Rally driver Jack Stokes has been announced as the winner of the Bruce McLaren Trophy for 2025 awarded to the top-performing athlete from the Elite MotorSport Academy of New Zealand camp.

Stokes, 23, from Rangiora, emerged as the standout performer across a demanding week of training, workshops, and challenges held in Dunedin. The annual Academy, run in partnership with the Otago Academy of Sport, puts selected young drivers through a rigorous development programme covering fitness, nutrition, mental skills, media training, sponsorship, and team building. Performance is measured throughout the week, with the top-ranked athlete awarded the prestigious Bruce McLaren Trophy. Stokes consistently demonstrated excellence across all areas of the camp, showing determination, leadership, and a strong willingness to learn, all key attributes of a future motorsport star.

“It’s a real honour, to be honest. I wasn’t expecting it at all,” said Stokes.

“The week’s been really challenging but also really rewarding. We’ve had a lot of different activities, workshops, from lots of different facets of being an athlete.

“The group of boys that I’m training with, learning with, but also competing against, are really talented, quality young men. So, it’s been a real honour.

“I think my biggest takeaway this week has just been becoming an all-round athlete. And there’s so many other facets that will contribute to the driving performance. It’s not just about how fast you can put your right foot down and how fast you can go around the corner.”

MotorSport New Zealand President Deborah Day congratulated Stokes on his achievement.

“Jack epitomises what the Elite Motorsport Academy is all about, said Day.

“His work ethic, attitude, and all-round performance during the camp week made him a worthy recipient of the Bruce McLaren Trophy. We look forward to seeing his continued progression in the sport.”

Stokes was joined on the podium by circuit racers Cameron Hill, who finished second, and Corban Sprague, who claimed third. All three impressed across the week with their professionalism, growth, and performance in both practical and theoretical components.

As part of the Academy programme, all graduates will now embark on a tailored 12-month follow-up programme designed to further support their development and career progression. Their progress will be assessed throughout the year, with the overall Elite Motorsport Academy Class of 2025 winner to be announced at the MotorSport New Zealand Awards Evening in May next year.

Quentin Palmer (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) continued to stamp his mark on the 2025 Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series (NIRS) after winning every stage of the SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac one-day rally held on Saturday and taking overall victory.  Second NIRS competitor home was William Menzies/Doug Dolan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) ahead of Bradley Stewart/Oliver Drake (Subaru Impreza).  

“Definitely thrilled to take the win,” commented Palmer. “With Cameron (Ross) and David (Rogers) as (overall) favourites I didn’t expect to do well, so was surprised to find I won the opening stage ahead of them.”  

With two Special Stages cancelled (SS 3 and 5) Palmer and co-driver Dayna Kiekebosch went on to win all seven other competitive stages finishing 1min 34 sec ahead of Marcus van Klink/Matt Richards (Mazda RX8).  

Competing in his first tarmac rally, Menzies came home a solid second in the NIRS standings and third overall. He was also awarded the “Driver of the Day” trophy.  

“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Menzies.  “It was completely different as my car is set up quite tight for gravel.  I was on rally tyres which worked out in the end.  I heard rain falling in the middle of the night so was confident it was going to work.    

“There were a couple of dry stages where the car was moving around.  Other than that, it felt great as it was quite wet at times, so it worked out.  Thrilled with the result and really encouraged by it.”  

The competition for the final podium position was close between Stewart and Charlie Evans (Mazda RX7).  The latter was holding on to third until he suffered a rally-ending mechanical with one Special Stage to complete, handing the place to Stewart.  

Fourth were Chris Ramsay/Amy Hudson (Toyota Corolla APR2) ahead of Ben Huband/Corinne Watson (Subaru Impreza).  

The SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally incorporated the second round of the NIRS which saw Palmer extend his lead to 34-points over Huband and Menzies who sit second equal with Dave Strong in fourth followed by Stewart and Phil Campbell.  

“We must have got the (tarmac) setup right,” said Palmer who moved up to the Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo car this season.  

“We got some good advice heading into the rally and I’m feeling more comfortable in the car, although there is plenty more to learn.  It is my first rally win so thrilled to have achieved that.”  

In the Class results, John Whooley (Honda Civic) has extended his lead in Class C (2WD 1601-2000) while in Class D (2WD 2001 and over), Charlie Evans’ (Mazda RX7) retirement saw Ramsay take maximum points while Jeff Torkington (Toyota MR2) retains his lead.  

In the Classic Class E, 18-year-old novice and recipient of the RallyDrive New Zealand full day testing voucher, Kyle Percival (Ford Escort Mk2), also extends his lead over Nick Flanagan.  

Palmer continues to lead Class F (4WD 1601-2000) while Ben Huband (Subaru Impreza) has had his lead narrowed to just three-points over Menzies in Class G (4WD 2001 and over). Bradley Stewart (Subaru Impreza) moves to 13-points ahead of Chris Burke in Class I (4WD Pre 1996).  

Both drivers and teams take a break before the third round of the Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series on Saturday 23 August 2025 at the Dayle ITM Gold Rush Rally of Coromandel.

The SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac one-day rally takes place this Saturday 12 July 2025 with the rivalry amongst the 2025 Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series (NIRS) competitors expected to step up a notch.  The question to be answered after nine Special Stages is ‘Will this be a year a rally car beats a Targa spec car?’  

Quentin Palmer (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) stamped his mark on the 2025 NIRS season after taking first round honours in early May winning the Ruarangi Rd Rallysprint.  It was his first outing in the ex-Raana Horan Skoda, and he beat home last season’s champion Phil Campbell (Ford Fiesta AP4).  

"Taranaki will be interesting for us," commented Palmer.  "Our car originally came into NZ as a tarmac car before being converted to gravel spec.  I definitely have to do some tarmac practice, and we have a lot of setup changes to make.”  

However, traditionally the Taranaki Tarmac Rally has been the domain of tarmac specialists and last year’s winner Cameron Ross/Matthew Buer (Subaru Impreza) is seeded first and will be hard to beat as will second seed David Rogers/Shane Reynolds (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10).  Also making an appearance in the North Island and not to be discounted is Marcus van Klink/Matt Richards (Mazda RX8) who will start third on the road ahead of Palmer.  

The rally comprises nine closed road Special Stages totalling 122kms with four of them being repeated.  As per MotorSport NZ Tarmac Rally requirements this event runs with 200 kilometre per hour speed limit.  The new route includes the infamous tunnels and the spectacular Inglewood yumps.  

Co-Chairman Sean Bryce said “The Rally Committee are excited about the new route and location of this year's Rally and hope this Event will go down well with the residents, local community and the competitors.”  

Missing from the start list is last season’s NIRS champion Phil Campbell (Ford Fiesta AP4).  Current Class C (2WD 1601-2000) leader, John Whooley (Honda Civic) will look to extend his lead while in Class D (2WD 2001 and over), Charlie Evans (Mazda RX7) resumes his battle with Jeff Torkington (Toyota MR2).   In the Classic Class E, Kyle Percival (Ford Escort Mk2) will have his hands full.  Palmer will want to extend his lead in Class F (4WD 1601-2000) as will Ben Huband (Subaru Impreza) in Class G (4WD 2001 and over) and Bradley Stewart (Subaru Impreza) in Class I (4WD Pre 1996).  

Scholarship recipients (with a discounted entry fee) are first time rookies young Samuel and Matthew Broadbent (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) from Ngatea who have been showing fast pace at recent Rallysprints.  

The Clubmans and National Rally is promoted by the Taranaki Car Club in conjunction with the South Taranaki Car Club, and will take place in the New Plymouth and North Taranaki regions. The first car gets away from the Plymouth International Hotel at 07.00 hours, starting Special Stage 1 at 07.30hrs, returning at approximately 16.00 hours to the Plymouth for the champagne finish and after match meal and prizegiving.

More success for New Zealand rally driver Hayden Paddon and long-time co-driver John Kennard with the pair taking a strong victory at Rally Queensland, which ran 5 to 6 July near the town of Gympie.  

The third round of the 2025 Australian Rally Championship featured 192 competitive kilometres spread across 14 stages, and marked a milestone for the ARC, being its 350th event since its inauguration back in 1968.  

With championship points being allocated according to the results on each day of the two-day rally, the fight between the top runners was expected to be intense. Saturday played out as expected with defending ARC champions Harry Bates and Coral Taylor in a tight, day-long battle with Paddon and Kennard, each pairing winning four of the day’s eight stages. Eventually, by day’s end, Bates edged out a 3.7 second lead over Paddon.  

Paddon says Sunday’s first stage – which he won by 1.8 seconds over Bates – was a surprise.  

“We were expecting wet conditions, and it wasn’t, so we were struggling. Then after Harry had his issue, it was about managing that gap for the rest of the day. The conditions made it difficult to manage tyres and keep a good speed but happy for the whole team that we could get it home and bank maximum points today, and take the rally win.”  

The Kiwis won five of the day’s six stages, to end the day 42.5 seconds ahead of Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin in second place. Paddon and Kennard have each added 90 points to extend their lead on the championship points table.  

“We didn’t expect to win this weekend but, once again, the PRG team did an incredible job. It’s nice to build a bit of a lead in the championship but we’re only halfway through and lots of things can happen on each event; it’s pretty unpredictable.”  

Paddon says he and Kennard are enjoying the challenges of learning each ARC event. “It can be tough going, when you’re trying to push on an event you’re not familiar with, but that’s why we’re here – to challenge ourselves. Each rally you’ve got to treat on its own merits. The rounds coming up may suit us a bit better, whereas these rougher ones haven’t so much, but it’s all new territory for us and we’re learning at each and every rally we go to.”  

After three very busy weeks, there’s now a gap until the fourth ARC round, the Gippsland Rally in Victoria on August 22nd.  

Keep up with Hayden Paddon and PRG via the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/paddonracinggroup.   

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

New Zealand rally driver Hayden Paddon, with Christchurch’s Jared Hudson in the co-driver’s seat, took a hard-fought second place at the Ypres Rally in Belgium, which took place 27 and 28 June. The Kiwis become the first non-Europeans to ever stand on the Ypres podium.  

The Kiwis competed in the famed Ypres all-tarmac event in a Hyundai i20N Rally2 car prepared by last year’s Belgian Champions, BMA. This year’s Ypres Rally attracted a raft of international stars such as Dani Sordo, Jos Verstappen, Freddy Loix and last year’s rally winner Stéphane Lefebvre.  

It was all on from the outset with milliseconds separating the frontrunners at times. Paddon and Hudson won Friday’s second stage, putting them into the overall lead. Despite intense challenges from Sordo and Lefebvre, the Kiwis’ consistency at delivering top three stage times throughout all of the day’s eight stages, kept them in the lead by day’s end.  

On Saturday, with 10 stages to tackle, Lefebvre chipped away at Paddon’s lead to top the standings by special stage three. Paddon and Hudson kept the pressure on and were stoked to finish on the podium, just 10.3 seconds behind Lefebvre.  

“We were very happy to come away with second in Ypres rally,” says Paddon. “We always knew it was going to be tough challenge this weekend being up against very fast locals and previous winners. Our goal was to try and get a podium finish, so we’re pleased to have done that. To be fighting for victory was probably more than we expected, particularly to be leading the rally for half of it. We put up a good fight and tried everything we could, just didn’t quite have enough at the end but, still, to be only 10 seconds shy of the winners was a good weekend for the team and car. It’s fair to say now we have unfinished business here, a bit like Ireland as well…”  

Now Paddon returns down-under for Rally Queensland which takes place 4 to 6 July near Gympie, north of Brisbane.  Paddon and longtime co-driver John Kennard now resume their bid to win their first Australian Rally Championship (ARC) titles.  

“The podium in Ypres is a good way to get a bit of momentum for Australia,” says Paddon. “It’s certainly going to be nice to be back on the gravel for the third round of the Australian Championship and back working with our PRG team and our Hyundai i20 Rally 2 car.  

“Like the first two ARC rounds, Queensland is another new event for us. We’ve got some good momentum off the back of winning the previous round in Perth, but it’s going to be challenging. What we’ll be facing in terms of road conditions will be influenced by the ballot draw between the top three seeded drivers, which includes me, Harry Bates and Scott Pedder.”  

Paddon’s goal is to get some strong points on the board. “We’re moving into the consolidation phase of the championship now where we need to make sure that we’re picking up points here – where we can earn points from each of the two days – ahead of the endurance rounds later in the season. I’m definitely looking forward to Queensland and being back working with our own team again.”  

The Kiwis each lead their respective drivers’/co-drivers’ championship points tables. Paddon has 160 points after two rounds, seven points ahead of second-placed Lewis Bates. Kennard also has 160 points ahead of Bates’ co-driver Anthony McLoughlin.  

The Queensland Rally is the third round of the six round 2025 Australian Rally Championship, and comprises 14 special stages and approximately 193 competitive kilometres. Crews complete reconnaissance of the special stages on Thursday and Friday, before Friday evening’s public rally show in downtime Gympie. Saturday’s action starts around 8.30am and the podium celebrations are planned for around 4.30pm Sunday.  

Keep up with all the action as Hayden Paddon competes in Ireland, Belgium and Australia over the next month via the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/paddonracinggroup.   

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

The 2026 Central Machine Hire Otago Rally has had a date change to avoid a clash with the round of the Supercars Championship also scheduled for Christchurch on April 18-19.

Both events were initially calendared for the same weekend, but Otago Rally officials were keen to avoid a clash with the South Island’s first ever Supercars race in order to give fans, mechanics, officials, competitors and the media the chance to attend both events.

The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally will now be held from April 10 to 12, a week earlier than originally announced.

Although this is the same weekend as the Supercars race in Taupo, Otago Rally organisers believe this is a more manageable clash.

“We appreciate Supercars reaching out to us once they were aware of a potential clash,” event spokesman, Roger Oakley, said.

“Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally, and with plenty of pre-planning for the milestone event already underway, we were keen to get the date sorted and move ahead.”

The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally will now be a week after Easter, providing a bumper two weeks of motorsport for those in the lower South Island.

It gives both Dunedin and Christchurch the opportunity to co-promote their destinations.

“Kiwi motorsport fans have long asked for there to be two Supercars rounds in New Zealand, so while it is unfortunate we need to change our date, we are excited about Supercars coming to the South Island for the first time,” Oakley added.

“We appreciate the understanding of all those involved in the rally, and other adjacent events to allow the change of date.”

CEO of Supercars, Shane Howard, added: “We are well aware of the iconic status that the Otago Rally holds, and appreciate the organiser’s attitude to resolving a date conflict for 2026.”

A number of special features are already being planned for the 50th anniversary Otago Rally that will run on April 10 to 12. 

The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is grateful for the support of Premier Event funding from the Dunedin City Council.

Life is busy for Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon who is about to contest three very different rallies over three consecutive weekends in three countries with three different co-drivers!  

Rally Queensland, running 4 to 6 July near Gympie, north of Brisbane, has been booked in all year. Paddon is all set to continue his bid to win his first Australian Rally Championship (ARC) title with longtime co-driver John Kennard alongside in the PRG-run Hyundai i20N Rally2 car.  

Paddon and Kennard took the lead of their respective drivers’ and codrivers’ championships at the previous ARC round in Western Australia and know they face a challenge in Queensland as most of the ARC frontrunners have considerable experience on the rally’s gravel, forestry plantation roads.  

Then Paddon received an invitation to compete in the Ypres Rally in Belgium, running 28 and 29 June, an event he’s contested once before, way back in 2013 at the start of his international career.  

One of the longest-running rallies in Europe, the Ypres Rally is a hard-fought, high-speed, all-tarmac rally which regularly attracts top international drivers. Paddon will be joined by New Zealand co-driver Jared Hudson to contest a Hyundai i20N Rally2 car prepared by last year’s Belgian Champions, BMA.  

And this week, a late change in the entry list for Ireland’s most competitive motorsport rally, the Donegal Rally, provides Paddon with the opportunity to drive another Hyundai i20N Rally2 car with co-driver Dave Moynihan. The car will be run by C&M Motorsport and the event takes place 20-22 June.  

Described as the ultimate three-day, tarmac rally, the Donegal Rally attracts huge crowds of over 70,000 spectators and close to 400,000 viewers on television and online. Being the only three-day tarmac rally in Ireland and the UK, the Donegal International Rally sees the best Irish, British and international drivers competing every year.  

Paddon is understandably excited. “It’s fantastic to be heading back to Europe for some rally action again during what will be one of the busiest three week windows of my life. There’s certainly a challenge ahead, with three different cars, three different co-drivers and teams across the three events that span halfway round the globe.  

“Donegal and Ypres are very famous events where the locals are extremely fast on demanding stages. Then, on our return to Australia, we are going into a rally where most of the ARC competitors are familiar with the stages from last year. So we are going to have to prepare and push hard at all three events. It’s a challenge I’m definitely up for.”  

Paddon has heard a lot about rallying in Ireland. “To compete on their most famous rally will be an awesome experience, so a massive thanks to Marty and C&M Motorsport for the invitation. The rules state that with a late entry change, you can change only one aspect of the entry so, in this case, it’s me as the driver. I’m looking forward to teaming up with Dave in the co-driver’s seat who has a lot of local knowledge of the event that will be a massive help.”  

Returning to the Ypres Rally in Belgium after 12 years will be a trip down memory lane for the Kiwi star. “More thanks are needed to Alain Penase for inviting us to the event and the BMA team who will be running the Hyundai. I have great memories and it’s a tarmac rally like no other.  

“The dream is to try and challenge for victories across all three events, but to achieve that would be huge. Together with my three co-drivers and teams, I know we’ll give it everything we have and try our best to keep up with the locals. It’s a unique and exciting privilege, to get outside your comfort zone and try new challenges, and for me, that is motivation to push us to try even harder.”  

Keep up with all the action as Hayden Paddon competes in Ireland, Belgium and Australia over the next month via the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/paddonracinggroup.     

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

Zeal Jones and Bayden Thomson put in another strong weekend at the fourth round of the all Japan Morizo Challenge Cup – the Montre Rally – finishing third overall and closer than ever to that first round win.

With New Zealand rally legend Hayden Paddon on hand to help and advise over the weekend, Jones and Thomson put a relatively slow start on stage one behind them to be one of the pace setters on the afternoon of the first day and throughout the second day of the eight-stage rally.

The strong result moves them to second in the championship standings at the halfway point of the season.

“We were third overall and had a great final day with two stage wins and a second place,” commented Jones.

“We just missed out on second overall by 1.8 seconds which is a little frustrating but again it was really close overall and we were only 14 seconds off winning.

“The championship is that tight that it is the tiny details and tiny issues making all the difference. We lost a chunk of time on stage one when I wasn’t really on the pace, and it would have been very different without that but overall, three stage wins across the weekend out of eight is positive.

“We had a good feeling with the car, and we will move to the next round with confidence that we can make that next step up I think.”

Paddon was impressed with what he saw, adding: “I’ve enjoyed helping Zeal and Bayden over the weekend and seeing the progress they are making in and out of the car. Seeing them standing on the podium after closing the gap to the leaders was the icing on the cake.”

The Morizo Challenge Cup is a new category run as a class within the All Japan Rally Championship. All crews compete in Toyota’s GR Yaris, where tight rules and limited modifications put the focus on driver skill and teamwork.

All drivers must be under 25 years old and the objective of the championship is to provide a stepping stone to higher rallying categories for Japan’s rising rally stars. With a Japanese mother, Jones’ entry into the championship was welcomed. 

The Kiwi duo go again at the next round at Hokkaido over the weekend of July 4-6.