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Australia & New Zealand 2026 Championships

saco0o

saco0o

Senior member
For the Aussies:
1 Queensland 17-19 April
2 Western Australia 22-24 May
3 New South Wales 26-28 June
4 Tasmania 14-16 August
5 South Australia 2-4 October
6 Victoria 20-22 November

For the Kiwis:
1 Otago 10-12 April
2 Canterbury 31 May
3 Southland 18 July
4 Hawke's Bay 22 August
5 Whangarei 25-26 September
6 Bay of Plenty 31 October
 
Zeal Jones posted a few days ago: "@tgr_nz @rallyracegroup "GR Yaris Cup" Launch event earlier this week. Excited to see what this brings to New Zealand come 2027 when the championship begins. Huge testament to my learnings in the past year are down to what the GR Yaris can teach you as a driver to maximise stage times and ultimately rally wins."

Be interesting to see how well this goes for NZ Rallying.

GR Yaris Rally Cup NZ (nz$170K inc gst, less than an AP4 or Rally2, more than the front wheel drive Ford Fiesta (used from Europe)


https://youtu.be/sqNF7sTN4jo?si=5GVkVfM5SIVmeba8
 
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Toby Price to drive Toyota GR Yaris Force Motorsport Kiwispec at the 50th anniversary Otago Rally.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DUCqDJ6EV62/

The Possum Bourne Memorial Rally held on the 21st March, 2026 in the West Waikato area that has previously been used for WRC events.

1 J Hawkeswood GR Yaris AP4 - 1 hour 26 minutes
2 Q Palmer Skoda Fabia Rally2 EVO 39 seconds
3 A Hawkeswood 4min 13 down
4 M Grimmer Mazda 323 4WD 5 min 37 down

Current NZ Rally Champion Ben Hunt was driving a zero car - the ex Bourne (Kangas, K Eriksson, A McRae, E Gilmour) WRC Subaru.
https://youtu.be/gKKQX7XaI58?si=doKaZv-d7CqSCYgt

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Dylan and Bayden Thomson's entry for NZRC '26 in Ben's championship winning Fabia EVO Rally2.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWQB5ScEi72/
 
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The passing of Morris David (Morrie) Chandler: 1940-2026 has been noted.

A former Vice-President for Sport with the FIA.

https://speedcafe.com/motorsport-ne...-new-zealand-statement-comments-reaction-fia/

President of MANZ/ Motorsport New Zealand from 1977 to 1998
Added to the MSNZ Wall of Fame (1998)

A long time rally competitor from the early 1970s to the mid-1990s. Drove makes from Skodas to Mazdas though Mitsubishi cars were the preferred brand.

Morrie was a fairly key component in introducing and retaining the World Rally Championship Rally in New Zealand, especially after the skip years of 1981 and 1996.

https://nzrallychamps.co.nz/rallying-legend-morrie-chandler-passes-away/
 
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Week of the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally. Could be 140 cars to start, depending on what happens.

The Classic rally section is headlined by Meeke (Escort), Buist (Escort), Ostberg (RX3), and Hagstrom (Porsche 911 Carrera RS)

Results - stage etc on chrissport nz

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Shakedown - Ostberg, Meeke, Dalton, Hagstrom, J Hawkeswood

Dalton's new Escort Mark 2 plus. 2.5 litre KGP - KGP Engineering (Kevin Gallagher ) Letterkenny, Ireland. Holinger 6 speed sequential, Atlas diff, Group 4 parts, 4 way Reigers, Motec ECU, Oisin McLaughlin assembled - MCL M-Sport (Tamborine, Queensland, Australia)

https://youtu.be/vNlII97buwg?si=Rx1nnqiHYGxrp7Vt

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Colin Clark with Ally Mackay - the analyst.

20 – The Numbers Game!

https://youtu.be/ebdmGdbojyA?si=US8jJyFJ5HVxG8ju

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After Day 1 - Jack Stokes - Skoda 2. Alex Rullo (Aus) Hyundai Rally 2 3. Emma Gilmour (Citroen) (Problems for Robbie Stokes, Jack Hawkeswood and Dylan Thomson) Pettigrew impressed in Porsche. Meeke fastest in the classics as expected. ( Mads Ostberg - mechanical in the RX3). (Windy with dry , dusty roads)
 
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ARC - Australian Round 1 2026 - Queensland (Based around Gympie)

Day 1 - H Bates 2 S Pedder 3 L Bates 4 J Long

Harry Bates was in front for the day. Harry won 4 stages and nearly a fifth with Pedder. Lewis Bates won the street stage both times it was run and won the power stage.

Jackson Long - young driver in a Fabia did well for 4th.

Sundays run - has 2 stage live streams 9.35 am (Queensland time) and 2pm (Queensland time)

Harry Bates won the 2nd heat.

Harry won 6 stages including the power stage. Scott Pedder was fastest on one stage.

Next round in WA in the third week of May.
 
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Canterbury Rally 31st May, 2026 Round 2 of NZRC 2026.

https://canterburyrally.nz/ (spectator guide and info)

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Forest Rally on in Western Australia this weekend. (ARC round 2)

Heat 1 - Harry Bates lead into the last stage but had a puncture, that was changed causing delay (position 6)
1 Scott Pedder 2 Lewis Bates 3 A Rullo

Heat 2 - Scott Pedder punctured on the penultimate stage 11 (front right).

1 Harry Bates 2 Lewis Bates +16.9 seconds 3 Scott Pedder +1 min 45.3 sec 6th Tom Kristensson +5min 58 sec
 
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NZRC - Round 2 Canterbury - after 5 of the 9 stages.

1. Jack Stokes 10.3 seconds in front of 2. Jack Hawkeswood 3. Palmer at 1 minute 7.2 4. Pettigrew at 1 minute 16 5. Hunt at 1 minute 45.4

Jack Stokes lost the front bumper. Robbie Stokes went off. Quite dusty in the forest.

At the end

1. J Hawkeswood 2. Jack Stokes 3. Palmer and 4. Pettigrew 5. Hunt

Hawkeswood got ahead on the last forest stage in the dust Stage 8 and held on over stage nine to win by 0.2 seconds.

Pettigrew got ahead of Palmer at the end of stage 6, but Palmer came back on stage 9 to take 3rd by 3 seconds.

Hunt was fastest on the stage 9 race circuit stage.
 
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Australian Rally Championship 27/28 June 2026 Narooma Forest Rally, New South Wales. Mildly dusty conditions and gravel road sweeping required.

Heat 1. Harry Bates 7.9 seconds 2. Scott Pedder 23.5 seconds 3. Lewis Bates

Heat 2. Running order was Lewis Bates, Harry Bates and Scott Pedder. Day 2 was mainly twisty and dusty gravel through forest. 6 stages (3 x2) Heat 2 was a tough battle between Harry Bates and Scott Pedder. Harry Bates won stages 7, 8, 9 by only narrow margins on old man Pedder (50). Pedder won stage 10 to reduce the gap to 4.3 seconds from Harry Bates' lead. Harry Bates added more weight to the right foot for stage 11 (Harry won) to be 7.8 seconds ahead of Pedder going into the final King Cobra stage 12. (Power Stage). Lewis Bates won the Power stage 12, 3 seconds quicker than Harry. Harry 5.8 seconds quicker than Pedder.

End order heat 2 1. Harry Bates gap 13.6 seconds 2. Scott Pedder 25.7 seconds in front of 3. Lewis Bates.
 
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Round 3 NZ - Barry Robinson Memorial Rally, Southland.

NZRC 1 Jack Stokes 2 Jack Hawkeswood 3 Robbie Stokes

Paddon was quickest overall.

Inside Line (Motorsport NZ) Episode 20 - features interviews with Ben Hunt (4 times NZ Rally Champion) and Jared Hudson (Paddon's fill in co-driver). Hunt mentions new Rally2's look like $800K in NZ dollars plus require a NZ$100K spares pack to keep on hand in NZ.
 
NZ Mid-winter rally car tune up at the Phillips Road Gravel Sprint, Tarras, Central Otago. Up the road from where Paddon is based.
VW Polo, Subaru, Escort Mk2. Snow on the hills. (one of the autocrosses run elsewhere had snow on the ground)

Video on youtube. title ' Phillips Road Gravel Sprint.
 
Subaru Wilderness Rally Tasmania 2026 - Round 4 of the ARC.

Day 1 - 1 Lewis Bates 2 Scott Pedder 3 Harry Bates. H Bates lead until the last stage of the day when he put the Yaris off the road, he was to get to the end of the stage but the car was too damaged to be out for Sunday's stages. Pedder was second but Lewis Bates caught him at the end.

Day 2 - Harry Bates joined the commentary team. 1 Lewis Bates 2 S Pedder 3 Jackson Long taking his first podium.

4. Bodie Reading (local Tasmanian) 5 Toby Price 6 Riley Walters
 
Rally Hawkes Bay Round 4 - NZRC. Heavy rain days prior to the event resulted in a significant route change and cancellation/ reordering of the Northern Hawkes Bay rally stages.

In the end 4 stages were run. 1. J Hawkeswood 2. R Stokes 3. J Stokes. Hawkeswood made a break on the first stage.

Overall for the event. 1 H Paddon - tuning up for Paraguay as a Class F allcomers entry.
2 J Hawkeswood (Yaris Rally 2) Class 1
3 R Stokes (having good run on the twisty at times roads)
4 J Stokes (first time on the Hawkes Bay roads)
5 Q Palmer (closer to the 3 NZRC above than before)
6 G Blackberry (Evo X - went well on the early open stages)
7 Zeal Jones (back in the old Subaru WRX)
8 Toby Price - steady run in the Yaris Cup car
9 W Menzies - Yaris Cup car
10 C Gracie
11 J Clendon - former Asia Pacific FIA Star contender (2022) making a rally return.
(Notable mention - Richard Mason returning for the first rally in 4 years, in the old 'slow' bug eye Impreza, 6 -first stage, 5th -2nd stage before overheating of the car intervened) (Nelson Law went off after the flying finish of the first stage. Good to see the safety systems to red flag/ halt the stage worked)

Mohaka Coach Road - Paddon. Big screen the vid?

Full Stage Rally POV - PADDON/HUDSON - Rally Hawkes Bay
 
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The Provisional Calendar for the 2027 Australian Rally Championship has been released.

Round 1 - Gympie, Queensland 9-11 April
Round 2 - Nannup, Western Australia 21-23 May
Round 3 - Burnie, Tasmania 2-4 July
Round 4 - Gippsland, Victoria 13-15 August
Round 5 - Mount Barker(Adelaide Hills), South Australia 15-17 October
Round 6 - Narooma, New South Wales 19-21 November

Probably some queries about the date allocations for some of the locations. Tasmania in July could be brisk. Narooma at the end of November could be a dust fest or fire risk/ forest closure. (Alternative calendar -skip a year for WA in 2027 and move the events a month/s earlier for 5 rounds). The year that Qu skips, have a Bathurst or Canberra rally to start the championship instead of Narooma, and have Adelaide as finale rally)

speedcafe.com

Australian Rally Championship reveals six-round 2027 calendar

All six events from the current season will return next year, although half of the calendar has been moved to
speedcafe.com speedcafe.com
 
9 days till the 2026 International Rally of Whangarei (IROW). 25th September to 27th September. Round 5 of the NZRC.

Similar gravel stages to last year. Saturday has stages to the West of Whangarei. Sunday is the tight group of roads to the south-west of Whangarei.

There is a surprise entry. (The entry being Ben Hunt in the Force Motorsport AP4 Mazda 2 - the nz title winning car from 2017. Would expect the car to be a bit slow with the Skodas etc now) The roads are expected to have rain over the next few days so are unlikely to overly dusty for the rally.

www.rallywhangarei.co.nz

Home - :: International Rally of Whangarei ::

Welcome to the Vertex Lubricants International Rally of Whangarei, bringing the rally rockstars to the Whangarei & Kaipara districts on the 25-27 September 2026.
www.rallywhangarei.co.nz www.rallywhangarei.co.nz

This weekend is the Ashley Forest Rallysprint in the Central South Island. Paddon is trying to break the 50 second mark in the Hyundai. Rod Millen was the first to go under 60 seconds at the course.

Developing a Hillclimb Monster - Technical overview (Should that be Rallysprint Monster?) from Paddon's YouTube.

Fast though dusty road at Ashley Forest. Run in spring conditions of fine and windy weather.
The late Possum Bourne's son Spencer had a few runs in a Subaru.

Sunday - Paddon set a course record in the final 2 runoff of 51.20. Neil Webb - mirage was second with 57.21 and Mike Tall third.

Ari Pettigrew set a 2wd record in the Porsche less than a minute. (Chris Hey had won the 2wd title 16 times previosuly)

Other Noteworthy efforts. Kingsley Jones less than a minute in the Fabia R5, Emma Gilmour driving both the Citroen R5 and Suzuki Swift AP4 (swapping left/ right side steering wheels), Mike Wellington in the old Evo 8 until a mechanical. Stewart Reid in the Escort and (H6 - to be exported to Aus?). Some of the younger drivers starting to make their mark as they gain experience.
 
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Rally of Whangarei held over the weekend. Jack Hawkeswood in the Rally2 Toyota GR Yaris coming through to win the NZ Rally Driver's title as a result of the weekend's action.

Stage 1-(12km) Hawkeswood, Robbie Stokes, Jack Stokes
Stage 2 (25km)Hawkeswood, Robbie, Jack Stokes
Stage 3 (25km) Robbie, Mike Young, Jack Stokes = Jack Hawkeswood.
Stage 4 (23km) Jack Stokes , Hawkeswood, Mike Young (Robbie Stokes short delay 45 seconds down on Jack S's time)

Stage 5 - Jack Stokes big crash and required Medical check. Stage cancelled.
Stage 6 - Pettigrew put the Porsche off the road.

Day 1 - Hawkeswood, Robbie Stokes, Mike Young, Palmer.

Day 2 - Ended the same.

Hunt had some mechanical delays in the Mazda 2 AP4 & first rally in the car adjusting but it appears the Rally 2 cars were better suited to the Northland rally.

Last round Rally Bay of Plenty, 31st October.
 
Adelaide Hills Rally, South Australia - Round Five of the Australian Rally Championship (2-4th Octobber, 2026)

Harry Bates drew 3 for road order, Pedder 2 and Lewis 1st on road.

Saturday Heat 1 - Lewis Bates 2 Scott Pedder +4.7 secs 3 Harry Bates +9.7 secs 4 Jackson Long 1 min 37 seconds. Light rain made for tricky conditions with the likes of Jackson Long having incidents.

Sunday Heat 2. Pedder put the car off the road after a steel post broke a steering in the day's first stage.

1. Harry Bates 2. Lewis Bates +19.9 secs 3. Jackson Long +1 minute 6 seconds. Jackson Long was impressive in heat 2 in the R5 Skoda, beating one of the 2 Toyotas on 2 stages, and staying in close on the other stages of the day.

Points going to last round. Lewis Bates 465, Pedder 424 Harry Bates 385.
 
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