Open 2WD champion Dave Strong is welcoming some more competition in the class in the 2026 New Zealand Rally Championship and has upped his game accordingly.
Strong was a dominant champion in the class last year, but with the addition of both Andy Martin (Porsche 911 GT3) and Ari Pettigrew (Porsche 911), the veteran driver will have a battle on his hands to defend his crown. And he sees that as a good thing.
“Yes and no,” he laughed.
“The class has always been there, but it just seems to fall in place now. There has been a lot of work behind the scenes to get the class up. You’ve got to improve your game, and I have had that in mind. I keep telling myself I need to get better.
“I have done a lot of work over the summer, and I think that is paying off. Where that sits with a Porsche on gravel, who knows? I think it is showing up that the pace in rally sprints is there.”
Strong has had two contrasting seasons in the class over the past couple of seasons, when there was only one or two rivals to worry about. He was clearly the fastest driver in 2024, but a bad opening round result cost him a chance at winning, whereas last year, Strong’s consistency saw him take out the crown.
With some fast opposition to worry about, Strong’s philosophy is going to need to adapt to.
“You have got to finish every round – I proved that two years ago,” he said.
“You can win every round apart from one and lose. If you are the fastest car, it is easier to have more people around because they are taking points off each other.
“When there are only two or three, and you have a DNF, everybody else gets good points. I am certainly not the fastest car now.”
Header Image: Geoff Ridder
