has been in LILEVO before when she drove Car #90 in the 2007 Taranaki Tarmac Rally – with Helen co-driving.  

In Cat 5b the four Irish/Aussie Escorts won’t be at Canterbury, so Rory Lawn and Josh Silcock are set to go at it again. However, they won’t have it all their own way as Darren Galbraith makes a welcome return in his Fiesta and the very rapid Ian Warren will drive the Suzuki Swift Cup Car peddled so well at Otago by Mr and Mrs Lopez.  

As mentioned, Cat 5c will be without James McIver, but the other five Otago starters are all back with James Macdonald, Kevin Laird and Terri Taylor all chasing current leader Thomas Paul and defending champ Josh Keighley.   

Five Juniors scored at Otago, with Jack Stokes naturally earning the maximum 25 from Thomas Paul, Josh Keighley, with the Silcock brothers in 4th (Harri) and 5th (Josh).  

The Rookie Field for Canterbury has halved from Otago mainly as there are no Aussies this time. So Harri Silcock has a handy lead due to Sean McAloon and Toby Price finishing 2nd and 3rd. The very impressive Rory Lawn is therefore 6 points behind Harri and then comes the two Cat 6 entries of Derek Ayson and Ben Harding. Josh Silcock is next with Roger McKay the other starter.  

It’s almost the same situation in the Gold Card, as last year’s Top Three are the only runners at Canterbury after we had six at Otago. Dave Strong came out on top there with Mike Cameron 5th and Pat Norris 6th. So Dave starts this round with a 7-point lead.  

The International Driver battle is a Vanuatu Only contest this time as Pierre-Henri Brunet will be looking to extend his 6-point advantage over fellow countryman Nelson Law.  

The Stokes brothers’ Skodas will be looking to extend the Czech Manufacturer’s run of seven consecutive round wins, but undoubtedly, Jack Hawkeswood will be striving to give Toyota just their third ever – following his success at Otago in 2024 and Paul Adams/Jim Scott’s 1984 Tokoroa win in a Corolla. Interestingly, with the Cat 2 and 3 cars earning Bonus Points, Ari Pettigrew has Porsche in Second on the points table, just 2 points adrift of Skoda, and one in front of Toyota.  

The Teams Cup for Categories 1 – 4 and 6 has the Real Fords of NZ (Tim Mackersy & Deane Buist) with a handy 14-point lead over Jack Hawkeswood/Dave Strong’s Team South Auckland Car Club, with the ESCC Classics (Derek Ayson/Paul Cross) 6 points further back. Showing the importance of both cars finishing, Stokes Motorsport is on 49 – 31 down on the Real Fords. They are tied with the North Island Cat 6s of Ben Harding and Roger McKay.  

The Cat 5 Teams Cup is much closer – just 2 points separate the leaders, Team H6 (Josh Keighley & Thomas Paul) from Silcock Motorsport with Kevin Laird’s retirement limiting defending champions Big Belly Rally to just Caleb Macdonald’s 30 points for winning Cat 5.    

AND FINALLY, A LITTLE BIT OF CANTERBURY RALLY NZRC HISTORY  

Rally Canterbury returned to the championship in 2013, after a 13-year break, when Greeny and Jim Robb won in the Ford Escort WRC in 2000. It was then a fixture on the calendar until COVID scuppered the 2020 series and throughout those seven years there was only one repeat winner – and it wasn’t Hayden Paddon. In fact, Hayden has never done Canterbury as an NZRC round.  

It was Ben Hunt, who won in both his first two championship winning years (2015 and 2019) – in the same Subaru he will be driving again this year.  

The other winners were Chris West in 2013, Richard Mason (2014), Emma Gilmour (2016), Matt Summerfield (2017), Josh Marston (2018).  

And of course, Canterbury was back in as Round 3 last year when Robbie Stokes beat Benny to notch up his first NZRC round win.  

So, based on that track record, who would bet against it being one of the Jacks who maintain that run come Sunday afternoon after the blast around Ruapuna and the tour back to the Lone Star in Central Christchurch.

Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard head for this week’s FIA World Rally Championship in Japan with a different goal to their two earlier events with Hyundai Motorsport this year.  

The aim is to up the pace, says Paddon of the seventh WRC round, taking place 28-31 May in and around Toyota City, to the west of Tokyo.  

“It’s another new rally for us, but this time the approach shifts,” says Paddon. “It’s time to release the shackles and turn up the speed. There’s less pressure on us to simply finish as there was at Monte Carlo and Croatia – although this doesn’t stop that being a key goal – but John and I want to try and get closer to our teammates in terms of speed and stage times. We’re feeling much more comfortable in the car and want to use that to try and be competitive within the top five or six.”  

Earlier editions of WRC Japan have utilised flowing asphalt stages. Now, the stages are typically narrow and twisty, often lined by barriers, drop-offs or dense trees.  

Paddon acknowledges they lack personal knowledge of the stages whereas other competitors have contested many of the same stages over the two previous editions of this rally.  

“However, I’ve also benefited from another one-day test in Europe, helping me get to know the car more. Based off my feelings and the data from Croatia, we tried some new setups which took us in the right direction. However, there’s no opportunity to test in specific Japan conditions, so the Shakedown runs immediately before the rally starts will be very important for fine-tuning the car.” 

Paddon and Kennard have competed in Japan just once before, back in 2010, when Rally Japan was on gravel and a round of the FIA Production World Rally Championship. The Kiwis finished second in this category.  

“We’ve obviously been doing our homework on the stages. They look quite slow, tight and technical, so different to the European tarmac rounds. Compared to Croatia with the huge amount of dirt and stones being dragged onto the tarmac, we’re expecting the stages in Japan to stay relatively clean, allowing for the fact it’s coming into the rainy season. We can expect some wet conditions at some point during the rally, which will make roads extremely slippery.”

A little change means the Lonestar/Joes Garage Rally Canterbury will look a lot different when the second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship takes place later this month.

The organising committee, including promoter Jack Smith have brought about some quite significant change.

Smith has given the event a bit of a shake-up, bringing it more up to speed with the needs of modern events while honouring the past as well.

The introduction of premier spectator fan zones, complete with food trucks, big screen and commentary, is just the start.

The ceremonial start, to be held at Lonestar Manchester Street in downtown Christchurch, has undergone a revamp this year, including the use of former television personality Clint Brown, who will MC the night. Brown was a recognisable voice of rallying through the 1990s and early 2000s and will be a popular addition to this year’s event.

“There will be a lot more promotion around the event including what I grew up with as the voice of rallying, so we are looking to have a lot more public attending” Smith said.

“We have a drivers' signing session inside the Lonestar restaurant from 5pm.”

The last stage will take place at Euromarque Motorsport Park where the cars will compete on the track but with a totally different layout this year.

“We are not using the full length of the track which we know at the end of the rally day is hard on cars especially the long front straight and back straight,” Smith said.

“It is a bit more of a rally special using the inside of the track backwards, more laps in front of the spectators. A bit more technical and a bit tighter but it should be great viewing.”

Another change for this year is around dedicated Service Parks.

“We have dedicated Services in Amberley, Cheviot and Waikari so the perfect locations for servicing where you are not worried about traffic coming past,” Smith explained.

“You can set up early, leave when you like and no rush to get your space.”

The event’s motto is simply, “why?”

“I’m fortunate to work alongside and bounce ideas off some of the best rally organisers in the country. Bouncing ideas, meeting bi-weekly to discuss where the radio tower will be or which marshals go where.

“When you sit on an organising committee like this, you start to understand how much effort it takes to build the events. I just do the pretty bit and hopefully we can help bring a crowd to national rallying.”

Lonestar Rally Canterbury starts with the ceremonial opening on Saturday May 30 before a day of action north of the city on the Sunday.

Quentin Palmer and Noel Moloney (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) have continued their winning-way taking victory in the 2026 Newstead Lodge Rally of Waitomo.  The current Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series (NIRS) champion won all six Special Stages based in the Piopio township, with Ben Huband/Dayna Kiekebosch (Subaru Impreza) second followed by William Menzies/Doug Dolan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6).  

“Pleased with the result,” said Palmer.  “First overall even after a little tie up with a fence in SS3 which we could have avoided.  I spun and thought I could boot it which didn’t work so had to back out and keep going.  I didn’t think we would win that one (stage).”  

Palmer’s competition first came from Gavin Feast/Hamish Feast (Subaru Impreza) who posted the second quickest times in the first three Special Stages before retiring with a mechanical issue. This handed the attack to Huband who was keen to get some points after recording a DNF (did not finish) at the opening Vantage Windows & Doors Possum Bourne Memorial Rally in March.  

“Waitomo is always such a good event to be part of as it is so laid back,” said Palmer.  “They are good roads, nice and flowing.”  

As well as the competition for overall NIRS points there are also eight separate Classes competing for driver and co-driver titles.  

While Blair Richardson/Nikki Sim (Ford Escort Mk1) were first home in Class A (2WD:0-1300cc), Darryl McManus/Maddy Buhr (Toyota Vitz) still lead the category having finished second in class to accompany their Round 1 points.  

Rising star Sam Broadbent and Matthew Broadbent (Toyota Corolla FX GT) have continued their NIRS title defence again leading Class B (2WD 1301-1600cc) home ahead of Andrew Lowe/Ian Barr (Toyota AE101). The Broadbent siblings were also awarded the NIRS “Drive of the Day” trophy and a $200 Winmax Brake Pad voucher sponsored by Paddon Racing Group by finishing sixth overall.  

Up and coming 16-year-old Khalid Mason/Sara Mason (Ford Fiesta ST150) won Class C (1601-2000cc 2WD) and have extended their lead over Steve Dill/Adrian Sutton (Nissan Pulsar) and Dale James/Kim Raggett (Ford Fiesta ST150).  

A fourth overall for Charlie Evans/Aroha Matangi (Mazda RX7) sees them third in the very competitive Class D (2WD 2000cc and over).  Dave Strong/Rob Scott (Honda Civic) still lead despite finishing third behind Tony Differ/Jayson Stringer in their EX Lancer Turbo. Phillip Broadbent (Toyota Starlet) dropped out after SS3 with a mechanical problem.  

Andrew Keighley/Martin Hutton (Ford Escort Mk2) have taken over the lead in Class E (Classic 2WD) with Chris Alexander/Jackson Foster (Ford Cortina) in second while previous class leader, Brent Taylor (Ford Escort Mk2) who didn't take the start line, holds third equal with Glenn Cameron/Brad Cameron (Mazda RX7) who were first home.  

Palmer continues to lead Class F from Mason Grimmer (Mazda 323 4WD) who didn't start the rally due to engine problems.  

Having finished second overall and first in Class G (4WD 2001 and over), Ben Huband/Dayna Kiekebosch (Subaru Impreza) move into second equal with Dale Perry/Christian Iggulden (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) while Carlin Leong (Subaru Impreza) continues to lead after rival Gavin Feast (Subaru Impreza) retired after SS3.  

Kingsley Jones' (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo3) retirement on the last stage handed the Class I (4WD Pre 1996) lead to Chris Burke/Stephen Taylor (Toyota Celica GT).  First home was Shaun Wade/Haylee Wade (Mitsubishi Mirage 4WD) who sits second equal with Jones.  

For the third NIRS round teams will switch to tarmac mode in tackling the SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally 27 June 2026 run by the South Taranaki & Taranaki Car Clubs and based out of New Plymouth.  

The 2026 North Island Rally Series acknowledges and thanks these partners for their support: Hawkeswood Mining, Semog, Pure Quality Construction, Paddon Racing Group, iSignit, Ngatea Panelbeaters and Online Contractors.

The 2026 Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series (NIRS) is back in action with the Newstead Lodge Rally of Waitomo on Sunday 17 May.  Current Series leaders and 2025 winners Quentin Palmer and Noel Moloney (Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) head a large field including rivals Grimmer/Leighton Spurdle (Mazda 323 4WD) and Carlin Leong/Nathan Roa (Subaru Impreza).  

“We’re looking forward to it,” said Palmer.  “It’s different roads this year and it’s been a while since I’ve competed on them. Knowing the region does help a lot.”  

Palmer, who won the NIRS 2025 overall title, will be difficult to beat having already this season been first NIRS competitor home in the opening round, the Vantage Windows & Doors Possum Bourne Memorial Rally in March.  

He followed this up with a solid third overall in the Otago Rally, the opening round of the 2026 NZ Rally Championship.  

As well as the competition for overall NIRS points there is also eight separate Classes competing for driver and co-driver titles.  

Darryl McManus (Toyota Vitz) leads Class A while Sam Broadbent and Matthew Broadbent (Toyota Corolla FX GT) have started their NIRS title defence leading Class B (2WD 1301-1600cc) ahead of Andrew Lowe (Toyota AE101).  

Class C (1601-2000cc 2WD) is a three-way battle between current leader 16-year-old Khalid Mason and Sara Mason (Ford Fiesta ST150), Steve Dill (Nissan Pulsar) and Dale James (Ford Fiesta ST150).  Mason is one to watch over this season after his impressive form in his debut event at the Vantage Windows & Doors Possum Bourne Memorial Rally in March.  His entry in Rally of Waitomo has been paid for by the NIRS, part of their support for up-and-coming young talent following similar gestures previously for both Zeal Jones and for Carlin Leong.  

Dave Strong/Rob Scott (Honda Civic) heads Class D (2WD 2000cc and over) from Phillip Broadbent (Toyota Starlet) and Tony Differ/Jayson Stringer in the ex-Herbert 500hp EX Lancer Turbo.  Making a return to the Class is Charlie Evans and co-driver Aroha Matangi (Mazda RX7).  

In Class E (Classic 2WD) Brent Taylor (Ford Escort Mk2) is leading Kyle Percival (Ford Escort Mk2). There is a strong Class entry for the event including Craig Tickle (BMW 2002), Nick Flanagan (Peugeot 205), Glenn Cameron (Mazda RX7) and Chris Alexander (Ford Cortina).  

Palmer leads Class F from Grimmer while Carlin Leong (Subaru Impreza) heads Class G (4WD 2001 and over) from Gavin Feast (Subaru Impreza).  

Kingsley Jones (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3) is first in Class I from Chris Burke/Stephen Taylor (Toyota Celica GT) in second.

Based at Piopio College in the township of Piopio, the event offers competitors two runs over three Special Stages totalling 80km along with 110kms of Touring.   The rally gets underway at 10am with the first car returning to Piopio at 2:30pm.  

The 2026 North Island Rally Series acknowledges and thanks these partners for their support: Hawkeswood Mining, Semog, Pure Quality Construction, Paddon Racing Group, iSignit, Ngatea Panelbeaters and Online Contractors.

Lonestar Rally Canterbury will feature some fan zones that will take spectating to all new levels of enjoyment in what will be a popular move by organisers.

Local media and promoter Jack Smith has been brought on by the rally to help with some new initiatives including the introduction of three fan zones.

They will be located in prime spectator viewing points – among the best in the entire country let alone at Lonestar Rally Canterbury – and will feature some next level initiatives to improve the viewing experience.

“We have set up some dedicated fan zones, which are essentially spectator locations but a bit more premium,” Smith explained.

“The first one will be the Mt Grey Fan Zone, which is at the hairpin of the Ashley Forest Rallysprint road.

“On location we will have a big screen, live commentary and we will have food trucks – all the elements to make for a great day.

“This will be Stage 1 uphill for the day and then Stage 8 down, so two chances to see the cars flying through the forest.

“The second fan zone is the Stonyhurst Fan Zone on the corner of Stonyhurst Road and Blythe Road in Stage 2 – this is a common one in the Canterbury Rally over the last few years, but it is an awesome spot to come view some rally cars.

“A natural amphitheatre with a grassy hill right above the corner so a great location to bring the family.

“We will have a BBQ there to raise money for a local school or rugby club.

“The third location of the day is the Broxton Road Fan Zone in Stage 6. It is an awesome spot to see rally cars flat out – on the limiter for about a kilometre prior to the intersection and then winding down into what we know as Ram Paddock Rd.”

Fans are encouraged to get to each spot early to secure a prime vantage point.

Lonestar Rally Canterbury begins on Saturday 30 May with a ceremonial opening at Lonestar Manchester Street, in the heart of Christchurch.

The action begins the next morning with stages north of the city before finishing with a stage using parts of Ruapuna Raceway.

New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard secured third place at WRC Croatia Rally, an unexpected and bittersweet podium finish for the pair after their Hyundai Motorsport teammates crashed out of the rally lead on the final stage.  

This was the first time that the Kiwis had contested this rally and only their second start for Hyundai this year, and Paddon’s second WRC start in eight years.  

Croatia’s narrow tarmac roads took their toll from Friday’s first stages with stones and dirt being pulled onto the road creating challenging conditions for all competitors. Punctures and crashes impacted one WRC competitor after another.

Meanwhile, Paddon and Kennard stuck to their plan of driving to the conditions and getting to the finish, earning praise as one of the standout drives of the rally.  

Paddon paid credit to the team’s hard work and admitted it was going to take a little while for the podium finish to sink in.  

“It’s a bittersweet way to be on the podium. That wasn’t our expectation at the start, but we stuck to our plan all weekend. It turned out to be one of those rallies that you had to survive. I had thought it wasn’t going to be an attrition rally, but I couldn’t have been more wrong on that. I’m gutted for the team when I know how much is going on behind the scenes and the hard work everyone puts in. They deserved the victory, Thierry as well.  

“Our plan this weekend was to be within 0.5 seconds per kilometres of our teammates and to get to the finish. We did that, and we were there to pick up the pieces – we didn’t want to be picking up ‘these’ pieces, so it’s going to take a bit for this podium finish to sink in after seeing Thierry crash out on the final stage.”  

Paddon’s last podium finish in a WRC event was in Australia in 2018 with British co-driver Seb Marshall; Kennard was with Paddon when they finished third in Poland for Hyundai Motorsport in 2016.  

With the start order for Friday and Saturday being determined by the driver’s championship standings, Paddon and Kennard started Friday’s eight stages ninth on the road. They knew they’d be dealing with debris being pulled onto the stage. While other Rally1 competitors hit problems, they kept it clean on the tricky stages, getting more comfortable in the car with every stage to finish the day in fourth position.  

They went into Saturday’s eight stages knowing the roads were slippery with debris and even more challenging than Friday’s. They weren’t immune to problems either, getting a puncture on the day’s longest stage. While they lost time on this stage, they had enough of a margin over fifth place to keep their fourth place by day’s end.  

“It was an afternoon of survival, especially the variable grip levels and a puncture on the long stage. Knowing we had to bring the car home, to make no mistakes adds to the stress levels. From my side, it’s finding that happy middle ground with enough pace and still bringing the car home to get points for the team.”  

Going into Sunday’s four stages with Hyundai teammate Thierry Neville in the lead, Paddon’s plan was to stay focused and secure fourth place. Neuville’s unexpected and sudden crash on SS20, the final stage, put Paddon and Kennard in the perfect position to finish as the top Hyundai competitor and secure their first WRC podium finish in nearly ten years.  

“It is hard to comprehend that we’re back on the WRC podium. A bit surreal to do this again with John and it’s been a journey together over the last 20+ years.  

“As a tarmac rally, it’s been challenging. The difference when you’re at the WRC level, you’ve got to be on the limit so much and that’s when mistakes happen a lot more – punctures, etc. Other ERC rallies are equally challenging as this rally, and you’ve got to treat them with respect. In the WRC, you’re trying to drive hell for leather but sometimes you’ve also got to drive to the conditions.”  

This result puts Paddon and Kennard into 11th place in their respective driver’s and co-driver’s championship standings.  

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, Design Windows, MITO, Repco, Machinery House, King Gee, KiwiFibre, Hankook, Z Energy, and Blaster.

Jack Stokes secured a maiden win in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship after finishing on the top step of the podium at the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally.

The younger Stokes produced a masterclass performance on Sunday to control the second day after a ding-dong battle between brother Robbie Stokes and Jack Hawkeswood on the opening day.

Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) finished one minute 34 ahead of Hawkeswood (Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris Rally2). Hawkeswood had been penalised two minutes on Saturday afternoon for checking out early at Service.

“It means everything – it has been months and months, so many hours you do,” Stokes said.

“Such an awesome job and so grateful to be in a position like this. “I certainly made a few mistakes – we definitely got lucky a couple of times. The car has been faultless; the team has been faultless.”

Robbie Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) had been in the thick of the battle before a suspension failure on a touring section saw him temporarily withdraw on Sunday morning. He was able to rejoin and grabbed the maximum power stage points after winning the iconic Kuri Bush stage.

Quentin Palmer (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) completed the podium in third place.

Japan’s Fuyuhiko Takahashi (Ford Fiesta Rally4) topped Spaniard Edgar Vigo Lopez (Suzuki Swift) in the NZRC 2WD class.

Ari Pettigrew secured a brilliant win in the Open 2WD class in his Porsche 911 and was the leading 2WD competitor and fourth overall. He led home Tim Mackersy (Ford Fiesta Rally4) and Dave Strong (Honda Jazz RS).

Phil Macquarie completed a solid drive in his Ford Escort RS1800 to take the win in the Historic 2WD class ahead of Mike Cameron (Mitsubishi Lancer).

Deane Buist (Ford Escort RS1800) completed another superb drive to take out the very first class win in the Classics class ahead of Derek Ayson (Opel Manta 400) and Ben Harding (Mazda RX7).

Jack Stokes also won the Junior category, Harri Silcock (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) was best Rookie, Vanuatu's Pierre-Henri Brunet (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) was best International and the Gold Card award went to Dave Strong. The next round is at Canterbury on King’s Birthday Weekend on Sunday May 31st.

Jack Stokes leads the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally by a little under two minutes after a challenging opening day of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.

Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) inherited the lead in a back-and-forth day of lead changes when Jack Hawkeswood (Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) checked out of a Service two minutes early and was handed a two-minute penalty.

Robbie Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) holds third place – a further 4.6 seconds behind. Stokes was earlier handed a time penalty as well for being late out the morning Service.

All three drivers led the event at stages during the day.

The biggest casualty was Dylan Thomson, who rolled his Palmside Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo on the fifth stage.

Japanese driver Fuyuhiku Takahashi (Ford Fiesta) leads Spaniard Edgar Vigo Lopez (Suzuki Swift) by three minutes in the FIA 2WD category.

Ari Pettigrew made a successful start to life in the Open 2WD class, ending the day in front in his Porsche 911. Tim Mackersy (Ford Fiesta Rally4) was second with defending class champion Dave Strong (Honda Jazz RS) in third.

Phil Macquarie (Ford Escort RS1800) leads the Historic 2WD class from Mark Parsons (Triumph TR7 V8) with Mike Cameron (Mitsubishi Lancer) holding down third.

The impressive Deane Buist (Ford Escort RS1800) made a successful transition to the new Classic class and took a big lead over Derek Ayson (Opel Manta 400) overnight. Ben Harding (Mazda RX7) was third.

Defending champion Caleb Macdonald won the one-day Rally Challenge 4WD class in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8, finishing ahead of Grant Blackberry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) and Thomas Paul (Subaru Impreza H6).

Paul took out the Group A Challenge for his efforts – beating home Josh Keighley and James Macdonald – both also in Subaru Impreza H6s.

Sean McAloon was the best of the Rally Challenge 2WD competitors, taking the win in his Ford Escort Mk2. Rory Lawn (Toyota Starlet) was second with Tony McConachy (Toyota Starlet Hyabusa) in third.

The rally continues on Sunday with another day of 8 high speed gravel stages.

With Hayden Paddon, so deservedly, back in the WRC and Ben Hunt stepping away from the NZRC after more than a decade at the sharp end of the championship, 2026 will be the first year in living memory that the NZRC will be contested without a Gold Star Drivers Champion participating.  

Even back in 2015 the 1985/1988 champion Brian Stokes ran an Escort in the Cat 4 Historic Rally Challenge category – co-driven by Amy, Robbie and Jack’s Mum, Anne.  

So, this year will have a very different look to who is fighting at the front, with undoubtedly the pre-season favorites being ‘2 x ‘Jacks’ and a double ‘Ace’, as two-time NZRC Round Winner Robbie Stokes – now his Skoda has been repaired – will lead away his younger brother Jack and Jack Hawkeswood from the Ceremonial Start of the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally in the Octagon on Friday evening.  

Since Jack Stokes joined the Cat 1 contingent, he has been a revelation, immediately setting the NZRC pace at Otago last year and repeating that front running form at the season ending Whangarei Rally last year.  

If you, respectfully, set aside Ben Hunt’s title winning performances throughout the season, where he won 27 stages on his way to winning four of the six rounds, these three top contenders fought tooth and nail against each other at almost every round.  

There was a total of 65 Stages contested last year, with Robbie completing 56 (after his BoP exclusion) and he beat the 2 x Jacks on 30 of those 56, making a 54% Strike Rate. Jack S set times on 54 stages – retiring on Leg 2 at Otago when closing in on Robbie for the Rally Lead, and unfortunately not a single stage at South Canterbury – for 24 fastest times (44%). Jack H completed all but 2 stages – after stopping in the second Pass of the Kakahu Forest stage at South Canterbury, when having his best run of the season, beating the Stokes brothers on all the preceding 6 stages. So, Jack made it through 63 stages for 11 ‘victories’ (17%).  

Both Jacks are in state-of-the-art cars this year with Jack S moving up from the Ford Fiesta AP4 into a Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo – to match his brother – while Jack H is in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 he got to debut at Whangarei, having been in an AP4 version for the other five rounds.  

And with these three Young Guns – all of whom have Gold Star winning fathers, after Andrew Hawkeswood won in 2017 (without winning a round) – it is highly likely that this year will see the first ever 2nd Generation National Champion.  

However, although they might not initially be on the pace of the leading trio, there are two other Skoda mounted peddlers who are very likely to come into contention as the season progresses.  

Dylan Thomson has been given the opportunity to drive the current championship winning car of the last two years – the ex-Ben Hunt Skoda – and the current North island Rally Series champion, Quentin Palmer, is doing a fine job in the similar spec ex-Raana Horan Skoda. Both are sure to be right there to take advantage of any opportunities that might come their way.  

So, all this means the total number of Outright NZRC Rounds won by the Class of 26 is just 3 – Robbie has 2 (Canterbury and Whangarei both last year) and Jack H with one – Otago 2024.

In fact, there is also only one Co-Driver calling notes this year who has stood on the top step of an NZRC Podium – Jason Farmer has done it 4 times, most recently with Jack H at Otago in 2024 and the other three with David Holder, twice in their championship winning year in 2016 at Whangarei and Gisborne (Evo8) and at Otago in 2017 in the Hyundai i20 AP4+.

So, the most successful NZRC participant at Otago is actually Dylan’s Skoda which Ben drove to 5 Round wins – 4 last year and the 2022 Rally Hawkes Bay.      

OTHER NZRC CATEGORIES  

While the Overall Championship will have a first-time winner come Rally Bay of Plenty at the end of October, several other categories have their defending title holders returning.  

Both the Rally Challenge and Cat 5A see Caleb Macdonald and Larisa Biggar back, albeit in a different Mitsubishi (Evo8) after their high-speed incident in the forest at BoP, and they can expect quite a battle from Hawkes Bay’s Grant Blackberry, who is also going for his second Rally Challenge title after he and Co-Driver Ric Chalmers won in 2018.  

Category 3 welcomes back the evergreen Dave Strong and Rob Scott, who certainly won’t have it all their own way this year, with double Junior Champion Ari Pettigrew running his new Porsche and Tim Mackersy opting for Cat 3 this year. Andy Martin is also due to join the fray with his Porsche after Otago.  

In Cat 5c young Josh Keighley and his Aussie offsider Neill Woolley will be favored to defend their title in the H6 dominated category. In fact, all six entries are in Subarus, and all are South Islanders.  

Defending Junior champ Jack Stokes is expected to dominate now Jack Hawkeswood is ‘too old’, but should he falter, there is a cluster of very rapid Cat 5ers – Josh Keighley, Thomas Paul moving into 4WD, the very quick young James McIver, Harri Silcock (in Dad John’s Evo 6), and Harri’s brother Josh in a Fiesta R2.

All six Juniors are 2nd Generation Drivers - with Josh Keighley actually a 3rd generationer – with Grandad Morrie Chandler and both his Mum, Suzanne and Dad, Andrew, who is competing in the Allcomers Division, while sister Amy is also in the Classic 4WDs in another H6 Impreza.  

Mike Cameron is back for a final fling in LILEVO and will be looking to retain the Gold Card title and match fellow Gold Carder Dave Strong’s two titles.  

Since it’s inception in 2024 the International Category has reached double figures this year, with five countries represented and we are very pleased to welcome back Vanuatu’s Nelson Law and Pierre-Henri Brunet as well as Fuyuhiko Takahashi from Japan. Irish/Aussies Glenn Alcorn and Richie Dalton return and have brought over compatriots Sean McAloon and Michael O’Hagan to experience the fabulous Otago roads. Aussie Robert Darrington also returns to Otago, Dakar Legend Toby Price will debut the Toyota GR Yaris Cup Car, and it’s a big Kia Ora to husband-and-wife team from Spain, Edgar Vigo Lopez and Fatima Ameneiro who are the TER Series champions.  

The 12 x Rookies are a diverse mix this year, with a few you might regard as anything but a Rookie. Juniors Harri and Josh Silcock and James McIver are expected and Rory Lawn is starting his sixth rally. Four of our Internationals are also new to the NZRC, which makes Michael O’Hagan, Sean McAloon, Edgar Vigo Lopez and none other than Toby Price eligible. Of the Kiwis, believe it or not, Derek Ayson, Mark Parsons, Roger McKay and Ben Harding are all first timers competing in the NZRC.    

CURRENT STAGE RECORDS  

With such a great selection of roads available to the Otago organisers, this 50th edition is running almost entirely on public roads and there are several stages in this No Repeat Stages route, that have not been used for some time.

One that caught my eye was Stage 3 Athenaeum – the 13km test west of the Lawrence Service Park – and is the reverse direction run of the well-known Cockleshell stage.

The current records were set way back in 2011 and the record holders are a who’s who of NZ rallying.

OVERALL: ANDREW HAWKESWOOD (Audi Quattro) 6:50.4 (114kph)

ALLCOMERS: BRIAN STOKES (Ford Escort Mk2) 7:17.5

CLASSICS: JEFF JUDD (Ford Escort RS1800) 7:26.1

KIWI 2WD: BEN HUNT (Ford Fiesta ST150) 7:43.5

So it will be interesting to see who comes away with the Family Bragging Rights come late Saturday morning, and how much they can beat these records by.  

AND FINALLY  

It has been brought to my attention (by the NZRC MRF Tyre Supplier) that last month at the Westland Rally, the Stage 8 Result could well be the first time a 2WD car has beaten a Rally2 outright on a gravel stage in this country.

Over the 17.76km Mitchells 2 - Deane Buist (Toyota Trueno) won the stage with a 9:41.2, which was 1.2 seconds faster than Dylan Thomson (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) 9:42.4.    

Enjoy the Rally and Thanks for Everything Morrie !