The 2025 New Zealand Rally Championship gets underway this week at the Otago Rally with the most open title race in recent history.
WRC star Hayden Paddon will not contest all rounds of the championship for a second successive year, paving the way for the best domestic competitors to go all out for the gold star.
Defending champion Ben Hunt starts as the favourite in his Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally 2, but several other contenders are set to mount a valid challenge to the three-time national champion.
The battle Hunt has proven to be fast and consistent in recent years, rarely making mistakes. That should see him start the season as the clear favourite, but a number of others can make a compelling case.
Jack Hawkeswood is the most recent round winner on the entry list. He topped the podium at the Otago Rally in 2024 and returns with his Hawkeswood Mining Toyota Yaris AP4, aiming to repeat that performance.
Cantabrian Robbie Stokes demonstrated speed and maturity in driving over the first half of the 2024 campaign. He returns this year with a factory-built Skoda Fabia Rally 2 car of his own, which should immediately catapult him into title consideration.
Younger brother Jack Stokes – who impressed in NZRC 2WD last year – will take over the steering wheel of the Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4 and should not be discounted.
Dunedin local Emma Gilmour’s second-half form in 2024 should see her enter the campaign with her best shot at winning a national title in her more than two-decade-long career.
The Citroen driver showcased renewed speed as she got more seat time in the car and will be desperate to put on a good showing at her home event.
Josh Marston returns to the championship after a season off. He should immediately find himself in the mix in his RDL Holden Barina AP4.
Kingsley Jones is another one to make a return to the championship, piloting his Skoda Fabia R5 car, which nephew Zeal Jones did so well in last year.
Auckland’s Haydn Mackenzie is another dark horse – he is set for a full campaign in the Toyota Yaris AP4.
Other Classes:
Caleb MacDonald (Mitsubishi EVO 6) felt the heartbreak rallying can produce last year as he saw a terrific campaign come unstuck with titles on the line. On familiar roads, he will start 2025 as a favourite in the Rally Challenge 4WD class.
He’ll be pushed by the likes of Gavin Feast (Subaru WRX), Ben Huband (Subaru Impreza) and Vanuatu driver Julian Lenglet (Subaru Impreza). Others to watch for in the class are Josh Leighley, Glenn Alcorn and Kevin Laird, who are all competing in H6 Subarus, and Terri Taylor in her Subaru Impreza.
Ian Warren (Nissan Pulsar) and Thomas Paul (Honda Civic) will start as the favourites in the Rally Challenge 2WD class, while Charlie Evans (Mazda RX7) and Kyle Percival (Ford Escort) will keep them honest.
Bryn Jones heads a trio of Ford Fiesta Rally4s in the NZRC 2WD class. He chases a title in 2025 but will face stiff competition from Tim Mackersy and Japanese driver Fuyuhiko Takahashi.
Dave Strong’s wild mid-engined Honda Jazz leads contenders in the Open 2WD but will face plenty of competition from the Toyota Corolla of Paul Cross.
Keep a close eye on:
The Historic 2WD class is rejuvenated this year, with a number of entrants returning to the sport and creating a very competitive class.
Headlining the class are three returning champions: Paul Fraser (2024, Nissan 240RS), Deane Buist (2013, Ford Escort) and Mike Cameron (2009, Mitsubishi Lancer). The trio will be kept honest by a pair of Ford Escorts for Stephen Gill and Andy Martin as well as the Toyota AE86 of Pat Norris.
Best Spectating:
For those who want an easy opportunity to see the cars up close, you can’t beat the ceremonial opening in the Octagon on Friday night or the Super Special Stage that ends the opening day on Saturday afternoon.
Both are easy to access. The ceremonial opening sees all cars lined up in the Octagon, where drivers will sign autographs or pose for photos. Saturday afternoon’s stage sees competitors blast around a short stage in downtown Dunedin—you can’t win the rally on the stage, but you can mess it up.
The other great spot to watch is a half-hour drive south of the city on Sunday—the iconic Kuri Bush stage. Renowned as one of the favourites of drivers, Kuri Bush is a lightning-fast piece of road with blind crests and commands full commitment from drivers. There are easy access points for spectators to see a stage that delivers drama year in and year out.
Entry List and Maps – Map-2025-final-v2.pdf
Where to watch
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 | 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆
- SS3 Bald Hill 1 – 11.00km | Livestream commences @ 10:38NZST
- SS6 Bald Hill 2 – 11.00km | Livestream commences @ 13:08NZST
- 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦 – 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 | 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆
- SS9 Circle Hill – 28.00km | Livestream commences @ 0835NZST
- SS11 Barnes Road – 10.00km | Livestream commences @ 1105NZST
- SS15 Kuri Bush – 15.05km | Livestream commences @ 1425NZST
As usual, our streams are FREE and ONLY on our Facebook page or www.nzrc.tv Youtube channel.
If they ask you to pay, walk away!!
Otago Rally will post daily highlights to its social channels. After the event, the post-production show will air on TV3’s CRC Motorsport.
Follow the action with live times on www.chrissport.co.nz
2025 NZRC Dates:
- Apr 5-6 Otago Rally
- May 10 Rally South Canterbury
- Jun 1 Rally Canterbury
- Aug 23 Rally Coromandel
- Oct 11 Rally Bay of Plenty
- Nov 7-9 International Rally Whangarei
Header Image: Tayler Burke / Shots By TayB
