A five-round Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship for 2021 has been confirmed by championship organisers and MotorSport New Zealand today.

Rally Coromandel, based out of Whitianga, will serve as the championship’s finale on September 7, joining the previously announced Otago Rally, International Rally of Whangarei, Rally South Canterbury and Rally Hawke’s Bay on the 2021 schedule.

Organisers decided five rounds would be a more sensible way for the championship to return after the COVID-19 pandemic saw the cancellation of the 2020 championship.

“We understand the challenges everyone is still facing in the wake of COVID,” championship coordinator Blair Bartels said....more...

Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen produced a stunning drive on Sunday to win the inaugural Repco Battle of Jacks Ridge after beating Phil Campbell in the head-to-head final.

The 2020 Bathurst winner had been fast all day, showcasing his phenomenal and adaptable talent behind the wheel of any car, and threw down a staggering time of 1.20.00 in the final.

Campbell fought valiantly but wasn’t able to match Van Gisbergen in front of a capacity 5,000-strong crowd in the stunning Whitford location.

Earlier WRC star Hayden Paddon had set the record time during the early runs before he made a small mistake towards the end of his top-eight run and clipped the bank, which fired him into a roll and out of the event.

Paddon wasn’t hurt in the incident and graciously waved to fans that had come out to see him in action....more...

Emma Gilmour is relishing the opportunity to compete in two, top-level national events this weekend, with the City of Auckland Rally on Saturday, followed by Sunday’s Repco Battle of Jacks Ridge Rallysprint.

The Dunedin rally driver will head out on the 121km, eight-stage City of Auckland Rally after completing the two-pass recce this week. The final stage is Jacks Ridge, in Whitford, which was purpose-built as a power-stage for the 2020 WRC Rally New Zealand. This event was subsequently cancelled in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It features 6.3km of stunning gravel road, which rally competitors will drive on Saturday. Then on Sunday, its 2.2km spectacular, jump-filled, high-speed-cornered mid-section will form the Battle of Jacks Ridge Rallysprint stage.

Emma was involved in the Jacks Ridge promotional video and has seen the impressive piece of road first-hand....more...

Kiwi Mike Young and Beckwith come from behind to be crowned West Australian Rally Champions November 9, 2020

 Mike Young and Scott Beckwith have clinched their first Western Australian Rally Championship amidst a dramatic year of COVID-19, close finishes and last-minute entries.  

What began as a one-off event at the Forest Rally in September, quickly turned into a stunning championship-winning season. Young’s clean sweep of victories proved his driving class, while also proving the speed and reliability of his Maximum Motorsport Subaru.  

Heading into yesterday’s Safari Darling Rally, Young’s absence at the championship’s first event meant he still had to rely on his rivals’ results while also winning the event himself. Fortunately for Young, however, luck was on his side early in the Jarrahdale event.  ...more...

Finnish World Rally Championship legend, Mikko Hirvonen, will contest next year’s International Classic Otago Rally in a huge coup for the New Zealand event.  

The winner of 15 World Rally Championship (WRC) events, Hirvonen retired from the top level of rallying at the end of the 2014 season, but will drive a Ford Escort RS1800 for the Rossendale Wines team in the Dunedin based event.

Hirovnen's entry into the event will be subject to COVID-19 restrictions allowing for his entry into New Zealand at the time.  

The 40-year old is looking forward tackling the famous South Island rally for the first time. “I have been aware of the Otago Classic Rally for a number of years, and it has always been an event that I wanted to do one day,” Hirvonen said. “I have competed in Rally New Zealand many times, but have never competed on the South Island roads.  

“The attraction of competing on these roads in a legendary BDA Escort is irresistible.  ...more...

Defending champion Carter Strang of Wallacetown and co-driver Stewart Robbie lead the seedings for the MLT/Heartland Hotels Ernslaw One Limited Rankleburn Rally 2020 this Saturday. The duo dominated last year’s event and are favourites again this year.

Invercargill driver Mark McMillan will be the second seed in his Subaru Legacy RS. McMillan, a very competitive driver in a Subaru Impreza WRX some years ago, has returned in recent years in a Subaru Legacy RS with a livery which pays tribute to the late Colin McRae, the 1995 World Rally Champion. Regular co-driver Murray Wright will sit alongside McMillan in the event.

Jeremy McIlwrick of Winton with Bradley Dawson in the co-driver seat is the third seed in his Mitsubishi EVO 4. McIlwrick was sixth in the event last year.

Fourth seed, Australian driver John Spencer now domiciled in Dunedin, has fashioned an outstanding record in a variety of cars on both sides of the Tasman. This year he is at the wheel of an EVO 7....more...