• Latest
  • Trending

By the numbers – Google Grant’s key numbers for Rally South Canterbury

May 9, 2025

Flying the Flag: Heimgartner, Wood, Stanaway make their mark in Supercars practice at Symmons Plains

May 10, 2025

‘Veteran’ Zeltwanger aiming for winter success aboard Toyota 86

May 9, 2025

Winter is coming and the TR86s return to do battle

May 9, 2025

South Canterbury Hydraulics Rally South Canterbury preview

May 9, 2025

Elmiger hoping hard work brings racing rewards

May 9, 2025
#3: Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet, #60: Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Honda, #20: Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Motorsport Diary: Kiwis racing overseas this weekend

May 9, 2025

Webley takes next step in racing career with Toyota 86 Trophy run

May 8, 2025

Giddy to run Trophy Series ahead of second GR86 campaign

May 8, 2025

Douglas primed for major month in USF Pro 2000 Championship.

May 8, 2025
Round 2 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge 2025 Championship, Sydney Motorsport Park, Sydney, , Australia. 3 May, 2025.

Impressive debut for Bewley – First pole, first win and new track record

May 8, 2025

Cruse battles through tough MX-5 Cup weekend at Barber Motorsports Park

May 8, 2025
Saturday, May 10, 2025
VelocityNews
Subscribe
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard
No Result
View All Result
VelocityNews
No Result
View All Result

By the numbers – Google Grant’s key numbers for Rally South Canterbury

by Velocity News
May 9, 2025
in New Zealand, Rally
0

With Hayden Paddon committed to the Australian Rally Championship this year, April’s Rally Otago provided the closest result of an NZRC round since Coromandel in August 2019 – and just like then, Ben Hunt was the driver who came out on top.

However, the circumstances of these two results could not have been more contrasting. At Coromandel, Ben almost blew the victory when his Subaru struggled round the final 1.42km Dakota Drive Super Stage with fuel issues, and he could only record the fourth-lowest time of the 43 runners.

Ben Hunt. Image: Geoff Ridder

This saw his 26.2-second lead almost wiped out by a flying Dylan Turner, who ultimately came up just 2.5 seconds short of his first-round win.

So, Otago this year was the complete opposite. Ben started Kuri Bush a minuscule 0.1 seconds behind Robbie Stokes and came out 2.8 seconds quicker to take the victory by 2.7 seconds.

But Otago was by no means a two-horse race as a new star flew out of the blocks right from the get-go in the form of Robbie’s younger brother, who won his first ever NZRC stage in a category one car, and showed that was no fluke as he led the rally for the first five stages with another stage win and 3 x 2nds.

In total, Jack won four stages and was only half a second away from taking the rally lead back off his brother midway through the second pass of the Berwick forestry stage on the Sunday, when a stick went into the radiator of the flying Fiesta AP4 and he was forced out.

Jack Stokes during the 2025 Otago Rally. Image: Geoff Ridder

So Robbie continued to lead Ben by single seconds – in fact, the biggest lead any of the three front runners had throughout the entire rally was only 10.5 seconds – as the battle of the two Skodas went right down to the wire.

With that debut stage win, Jack joined some rather elite NZRC company, as the only other driver to do the same was none other than one Shane van Gisbergen at Hawkes Bay in 2023, when he won the first three stages before getting stuck off the road early in stage 4.

Shane Van Gisbergen during the 2023 Daybreaker Rally. Image: Geoff Ridder

In Robbie’s case, and the length of time he has been running at the pointy end of NZRC rounds, Day 2 at Otago was the first time he had led an NZRC round as Jack Hawkeswood led Otago last year from Start to Finish.

Although headed off by Ben on the final stage, Robbie still took out his first-ever leg win by going 7.8 seconds faster than Ben on Day 2.

BEN HUNT – TRIPLE GOLD STAR WINNER and MR CONSISTENCY:

As a three-time NZ Rally Champion, Ben now joins legends of our sport – Rod Millen (75,76,77), Tony Teesdale (82, 84, 87), Neil Allport (86, 89,92) and Joe McAndrew (93, 94, 96).

Neil Allport back in 1989. Image: Geoff Ridder

Bruce Herbert’s consecutive run from 2000 – 2003 has him next on Ben’s list with 4. Then comes Richard Mason on 5 (2005, 06, 11, 12, 14), and then, of course, we have Hayden Paddon at the top on 7 (08, 09, 13, 18, 21, 22 & 23).

Richard Mason back in 2006. Image: Geoff Ridder

Of his now 12 NZRC round wins, Otago is only the second time Ben has won in the final stage – the other occasion being his first round win 12 years ago when, as I’m sure he will acknowledge, he inherited the rally lead of the 2013 Daybreaker when the gearbox locked up in the Mason Subaru mid-stage.

Ben has completed start-to-finish wins on almost half of his round wins, and all five were in two of his championship-winning years: Canterbury, Gisborne, and Coromandel in 2015 and Canterbury and South Canterbury in 2019.

And he won three rounds in both of those six-round years.

However, his third Gold Star (last year) was achieved very differently as Ben and Tony didn’t win a round at all – a feat last achieved by Andrew Hawkeswood in 2017 and prior to that, Sam Murray in 2007.

Andrew Hawkeswood at the 2009 Possum Bourne Rally. Image: Geoff Ridder

However, their consistency was exemplary as they recorded 3 x 2nds (Southern Lights, Daybreaker and Whangarei), 2 x 3rds (Otago & South Canterbury), and 1 x 4th (Bay of Plenty).

Perhaps a bit surprisingly, Ben’s Otago victory in April is his first NZRC Round Win in almost three years. He and Tony last stood on the top step of the podium at Hawkes Bay in July 2022.

However, of the 14 NZRC rounds held since then, they have been on the podium 9 times (4 x 2nd & 4 x 3rd) with 2 x 4ths and 1 x 5th, and just 2 DNF’s – Day One of WRC Rally NZ in 2022 and that heartbreaking stuck off the road after a spin on the penultimate stage of the 2023 South Canterbury Rally when leading Raana Horan by over half a minute.

So, Ben’s 12 wins means he now sits in sixth place on the all-time NZRC round winners’ list tied with two double champions (Robbie & Jack’s Dad) Brian Stokes (85 & 88) and Geof Argyle (98 & 99) while Tony is now tied in 5th with the great Rodger Freeth.

The current driver standings are Hayden Paddon 41, Richard Mason 28, Neil Allport 22, Joe McAndrew 18, Bruce Herbert 15, then Stokes, Argyle & Hunt on 12.

Hayden Paddon during the 2023 Otago Rally . Image: Geoff Ridder

The co-drivers are John Kennard, 32; Sara Mason, 25; Bob Haldane, 24; Rob Ryan, 17; and Freeth & Rawstorn, 12.

Interestingly, Ben has four times as many round wins as all this year’s eight other Category One drivers combined, as only three of them have won a round so far:

Emma Gilmour won Canterbury in 2016, Josh Marston won Canterbury in 2018, and Jack Hawkeswood won Otago last year.

Jack Hawkeswood during the 2024 Otago Rally. Image: Geoff Ridder

2025 NZRC Dates:

  • Apr 5-6 Central Machine Hire Otago Rally
  • May 10 South Canterbury Hydraulics Rally South Canterbury
  • Jun 1 Rally Canterbury
  • Aug 23 Rally Coromandel
  • Oct 11 Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty
  • Nov 7-9 International Rally Whangarei

Header Image: Geoff Ridder

Tags: Ben HuntBob HaldaneBrian StokesBruce HerbertCanterbury RallyCoromandel rALLYDaybreaker RallyDylan TurnerEmma GilmourGeof ArgyleHayden PaddonInternational Rally of WhangareiJack HawkeswoodJack StokesJoe McAndrewJohn KennardJosh MarstonNeil AllportNew Zealand Rally ChampionshipNZRCOtago RallyRaana HoranRally Hawke's BayRally OtagoRally South CanterburyRichard MasonRob RyanRobbie StokesRod MillenSara MasonSouthern Lights RallyTony Teesdale

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.

No Result
View All Result
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.