Queenstown-based driver Caleb Macdonald and his Australian co-driver Larisa Biggar in their Mitsubishi EVO 6 powered home to win the 2025 Barry Robinson Memorial Wyndham Rally under challenging conditions on Saturday.
It was a special day for Macdonald as he notched up his first outright rally victory. Macdonald won the opening stage before Tim Smith of Christchurch in his Subaru Impreza H6 took the lead after winning the second.
Smith retained the lead after Stage 3, which was the first of three in a row won by James Worker of Mossburn in his EVO 6.
However, Worker was pushing hard to overcome a time deficit after problems early on, so it was Macdonald who reclaimed the overall lead after finishing third in Stage 3 and second in Stage 4.
He took the final Special Stage from Worker to claim the overall rally victory by 39.5 seconds from the impressive Tim Smith/Ben Trevelyan with Worker/Campbell Tannock third, just 3.5 seconds behind Smith. Smith was awarded the Class H win after his performance.
Top seed Andrew Graves was out early after finishing fourth in the opening stage with a fogging windscreen, and he was off the road and out of the event in Stage 2.
“I was a bit frustrated and pushing hard after Stage 1. We are okay and it is a minor fix, just a shame for my sponsors, family and friends that we were out early on.”
Second seed Robbie Stokes of Canterbury was fifth going into the final stage, but a puncture plummeted him down the order.
Carter Strang of Wallacetown finished fourth overall and won Class D, with David Clearwater of Christchurch next, followed by Deane Buist of Christchurch, who was sixth as well as the first 2WD car home.
The winner of Class C. Derek Ayson of Gore was seventh in his Opel Manta taking out Class G in the process.
At the same time, Josh Keighley of Christchurch in a Subaru H6 was eighth with Jeff Judd in another H6 Subaru and his son Taylor Judd (Toyota Corolla) rounding out the top ten.
Other class winners were Paul Preston of Te Anau, who won Class E after finishing twelfth, and Ian Warren of Dunedin, who took fifteenth place to win Class B. Warren also claimed the Glen Shirlaw Memorial Trophy for the first Otago Sports Car Club driver home.
Paul Cross of Gore, who finished eighteenth overall, won Class F, and Josh Silcock of Rangiora took out Class A in twenty-seventh place.
Macdonald said winning the event, “was a very special moment. To win the Barry Robinson Memorial Trophy on the occasion of the Eastern Southland Car Club’s 50th Anniversary with family watching was very special.”
Macdonald has ties to the area, having previously come from Gore. He also thanked co-driver Larisa, the club and his service crew.
“We struggled early, there was torrential rain in Stage 1, and we pirouetted down the road backwards at 120km/h in Stage 2. I gave myself a stern talking to after that!”
Tim Smith was happy, saying, “It was a fantastic day. It compares with our win in the 4WD class of the Otago Classic Rally. It was amazing to get a podium in an H6 car. It was a good battle all day with Caleb, and congratulations to him on the win.”
Worker was pretty happy with his day. A foggy windscreen on Stage 1 meant he had to battle back from a 39-second deficit.
“We had to climb back up the order. It was a rough day in the morning, but they were really good roads, a good event and well organised.”
In a lovely touch, Anna Robinson, one of Barry’s daughter, won the Barry Robinson Memorial Challenge Trophy for the first Central Otago Motorsport Club member home after finishing in twenty-sixth place as co-driver to Chris Lange in a Ford Escort MK2.
The trophy was presented by Barry’s wife and Anna’s mother, Jane, and other family members.
Top seed Graves had retired in Stage 2, which also claimed Craig Abernethy of Gore with mechanical troubles and both Tony Aimers of Wellington and Harri Silcock of Rangiora with broken axles.
In Stage 3 Australian Richard Galley went off the road and out of the rally while Rhys Dunsmuire of Christchurch retired with overheating. Winton’s Steve Gill went out with mechanical troubles one stage later.
Brody Cattermole of Temuka had mechanical problems in Stage 1 and rejoined only to fall foul of more problems and retire in Stage 6.
Cattermole won the Zestino Tyres NZ Special Award as it was his first rally and his twenty-first birthday.
Lauren Mackersy of Dunedin won the Novice Driver Challenge while Anton Montgomerie, Paul Garlick and Konrad Ward took the novice co-driver awards.
Craig Jessop, Clerk Of The Course for the event, said his team would have preferred sunshine, but “you have to play the hand you are dealt.
The marshals and set-up crews did a fantastic job in atrocious conditions. Every stage went on time. The competitors loved the stages and the new combination of roads.”
Header Image: Graeme Fraser
