Deane Buist (Toyota Trueno) has claimed the 2026 Mainland Rally Championship (MRC) title after finishing third among MRC competitors at home in Saturday’s inaugural Waimate Rally.
While Tim Smith/Bridget Airey (Subaru Impreza) took the overall rally win, James McIver/Matthew Wright (Subaru Impreza) came in first among Mainland competitors ahead of Harri Silcock/Mark Greenwood (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6), who finished second overall for the season, with Jack Stokes, who did not compete in the final fifth round.
“It was a really good rally,” commented Buist.
“In the first stage we had a spark plug lead come off, so we were down a cylinder, which we sorted. We just finished to win the title, which I think is my sixth or seventh time in about 40 years of competing in the MRC. The first win was back in 1992 in a Mazda 323 4WD.”
The one-day event saw the field compete over six Special Stages in the Port Blakely Forest Estate and the public roads of the Waimate District of South Canterbury.
“The forest stages were really good, much wetter than I thought but not at all slippery,” said Buist.
“It was in contrast to the dry and dusty gravel roads. These roads were tight and twisty, which was great, so a lot of fun. It’s been a really good rally made easy with servicing in one spot.”
Seven separate MRC Class titles for both drivers and co-drivers have been contested across five rounds this season, with one round allowed to be dropped from the points table (4 from 5 Rounds).
Mike Matheson (Toyota Vitz) won the Class A (2WD 0-1300cc) title with Jak Elliott and Marite Balzarini second equal. Kevin Brockie won the co-drivers’ title from Mauro Balzarini.
Pat Norris (Toyota Yaris) was the first Class B (2WD 1301-1600cc) car home at Waimate and finished second for the season behind Josh Silcock (Ford Fiesta R2), with Rory Lawn (Toyota Starlet) third. Ben Leech won the co-driver’s title ahead of Chris Ellis.
Deane Buist (Toyota Trueno) also claimed the Class C (2WD 1600cc and over) title with Ari Pettigrew second and Andrew Sim in third. Jack Norris finished first for Class C co-drivers with Anna McCallum in second.
Harri Silcock won Class D (4WD) with Jack Stokes in second and Sean Haggarty third. Mark Greenwood finished two points ahead of Hayden Graves for the co-driver’s title.
Nigel King (Mitsubishi Lancer) had already wrapped up the Class E (Pre 2000 4WD) title prior to the event. Hayden Shakespeare (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3) took second ahead of Nathan Fraser. Ryder McGuigan and Jaimee King finished first equal for the co-driver’s title.
Tim McIver and Allay Mackay finished first equal in Class F (2WD Classic) while Thomas Paul won Class H (Subaru H6) from James McIver and Josh Keighley. Bridget Airey won the Class H Co-driver’s title.
The 2026 Mainland Rally Championship has the support of RDL Performance, Brita Safety Ltd, Palmside NZ Ltd, Christchurch Building and Decorating Ltd, Thomson Rust and Repair Services Ltd, and Rally Drive NZ.
Header Image: SoutherNZonePhotography
