Interest and excitement in the 2026 Vantage Windows & Doors Possum Bourne Memorial Rally, set to go 21 March 2026, is high and attracting considerable support and attention.    




The event, which will be run on previously used World Rally Championship Special Stages in the North Waikato District, is expected to attract 35-40 entries and will also be a celebration of Possum Bourne’s life and rally driving career, with a number of mobile and static displays of ex-Possum Bourne cars.  


Zero car duties at the front of the field will be carried out by four-time and current NZ Rally Championship title holders, Ben Hunt and Tony Rawstorn, driving the amazing ex-Possum Bourne Vantage Subaru Hillclimb car.    


The second Zero car is Bourne’s ex GpA Impreza with Christchurch’s Stu Webber in the driver’s seat with Spencer Bourne (Possum’s youngest son) codriving alongside.  


The one-day event is the opening round of the 2026 Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series and sees current title holder Quentin Palmer and Noel Moloney (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) having entered, along with the rapid pair of Jack Hawkeswood and Jase Farmer in the exciting Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.  


After a major rebuild, fans will get to see the spectacular TR7 V8 Triumph of Mark Parsons and Mal Clark along with Kyle Percival and Maddy Buhr in his Ford Escort Mk2 contesting Class E - Classic 2WD.  


Class D - 2001+ 2WD will be spectacular and has attracted the ex-Herbert 500hp EX Lancer Turbo with Tony Differ behind the wheel and Jayson Stringer in the silly seat, along with Dave Strong / Rob Scott (V6 Supercharged RWD Honda Jazz RS) and Chris Ramsay (2.5l Millington powered AP2 Toyota Corolla) battling at the pointy end.  


The rally will be based at the Te Akau Waingaro Community Centre in Te Akau and has three ex-World Rally Championship stages which will be repeated, totalling 140 kms of magnificent public gravelled roads. It’s a perfect shakedown opportunity for both the coming season and for those heading to Rally Otago's 50th Anniversary event in April.  


Bourne won the NZ Rally Championship in 1991 and went on to win the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (1993, ‘94, ‘99) and the Australian Rally Championship seven times consecutively (1996-2002), plus the iconic Ashley Forest Rallysprint (1989, 1991, 2000) and the Queenstown Race to the sky in 2001).  


In 1993 he became the first New Zealand resident to have a works contract in a Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile rally championship, when he drove a Subaru Legacy for Prodrive.  


“Possum was an incredible driver and a great down-to-earth friendly guy” said Rally Coordinator Marty Roestenburg.  


“He was a role model, a sponsor’s dream and a real-life hero for many of us in the sport.  


“The Auckland, Pukekohe and South Auckland Car Clubs JV Rally Committee feel privileged and honoured to continue acknowledging his and his whanau’s legacy. Peggy Bourne is 100% beside us with this tribute and has kindly agreed to attend the Event to help wave the cars away at the ceremonial start and present some special trophies at the prizegiving afterwards.  


“We are incredibly grateful for the iwi, community groups and the Waikato District Council support that have all contributed towards making this Event happen.”  


For the 2026 season, the Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series will be run over six separate events with the best results from five out of the six rounds determining the 2026 Driver and Co-driver champions.  


Most Rounds include an 80km Clubmans offering for novice and rookie competitors.  


The 2026 North Island Rally Series acknowledges and thanks these partners for their support: Hawkeswood Mining, Semog, Pure Quality Construction, Paddon Racing Group, iSignit, Ngatea Panelbeaters and Online Contractors.

The Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship will feature a new Class in 2026 with the Classics Championship confirmed by MotorSport New Zealand.




Based on the Otago Rally technical regulations that have been successfully used for a number of years, the class will see a dedicated space for classic 2WD rally cars to compete against each other and will hopefully see a number of new cars enter the championship this year.


It will be officially known as Category 6 and will be contested across all six rounds of the 2026 championship, while also being classified as part of the overall GoldStar championship.


The Historic 2WD class (Category 4) will remain as it has, with the regulations continuing to protect historic cars.


“We've seen the increasing difficulty associated with running genuine historic compliant vehicles and have given an avenue through the highly successful Otago Classic Rally to have the opportunity to have more exciting cars within the championship that still celebrates the essence of the era,” championship coordinator Blair Bartels said.


“We know there is a lot of interest in this class and hopefully that will translate to a good field of entrants.


“We look forward to welcoming this class to our existing championship categories in what is shaping as a big year for the series.” MotorSport New Zealand President, Deborah Day, said the introduction of the Classic Rally Championship both honours the sport’s past and strengthens its future.


“The introduction of Category 6 recognises the strong and passionate contingent of classic competitors who are such an important part of rallying in New Zealand,” said Day.


“Classic Rallying has long been a cornerstone of our sport, and it is fantastic to now provide a dedicated national championship platform for these iconic cars and their drivers.”


The 2026 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship will be held over six rounds starting with the Otago Rally April 10-12.

The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally has secured a major international coup for its milestone 50th Anniversary event, confirming that Australian motorsport superstar Toby Price will join the field this April 10-12.




Price, a two-time winner of the gruelling Dakar Rally in the motorcycle category (2016, 2019), has recently made a seamless transition to four wheels.


The off-road legend is fresh from the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, where he drove a factory-backed Toyota Hilux to an historic eighth-place finish — the best-ever result for an Australian in the car category.


Price holds a record nine Finke Desert Race titles and has rapidly come onto the scene in the Australian Rally Championship, with several national starts now under his belt.


His entry into the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is expected to significantly boost international interest in the event, which is already shaping up to be the largest in its half-century history.


For his New Zealand debut, Price will get behind the wheel of a brand-new Toyota GR Yaris, prepared by Auckland’s Force Motorsport.


The four-wheel drive, sequential-gearbox machine is the first car built for the newly announced GR Yaris Rally Cup, a one-make series set to launch in New Zealand in 2027.


“I jumped at the opportunity to compete at the Otago Rally; it’s got a big reputation in Australia,” Price said.


“I can’t wait for the challenge of driving on those fast, smooth Otago roads against a quality field, and I’m really looking forward to meeting the New Zealand drivers and fans.


"To drive a brand-new Toyota GR Yaris is a dream — it's such an awesome car."


Event spokesperson Roger Oakley welcomed the addition of the Australian icon.


"This 50th Anniversary event is shaping up to be huge; we are expecting up to 30 international teams to join the New Zealand field. 


“We’re delighted Toby is coming to the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally. He’s achieved a huge amount in motorsport, especially in the intensely demanding field of desert racing.


"Equally, his achievements in rallying are increasingly competitive. He’s a great ambassador for motorsport and an inspiration to young people.”


Tony McConachy of Force Motorsport echoed the excitement.


“When we conceived the GR Yaris Cup, the aim was to attract a wide range of competitors with a high-performing car. Having Toby as the first driver is a thrill, and we are really looking forward to working with him.”


The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally will feature 280 competitive kilometres across 15 special stages on Dunedin’s world-renowned gravel roads.


More than 120 teams are expected to enter the event, which serves as a round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, and the TER Series.


The Otago Rally acknowledges and thanks the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for support through its Events Boost Fund, and the City of Dunedin for Premier Event support.

New Zealanders Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have done the job they were tasked with doing: get to the finish of Rally Monte Carlo.  




The opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, which ran 22 to 25 January, lived up to its unpredictable reputation with snow, ice slush and mud making the 17 special stages of twisty asphalt roads through the French Alps of this year’s edition of Rally Monte Carlo every bit as challenging as it’s ever been.  


Add in the fact that Paddon and Kennard were learning the Hyundai i20 Rally1 car, plus the short preparation timeframe and it’s understandable to hear Paddon say it’s been one of the most mentally and physically challenging rallies of his life.  


The Kiwis finished just outside the points in 11th place. They finished Thursday evening’s first three stages in a creditable eight place, improved to seventh place by the end of Friday, but despite trying to balance speed with low risk on Saturday, they were caught out by worsening weather and road conditions, slipping off SS12 into a paddock. Fans helped them get the car back on the road but the time delay dropped them to 13th overnight. They came through Sunday’s final four stages to improve to 11th overall.  


Paddon says, “We got to the finish which was obviously the first objective. I knew it was going to be a big learning process, and the conditions made that learning process a lot harder than it should have been. Sometimes we had some good splits, less than a second a kilometre off the times of our teammates, so there were a few positives but we didn’t put it together consistently enough over the weekend. Conditions were very hard to be learning the car as well.  


“Honestly, I’ve dreaded coming back to this event over the last six weeks since I got the call. I never wanted to come back to this place, but it was obviously an amazing opportunity and I’ve loved it. From this, I think I can move forward now, it’s like a weight off my shoulders. To be fair, I probably should have come back here eight years ago. I thought I moved on but when I got told I was coming back, you know, this has been the most challenging six weeks of my life. But I’m a professional and I knew what my job was to do.  


“The conditions were tougher than what everyone expected and it didn’t get any easier as the rally went on. The margin for error was very small, knowing our job was to finish the rally. Driving was a balancing act which I struggled to get right. But it’s Monte Carlo and you’ve got to remind yourself you’ve very lucky to be here.”  


Hyundai Motorsport will reveal which other 2026 WRC rallies Paddon and Kennard are doing with the team in due course. Meanwhile the team heads to Rally Sweden in the middle of February with Finnish pairing Esapekka Lappi and Enni Malkonen in the third Hyundai i20 Rally1 car.  


PRG appreciates the support of their partners including Hyundai New Zealand, Caltex Havoline Oil, Mitre 10 Trade, Winmax Brake Pads, Bar’s Bugs, EROAD, Ben Nevis Station, Wipertech, Design Windows, MITO, Repco, Machinery House, King Gee, KiwiFibre, TrialLite, Hankook, Z Energy, Blaster and Signbiz.

The Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series are delighted to announce the return of the Possum Bourne Memorial Rally and Vantage Windows and Doors sponsorship of the one-day event.  The opening round of the 2026 series, the North Waikato Rally now becomes the Possum Bourne Memorial Rally taking place on the very roads that the late Possum Bourne learnt his trade.  




“We are thrilled to have both this event and Vantage Windows and Doors coming on board,” commented rally co-ordinator Marty Roestenburg.  


“It is fantastic to see the return of this event to the rallying calendar and particularly to Possum’s local roads.”  


Originally the Possum Bourne Memorial Rally evolved out of a memorial rally sprint run by the Pukekohe Car Club with the last event back in 2013.  


This season, to be run on Saturday 21 March 2026, the event is organised by a partnership of Auckland, Pukekohe and South Auckland Car Clubs.    


It will be based at the Te Akau Community Centre in Te Akau and has three ex-World Rally Championship stages which will be repeated, totalling 140 kms of magnificent public gravelled roads. It’s a perfect shakedown opportunity for both the coming season and for those heading to Rally Otago's 50th Anniversary event in April.  


Legend has it that Peter Bourne rolled his mother’s Humber 80 on the back roads of Pukekohe while trying to avoid running over a possum, hence the nickname stuck with one of NZ’s best rally drivers.  


Before his untimely passing in 2003, Bourne won the NZ Rally Championship in 1991 and went on to win the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (1993, ‘94, ‘99) and the Australian Rally Championship seven times consecutively (1996-2002), plus the iconic Ashley Forest Rallysprint (1989, 1991, 2000) and the Queenstown Race to the Sky in 2001.  In 1993 he became the first New Zealand resident to have a works contract in a Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile rally championship, when he drove a Subaru Legacy for Prodrive.  


Vantage Windows & Doors, are proud to support the upcoming North Waikato Rally as the naming sponsor. Continuing a relationship that reflects Bourne’s legacy of performance, innovation and commitment to excellence. Vantage supported Possum throughout key stages of his career and has remained closely connected to New Zealand motorsport, backing events and competitors that celebrate skill, resilience and the next generation of rally talent.  


Craig Vincent, CEO of Profile Group, parent company behind the Vantage Windows and Doors brand and primary co-driver to Possum Bourne speaks of his support for the North Waikato Rally.


“Poss and I competed together for many years, including national and international rally events, and achieved some of the most rewarding moments of our careers through that partnership,” said Vincent.  


“Rallying is built on trust between driver and co-driver, and Possum demanded absolute commitment - something that pushed us both to perform at our best. Supporting the Possum Bourne Memorial Rally through Vantage is a way for us to honour that history, celebrate what we achieved together, and ensure Possum’s legacy continues on the roads where it all began.”  


This season, the Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series will be run over six separate events with the best results from five out of the six rounds determining the 2026 Driver and Co-driver champions.  


All Rounds include an 80km Clubmans offering for novice and rookie competitors.  


The 2026 North Island Rally Series acknowledges and thanks these partners for their support: Hawkeswood Mining, Semog, Pure Quality Construction, RallyDrive NZ, Paddon Racing Group, iSignit, Ngatea Panelbeaters and Online Contractors.

New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard are as ready as they can be for their return to the top tier of world rallying, when Rally Monte Carlo gets underway on 22 January.  




The opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship is notoriously unpredictable as crews tackle 339.15 km of twisty asphalt roads through the French Alps in winter conditions. Shrewd tyre selection to provide the best compromise for frequently changing conditions is important, as is an ability to ‘read’ potentially changeable conditions.  


The Kiwis line up for Hyundai Motorsport in the team’s third Hyundai i20N Rally1 car and have been making the most of several opportunities to get familiar with this model, having never driven one until ten days ago.  


Paddon says they’re both excited and nervous for the challenge that lies ahead.  


“Monte is the most challenging event of the WRC, made even more challenging for us with learning a new car,” says Paddon.  


“We have done a small amount of testing in the Hyundai i20N Rally1, initially in some very tricky and icy conditions, and subsequently, the longer test days – while not in the same conditions to Monte – gave us a good opportunity to learn more about the car.  


“There is still a lot to learn, but first impressions are the Rally1 is quite different to cars we have been driving in recent years. It’s not just about the power; it’s the aero and how the car works with the chassis and the driveline. Even the seating position is unique. But I’m sure with some more seat time and adaption, we’ll continue to get more comfortable which puts us in a good place for the rally.”  


It’s been a whirlwind of activity for Paddon and Kennard over the four weeks since it was announced they would contest selected WRC events in 2026 for Hyundai Motorsport and support the team’s goal of winning the manufacturer’s title alongside full-season drivers Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux.  


Paddon says, “The team has been very welcoming and supportive to help us through the challenge ahead. Our role is very clear, to play a supporting role to Thierry and Adrien who will be fighting at the front, and ensuring we have a clean rally and focus on finishing which is easier said than done.  


“John and I know we will not be so competitive speed-wise. Our role is to provide back-up, so if something happens the team still scores points. It’s a different approach compared to eight years ago. I’m very competitive, but I also know my role with the team for this event.”  


The 2026 WRC season got underway with a season launch in Monaco on Saturday 17 January. Crews then started their reconnaissance of the 17 special stages on Sunday 18 January before the rally itself starts with three night stages on Thursday 22 January. The 2026 itinerary brings a fresh twist to the tradition. While the Service Park remains based in Gap to access the most reliable winter conditions, the Saturday evening itinerary includes a high-octane blast through the streets of Monaco, partially utilising the Formula 1 circuit layout. The rally concludes on Sunday with the legendary Col de Turini stage, serving as the Wolf Power Stage, where the cold atmosphere can linger late in the day. It is a rally where technical expertise, ice-note crews, and pure bravery coalesce to crown the season’s first winner.


PRG appreciates the support of their partners including Hyundai New Zealand, Caltex Havoline Oil, Mitre 10 Trade, Winmax Brake Pads, Bar’s Bugs, EROAD, Ben Nevis Station, Wipertech, Design Windows, MITO, Repco, Machinery House, King Gee, KiwiFibre, TrialLite, Hankook, Z Energy, Blaster and Signbiz.