Four-time National Rally Champion, Ben Hunt of Pukekohe, will make a guest appearance in this Saturday’s Barry Robinson Memorial Rally Southland at the wheel of a Toyota GR Yaris Cup Car.
Hunt was the National Champion in 2015, 2019, 2024 and 2025 before stepping back from NZRC competition at the end of last season. However, this weekend, he will make a guest appearance at the wheel of the Yaris as preparations continue for the new GR Yaris Rally Cup next year.
After announcing that he was stepping away from running a full NZRC campaign late last year, Hunt laughs when he says, “I might end up doing more this year than when I ran my own campaign.”
The big difference is that running his own team in the past was a big commitment.
“I have kids, and I have a business and running a team, and finding the budget was a huge commitment.”
“I love rallying, and what appeals about Rally Southland is the fact that while some rallies use stages and then use the same roads in the opposite direction later in the event, we have seven different stages this weekend. Never having done the Wyndham Rally before, which is where a lot of these stages originated, it is somewhere new. I will have no idea about the roads until recce.”
Making a guest appearance in the Yaris means Hunt can provide feedback and help fine-tune the setup for the car as their Cup looms next year.
“It is an amazing concept,” says Ben.
“If you look at a WRC2 car and the cost and all the spares, then this is real bang for buck. I couldn’t believe how well it handled and the power was good, probably similar to my 2008 Group N Subaru. Price-wise, you can’t beat it. I have had a run at Jacks Ridge, and on Thursday I will get to run on a more open road in a test at Millers Flat.”
All the cars and drivers in the Barry Robinson Memorial Rally Southland will be at Invercargill Central from 4pm on Friday, 17 July, where there will be an opportunity to get autographs and see the cars up close before the Ceremonial Start at 6pm.
The following day, the cars leave Wyndham at 8.30am before tackling seven high-speed Special Stages before the event concludes at the Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill at 3.45pm.
Header Image: GWD Toyota
