January | 25th | WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo | |
February | 15th | WRC Rally Sweden | |
18th | Targa Tarmac Rallysprint | ||
March | 16th | Targa Bambina | |
28th | WRC Safari Rally Kenya | ||
April | 12th | Rally of Otago | |
18th | WRC Croatia Rally | ||
28th | Piakonui Rd Rallysprint, Matamata - postponed | ||
May | 9th | WRC Rally de Portugal | |
11th | South Canterbury Rally | ||
19th | Jacks Ridge Rallysprint | ||
30th | WRC Rally Italia Sardegna | ||
June | 7th | Targa 2 Day Event - cancelled | |
22nd | Southern Lights Rally | ||
27th | WRC Rally Poland | ||
July | 7th | SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally | |
18th | WRC Rally Latvia | ||
27th | Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi | ||
August | 1st | WRC Rally Finland | |
18th | Hoddle Rd Rallysprint, Otorohanga | ||
September | 5th | WRC Acropolis Rally Greece | |
14th | Daybreaker Rally | ||
26th | WRC Rally Chile | ||
October | 5th | Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty | |
20th | Newstead Lodge Waitomo Rally, Piopio | ||
25th | Targa 4 Day Event | ||
31st | WRC Central European Rally | ||
November | 8th | International Rally of Whangarei | |
21st | WRC Rally Japan | ||
22nd | Silver Fern Rally |
January | 25th | WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo | |
February | 15th | WRC Rally Sweden | |
March | 28th | WRC Safari Rally Kenya | |
April | 18th | WRC Croatia Rally | |
May | 9th | WRC Rally de Portugal | |
30th | WRC Rally Italia Sardegna | ||
June | 27th | WRC Rally Poland | |
July | 18th | WRC Rally Latvia | |
August | 1st | WRC Rally Finland | |
September | 5th | WRC Acropolis Rally Greece | |
26th | WRC Rally Chile | ||
October | 31st | WRC Central European Rally | |
November | 21st | WRC Rally Japan |
April | 12th | Rally of Otago | |
May | 11th | South Canterbury Rally | |
June | 22nd | Southern Lights Rally | |
September | 14th | Daybreaker Rally | |
October | 5th | Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty | |
November | 8th | International Rally of Whangarei |
April | 28th | Piakonui Rd Rallysprint, Matamata - postponed | |
May | 19th | Jacks Ridge Rallysprint | |
July | 7th | SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally | |
27th | Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi | ||
August | 18th | Hoddle Rd Rallysprint, Otorohanga | |
October | 5th | Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty | |
20th | Newstead Lodge Waitomo Rally, Piopio |
February | 18th | Targa Tarmac Rallysprint | |
March | 16th | Targa Bambina | |
June | 7th | Targa 2 Day Event - cancelled | |
October | 25th | Targa 4 Day Event | |
November | 22nd | Silver Fern Rally |
2 days ago | Rally South Canterbury published | |
10 days ago | Hawkeswood beats Stokes for first ever NZRC win | |
Meeke’s hot pace gets him International Classic Rally win | ||
Young star Hawkeswood secures Otago Rally win | ||
13 days ago | Hawkeswood holds impressive Otago Rally advantage | |
Irish stars lead classic field at Otago Rally | ||
Rally of Otago: Start List for Leg 2 published | ||
2 weeks ago | Rally of Otago: Start List for Leg 1 published |
Jack Hawkeswood has held off a charging Robbie Stokes to claim his first ever win in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship at Rally Otago on Sunday.
Hawkeswood completed a start-to-finish win in his Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris and becomes the first second generation driver in history to win a round of the championship, following in the footsteps of father Andrew, who won the championship in 2017 and a pair of rallies in 2004.
It was also the first time Toyota has won a round of the championship since 1984 when Paul Adams and Jim Scott won the Tokoroa Rally and also the first-ever victory for a 3-cylinder engined car.
Stokes was superb himself in his Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4, also a second-generation driver, and scores his best ever finish in the process.
He finished the rally 17.8 seconds behind Hawkeswood, edging his young rival in the Power Stage – the iconic Kuri Bush.
Two-time national champion Ben Hunt was third in his Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally 2 evo and set a phenomenal time of 7 minutes 16.6s through Kuri Bush to claim the maximum five power stage points.
Hunt also secured the day points, edging both Stokes and Hawkeswood on Sunday times – with little separating the three over the Sunday Leg.
Local Dunedin driver Emma Gilmour recovered from an early incident on Saturday to finish fourth overall in her Vantage Citroen C3 while Zeal Jones nursed his Smith and Sons Skoda Fabia R5 home for fifth, running front wheel drive only on Sunday.
Dylan Thomson was terrific as he took a convincing win in the NZRC 2WD class in his Ford Fiesta Rally 4, and was first overall 2WD as well, finishing nearly three minutes ahead of rookie Jack Stokes (Ford Fiesta).
The younger Stokes enjoyed a brilliant debut that will give him plenty of confidence for the season ahead.
Tim Mackersy managed to chase down James Worker in a battle between two Ford Fiesta drivers for third in class and third overall in 2WD.
Willy Hawes survived the day to claim victory in the Open 2WD class in his Toyota GT86 while Paul Fraser won the Historic 2WD class in his Ford Escort.
The championship heads north to South Canterbury for round two next month on Saturday May 11th.
The Otago International Classic Rally has been won by Irishmen Kris Meeke and Noel O’Sullivan jnr, with their Sunday speed capping off a fine weekend.
The pair won all but one gravel stage on Saturday and followed it up with another impressive performance toon Sunday in a Ford Escort RS1800 that’s been driven by some of the sport’s greats.
Meeke is a five-time World Rally Championship event winner and on his debut on New Zealand roads, added his name to the list of internationals to win the Otago Rally.
That list includes the likes of Jimmy McRae, Pasi Hagstrom, Markko Martin and Mikko Hirvonen, and Meeke was grateful for his experience at the Dunedin-based event.
Second to Meeke on the leaderboard throughout the entirety of the weekend was longtime Otago Rally competitor Deane Buist.
Buist has won the International Classic Rally in three different types of cars over the years and used his trusty Escort to get himself another fine result.
John Silcock and Donna Elder rounded out the podium in their crowd-pleasing Mazda RX7 which was the only non Ford Escort to appear in the top nine positions and got there after a great drive all weekend long.
Richie Dalton made it three Irishmen near the top with his drive to fourth. After competing at the Otago Rally in four-wheel-drive cars previously, Dalton made the switch to a rented Ford Escort RS1800 this year and his result showed his talent behind the wheel.
He held off a fast-finishing Ally Mackay who, despite overheating issues, battled hard to reach a fine fifth overall in his Mk 1 Escort, ending just 6.2 seconds off fourth. Mackay and co-driver Mikko Johnston ended the event in great form, finishing the final three stages with top four stage times in the classics field.
Losing out in that day-long battle for the fifth position was Graham Ferguson, however, he’ll surely be content with his top six placing.
Tim McIver was seventh, while first-time Otago Rally competitor, Queenslander Tristan Carrigan, overcame brake problems on Saturday to finish in eighth place.
Stephen Gill was ninth, followed by the giant-killing performance from Jake Thomas’ Toyota Levin in tenth.
Day two of the Otago Rally was held in fine and sunny conditions near Lake Waihola, with little attrition affecting competitors throughout Sunday’s action, meaning many of the top positions remained unchanged.
The Rally is grateful for the support of Dunedin City Council Premier Event funding.
Jack Hawkeswood and Jason Farmer have won the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally after a wire-to-wire performance at the top of the leaderboard.
By winning the rally, the duo also clinched top place in both the Asia-Pacific and New Zealand Rally Championship fields in what is 23-year-old Hawkeswood’s best performance in his young career.
While it is Hawkeswood’s first Otago win, it’s his co-driver Farmer’s second Otago Rally success after his 2017 crown beside David Holder.
In what was a great showing for the future of the sport in New Zealand, the fight at the top was fast all weekend, with little more than 20 seconds separating the top two drivers on any occasion.
Over the first two stages of Sunday, Hawkeswood traded times with Robbie Stokes with the pair entering the first service halt with an identical gap to overnight.
Hawkeswood and second-placed Stokes continued to trade stage times during the day, however, it was the former’s rally, taking his Toyota GR Yaris AP4 to victory.
For Stokes, second place is his best result at the Otago Rally in seven starts and it hands a great start to he and co-driver Sarah Brennan in their national championship quest.
Sunday was a better day for third-placed Ben Hunt. His time was a record on the third stage of the day, Adams Flat, and he was the driver of the day, finishing fastest over the eight stages held.
Hunt was also able to win the final stage of the rally, Kuri Bush, in a near-record time. That time also secured him maximum bonus points on the New Zealand Rally Championship’s Power Stage.
Fourth and fifth places were swept up by the consistent Mike Young (Toyota Yaris AP4) and Todd Bawden (Ford Fiesta Rally2).
While both drivers were only running in the Asia-Pacific section of the field, their top five result in the event overall put them amongst the fastest drivers in the event.
Emma Gilmour, like the aforementioned Hunt, also had a better Sunday. The Dunedin driver clawed her way back up into the top four of the NZRC standings and sixth overall, giving her great championship points.
While Hunt and Gilmour moved up in the standings today, others were not so lucky.
Zeal Jones, a young driver in his first event in the top class of car, dropped from sixth to eighth due to mechanical issues. The Skoda Fabia R5 driver finished the day with front-wheel drive only, meaning he dropped significant time.
APRC competitor Gaurav Gill also couldn’t make it through. The third stage of the day was his downfall when he hit a hole and broke the suspension on his Hyundai.
Australian Stewart Reid, who held tenth overnight, also retired from the rally with power steering failure in his Mitsubishi Mirage AP4.
Of the two-wheel drive competitors, it was International Classic Rally star Kris Meeke who finished on top and in seventh overall ahead of Deane Buist, while Dylan Thomson was first of such finishers in the NZRC.
Canadian guest driver, Brandon Semenuk, had regained the second place he lost due to a puncture on Saturday, but the Classic 4WD Rally runner rolled on the final Kuri Bush stage, ruining any chance of a fairytale podium.
Ahead of Semenuk, it was Andrew and Hayden Graves who won the Classic 4WD category in a dominant performance across all 16 special stages.
In the Allcomers, leaders Caleb MacDonald and Larisa Biggar were unchallenged, but dramas for Tim McMillan and Julien Lenglet meant the top five looked much different from what it did after leg one.
Gavin Feast and Daniel Haines finished in second and third behind the winners, with Haines completing as the first two-wheel drive home.
Jack Hawkeswood has driven his Toyota GR Yaris AP4 expertly to lead the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally overnight.
Hawkeswood opened the rally by storming to the stage win on the ‘Black Rock’ test and would never look back through a clinical Saturday performance.
Clearly his best day in the New Zealand Rally Championship to date, Hawkeswood and new co-driver Jason Farmer never dropped below third on a gravel stage and took the opening two stage wins to set up his advantage.
Robbie Stokes and Sarah Brennan are second and were the crew who were the main challengers to the leaders all day.
The Ford Fiesta AP4 pairing are within striking distance of the rally lead, as is Indian driver, Gaurav Gill, competing only as part of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in Hayden Paddon’s Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Gill and New Zealand co-driver Jared Hudson had a consistent day on the fast and smooth stages and are 30 seconds off the lead.
To win his first Asia-Pacific and New Zealand Rally Championship event this weekend, leader Hawkeswood will have to remain in top form tomorrow.
Two-time national champion, Ben Hunt, is in fourth overall despite a slow start.
The top seed is more than a minute back of the leader and will require a strong Sunday to secure maximum New Zealand Rally Championship points, something he was aiming for at the start of the weekend.
Mike Young is also in the fight for a top APRC result. A much-improved afternoon series of stages leaves him just 13.9 seconds off Hunt, and his fifth place has him just ahead of Todd Bawden and first-time R5 driver, Zeal Jones. Jones lies an impressive fourth in the New Zealand Rally Championship component of the event.
Dunedin’s own Emma Gilmour started the event well, however, she hit a large hole, bending her front suspension on the second stage of the morning. She continued on to finish the day in tenth, but had to grapple with a car at less than 100% health.
Also in the top ten after a furious day of action is International Otago Classic Rally leader, Kris Meeke. Despite being in a classic Ford Escort RS1800, the former WRC driver is ahead of many more favourable four-wheel drive cars.
Also representing the classics is the Classic 4WD leader, Andrew Graves, who had an outstanding day in his Mitsubishi. Graves was battling with Canadian Brandon Semenuk for the lead in the class until the latter punctured and lost five minutes changing the tyre.
LEVIATHAN HOTEL ALLCOMERS RALLY In the Allcomers Rally, it was a day of changing leaderboards.
Although Caleb Macdonald and Larisa Biggar were on top at the first service and at the end of the day, the time in between saw them up and down.
Sean Haggarty and Mark McMillan both went ahead of the leaders after SS5, but only the latter would remain in contention. Haggarty retired with mechanical failure, while McMillan is still in the hunt, with 26.5 seconds to make up on the leader.
Julien Lenglet, Gavin Feast and Ray Wilson completed the top five.
SUNDAY'S ACTION In all, 144 kilometres of competitive driving took place on Saturday with another 130 to be driven on Sunday.
The second day’s action begins at 8:15am and concludes with the world famous Kuri Bush stage.
Kris Meeke and Noel O’Sullivan are the overnight leaders in the Otago International Classic Rally after a high-class display on stages held south of Dunedin, near Lawrence.
Meeke is one of the guest drivers of the event and, in a borrowed car, was cautious to begin with, but soon gained enviable confidence on the fast and flowing Otago roads.
The Rossendale Wines Ford Escort RS1800 is his steed for the weekend, and he was quick to compliment the car as he got to grips with it.
A five-time World Rally Championship event winner, Meeke won all but one gravel stage during the day, giving him a clear advantage at the rally’s halfway point.
He capped off the day’s action with a crowd-pleasing display on the popular Tarmac Super Stage in downtown Dunedin and finished with a lead of over a minute and a half.
A three-time former winner of the Otago Classic, Deane Buist, lies behind Meeke in second and is clearly the ‘best of the rest’.
Buist and co-driver Karl Celeste sit behind the Irish leader, and with a significant gap behind them to third, shouldn’t need to take risks to hold their second place position on Sunday. They’ll be hoping for a clean run to continue their remarkable record on the rally.
The gaps get much closer behind the final podium position, which is currently held by John Silcock’s Mazda RX7. Silcock and Donna Elder are flying the Mazda flag, and are ahead of another Ford Escort RS1800 of Richie Dalton and Lisa Hudson, by 24.6 seconds.
Dalton, a former Australian Rally Championship front runner, showed his consistency across the day and rose from seventh to fourth after the final stage of the day.
Graham Ferguson is in fifth, just 20 seconds behind Dalton, and also has pressure behind from the spectacular Mk1 Ford Escort of Ally Mackay.
Mackay was lying in third during the middle of the day, but lost time on the long Cityforest stage and now sits as the final member of the top six.
Elsewhere, Kiwi youngster Ari Pettigrew was fast out of the blocks but went off the road on stage five, losing minutes. He would remain in the rally, but was well down the leaderboard.
Australians Tristan Carrigan and Neill Wooley in a rented Ford Escort were in the top five after two stages, but lost all front brakes shortly after, putting paid to their hopes of a result near the top. They sit in tenth overnight.
The other non-Ford Escort in the top 10 is Jake Thomas’ Toyota Levin in ninth.
Sunday’s action takes place on some of the most famous rally stages of the Otago region, concluding with the 15km of Kuri Bush.
The final podium presentation takes place at the Brighton Domain at 2:45pm
Zeal Jones has announced he will campaign a Skoda Fabia R5 in the 2024 New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) with Waverley Jones sitting in the co-driver’s seat.
Winner of the 2023 Elite Motorsport Academy, as well as representing the Winmax Junior Driver Program, it will be Jones’ second full NZRC season after competing in and winning the 2023 Rally Challenge category. Driving a 1993 Subaru Impreza, the 19-year-old also finished second in the Junior Championship.
“This season is another year in our chapter where we have big ultimate goals and we’ll follow a methodical plan to complete these for years to come,” commented Jones. “However, we have other internal goals with the new car to complete rally by rally to work towards winning the Junior Rally Championship and Overall Elite Motorsport Academy.
“The Skoda is a factory built car so I expect it to be reliable, agile and obviously a lot faster. This car is an old generation model but to me it’s like brand new.
“It is also a bit smaller in size so it will be nimble and fun to drive. We look forward to see how we shape up against the “Top” teams as the youngest competitor in the NZRC in a more competitive car.”
Jones opens his NZRC campaign at the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally, 12 - 14 April 2024, having also won the Otago Rally Scholarship. The Skoda R5 was previously driven by Zeal’s uncle, Kingsley Jones and originally by Esapekka Lappi.
The opening round of the Generator Rental Services North Island Rally Series has been moved to a new date after the organising committee decision to postpone the rally in the light of the recent tragic accident at the Arcadia Road rallysprint.
The Ventia Rally of Dargaville, Tunatahi, was set to go this Saturday with a strong entry list and instead will take place on Saturday 27 July 2024.
“The unfortunate passing of Brooklyn Horan and Tyson Jemmett has affected the whole rally community,” commented Series coordinator Marty Roestenburg. “It is appropriate to pause while we all take some time to grapple with the enormity of this happening. Many are very close to or know both families and the rally committee thought it respectful and appropriate to move the rally to a later date.”
The Ventia Rally of Dargaville will now become the third event on the NIRS calendar with the season now to get underway with the Piakonui Rd Rallysprint, Matamata, 28 April 2024.
The first of two rallysprint events will see competitors competing over the same stretch of road with timed multiple passes. Hosted by the Thames Valley Car Club, competitors will be flat out for 7kms including only one 200 metre straight in the quiet backdrop of the Richmond Ranges.
The six-round Generator Rental Services North Island Rally Series will be contested over a variety of road surfaces including tarmac and incorporating both local Clubsport events through to participating in a New Zealand Rally Championship round.
Generator Rental Services 2024 North Island Rally Series Calendar
Rd1 Sunday 28 April – Piakonui Rd Rallysprint, Matamata
Rd2 Sunday 7 July – SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally, Stratford
Rd3 Saturday 27 July – Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi
Rd4 Sunday 18 August – Hoddle Rd Rallysprint, Otorohanga
Rd5 Saturday 5 October – Battery Town Bay Rally (NZRC), Whakatane
Rd6 Sunday 20 October – Newstead Lodge Waitomo Rally, Piopio
Prominent Indian businessman, Vamcy Merla, is now the promoter of the Otago Rally’s Asia-Pacific Rally Championship Pacific Cup. He will provided significant support, including through his business Maitri Estates. His support of the rally will be a huge boon for competitors in the APRC component of the event, with prizemoney of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 for the first three placegetters.
Merla and his business, Maitri Estates, is a long time supporter of Indian motorsport in many forms, and 2024 will be his second year involved with the APRC.
“I have always been passionate about promoting rallying in India and in the Asia-Pacific region,” Merla said. “I am delighted to be the promoter of the Otago Rally APRC Pacific Cup, and supporting both the competitors and organisers makes the sport stronger. The Otago Rally has a big reputation for providing an outstanding event.”
Rally promotions manager, Roger Oakley, added: “Vamcy Merla’s support is hugely appreciated. The prizemoney is a significant incentive for competitors and we encourage all those who are eligible to register for the Asia-Pacific Championship component of the event.”
The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is the first round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship and also includes the famed Otago International Classic Rally.
The rally is the second of six rounds of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, with the series ‘grand finale’ to be held at the Rally of Whangarei in the North Island in early November.
The Otago Rally gratefully acknowledges the Premier Event grant support of the Dunedin City Council.
Please be advised that the Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi has been postponed until further notice to give respect to the boys, their whanau, the officials and competitors at this unprecedented and difficult time.
Please support and take care of each other.
American Rally Association champion Brandon Semenuk will make his first New Zealand rally appearance when he contests the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally in mid-April.
The mountain biker racer turned rally driver from Whistler, Canada, will be a guest driver in the event, taking the wheel of a Subaru Impreza H6 – a normally aspirated six-cylinder four-wheel drive.
Now a two-time American rally champ for the factory Subaru USA team, Semenuk won’t be chasing an outright win in the rally, but rather heading to New Zealand as a sort of ‘rallying holiday’ to sample the famed Otago Rally stages.
“Competing in New Zealand is something I’ve wanted to do for some time. They have fantastic rallying roads, a great community and a strong championship,” Semenuk said.
“I can’t wait to be part of the Otago Rally. An opportunity to drive Jeff Judd’s classic 4WD Subaru was too good to turn down.
“I’m there for fun, but that won’t stop me from seeing what I can do,” he added.
Semenuk’s Subaru will compete in the Classic 4WD section of the rally, and his participation in the event is sure to boost spectator numbers and interest from those outside the rallying family.
As an X Games gold medalist and a three-time Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour winner, he has a global reputation and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
“Having the current USA Rally Champion at Otago is really great news,” event spokesman Roger Oakley said.
“We’ve watched the US championship go from strength to strength, and Brandon’s entry will create a lot of interest within each county’s rallying communities.
“The fans are in for a treat getting to see him compete.”
The Subaru that Semenuk will drive has previously contested the Otago Rally in the hands of BMX racer Sarah Walker, and triple Olympic Games gold medal-winning rower, Hamish Bond.
He will be partnered by his regular co-driver, Keaton Williams.
The Otago Rally over the weekend of April 13 and 14 in and around Dunedin in the country’s South Island and Semenuk and over 100 other competitors will tackle 14 timed special stages over a distance of 280 kilometres.
It is also the first round of the Brian Green Properties NZ Rally Championship and receives the support of Dunedin City’s Premier Event fund.
For further information on the 2024 Otago Rally, head to www.otagorally.com
Rally South Canterbury |
Rally of Otago |
Pos | Driver | Total |
---|
1 | Jack Hawkeswood | 2:18:03.2 | |
2 | Robbie Stokes | +17.8 | |
3 | Ben Hunt | +53.1 | |
4 | Mike Young | +2:23.3 | |
5 | Todd Bawden | +4:48.1 | |
6 | Emma Gilmour | +6:42.8 | |
7 | Kris Meeke | +7:19.5 | |
8 | Zeal Jones | +8:34.8 | |
9 | Andrew Graves | +8:55.0 | |
10 | Deane Buist | +10:56.8 | |
11 | Caleb MacDonald | +10:59.8 | |
12 | Dylan Thomson | +11:35.1 | |
13 | Jack Stokes | +14:35.0 | |
14 | Gavin Feast | +15:43.0 | |
15 | John Silcock | +15:43.9 | |
16 | Daniel Haines | +16:19.6 | |
17 | Gareth O'Hara | +16:35.3 | |
18 | Richie Dalton | +16:39.8 | |
19 | Lukas Ramsay | +16:43.0 | |
20 | Ally Mackay | +16:46.0 |