Rally New Zealand are proud to announce the six co-drivers who have been selected to participate in the 2019 Rally New Zealand Co-driver Academy, to be held in Auckland on April 5-7. This year the Academy is being run pre season to allow entrants to apply their knowledge for a full season.

2019 marks the third occasion that Rally New Zealand has run the academy which sees co-drivers train with experienced professionals Alex and Rhianon Gelsomino on all aspects of the co-driving role. The pair have forged careers competing all around the world and have included victories in rounds ...    more...

This year brings a new era for Paddon Rallysport as the team behind Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon embarks on fresh plans with an international focus from their new base at Highlands Motorsport Park in Central Otago, New Zealand.

The first step has been for the team to lease a state-of-the-art workshop at Highlands, right near the pit straight of the world-class racing circuit. The 500 sq. m workshop’s location means Paddon Rallysport has great testing facilities literally on their doorstep in one of the most visually-spectacular regions of the world.

“Paddon Rallysport ...    more...

For the first time, this year's Otago Rally will be a qualifying round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), with the event hosting round one of its Pacific Cup.

After a significant revamp after the 2018 APRC, the series is looking to re-invent itself by increasing the number of qualifying rounds, and encouraging more competitors to take part.

The FIA APRC has been in existence for more than 30 years and past winners include New Zealand greats Possum Bourne and Rod Millen, along with multiple World Rally Champion, Carlos Sainz, and more recently, current WRC competitor ...    more...

Subaru brand ambassador Ben Hunt is now the official owner of the purpose-built Subaru WRX STI rally car.

Subaru of New Zealand gifted ownership to him after three years in this production-based model.

Subaru have been sponsoring Hunt since the end of 2013. In recognition of his rallying talents, he was taken on as a brand ambassador in 2015. The company offered him the use of a brand-new production model Subaru WRX STI, which he had converted to a rally car.

His Hunt Motorsports team, alongside Speedhub Motorsport, spent countless hours transforming the Subaru WRX ...    more...

Winmax Brakes and Paddon Rallysport have signed on as the naming rights sponsor for the 2019 Otago Classic Rally.

The new partnership is great news for the rally, and also coincides with Hayden Paddon's announcement that he will contest the 2019 Otago Rally in his Hyundai i20 AP4+.

"We're delighted to welcome Winmax Brakes and Paddon Rallysport to the family of supporters for the Otago Rally," event spokesman, Roger Oakley, said.

"Winmax are the first choice for many competitors at all levels of the sport and we are proud to be associated with such a ...    more...

The 2019 International Rally of Whangarei is shaping up to be a great international event.

The 2019 event will include a re-invigorated Clubmans event (ROW), a new classic 2wd class run to the Otago Classic rules and changes to the FIA APRC event, to cater to all teams and spectators. The recent changes to the APRC for 2019 (reg’s released soon) provide our NZ crews a huge opportunity to do the first two rounds of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship and qualify for the final in India, the shootout for the crown of 2019 Asia ...    more...