Seven-time New Zealand Rally Championship winner Hayden Paddon has stormed to a dominant win in the International Rally of Whangarei for a staggering 9th time in his career.

Paddon, in his Hyundai i20N Rally2, beat Ben Hunt (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) by four minutes and 42 seconds to take out the winner-takes-all FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship for the second time in his career.

He won every stage of the event to underline his dominance.

It wasn’t all bad news for Hunt however, his second place enough to secure a third New Zealand national championship after Paddon missed the opening round at Otago.

Dylan Thomson finished a brilliant third in the older generation Subaru Impreza after holding off a charging Emma Gilmour (Citroen C3 Rally2) on Sunday.

Gilmour followed Paddon and Hunt home in the Asia Pacific Championship.

Bryn Jones put his best ever drive together to secure a comfortable victory in the 2WD class in his Ford Fiesta Rally4, while father Anthony Jones won the Historic class.

Ben Hunt claimed a third Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship crown after finishing second at the International Rally of Whangarei on Sunday.

Hunt, in his Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2 evo, took a comfortable second place to secure his third career title and first since 2019.

WRC rally winner Hayden Paddon, in the Hyundai New Zealand i20N Rally2, was the class of the field once again, powering to a dominant rally win but just missed out to Hunt in the season’s standings having missed the opening round at Otago due to a clash with his European Rally Championship. Paddon led home Hunt by four minutes and 42 seconds.

Dylan Thomson claimed third place in the Kiwi Carpet Cleaners Subaru Impreza in a stunning drive – his best ever overall finish.

He edged Emma Gilmour (Vantage New Zealand Citroen C3 Rally2) by just 12.2 seconds with Stewart Reid fifth in the SR Automotive Mitsubishi Mirage AP4.

Bryn Jones took an impressive win in the NZRC 2WD class in his Ford Fiesta Rally4– beating Jack Stokes (Ford Fiesta R2) by two minutes and 42 seconds.

Thomson had already wrapped up the championship at the previous round before swapping classes for Whangarei.

Willy Hawes finished second in class in his Toyota 86 to take out the Open 2WD championship despite title rival Dave Strong’s (Honda Jazz RS) win at Whangarei.

Paul Fraser (Ford Escort RS1800) won the Historic 2WD title after finishing runner-up to Anthony Jones (Ford Escort Mk2) over the weekend.

Mike Cameron was third in the Mitsubishi Lancer.

WRC rally winner Hayden Paddon leads the International Rally of Whangarei by two minutes and 38 seconds over two-time New Zealand rally champion Ben Hunt.

Paddon won all of the day’s 10 stages to take a commanding lead and have control of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship winner-takes-all finale in the process.

Hunt is on track to win a third national title if he can maintain second place throughout Sunday’s seven stages. Emma Gilmour (Citroen C3 Rally2) pipped Dylan Thomson for third place – Thomson running an older generation Subaru Impreza.

A number of leading contenders ran into trouble in a drama-filled day.

Talented teenager Zeal Jones slid off the road in the second stage of the day in his Skoda Fabia R5, while Robbie Stokes crashed his Ford Fiesta AP4 on stage three.

Jack Hawkeswood (Toyota GR Yaris AP4) had to replace an axle and was a temporary withdrawal, while Mike Young (Toyota Yaris AP4) suffered electrical failure late in the day while running third.

All three re-joined for the two passes through Pohe Island Super Special late in the day.

Bryn Jones (Ford Fiesta Rally4) is the leading 2WD competitor, in front of father Anthony Jones (Ford Escort Mk2), who is the first of the Historic entrants.

The rally continues on Sunday with seven more stages south of Whangarei.

Ben Hunt has got one hand on the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship after the opening day of the International Rally of Whangarei.

Hunt sits second to rally leader and fellow title contender Hayden Paddon after a dramatic opening day, in which the leading drivers that could threaten Hunt’s chances of the second-place finish that would secure him a third national title, fell by the wayside.

Paddon (Hyundai New Zealand i20N Rally2) leads the rally by two minutes and 38 seconds from Hunt (Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2 evo). Emma Gilmour (Vantage NZ Citroen C3 Rally2) edged Dylan Thomson, in an older model Subaru Impreza for third place ahead Haydn Mackenzie (Albany Toyota Yaris AP4).

Earlier, talented youngster Zeal Jones (Smith & Sons Skoda Fabia R5) slid off the road on the second stage after posting the second fastest time on SS1 while Robbie Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4) crashed on the third stage.

Andrew Graves was crowned champion in the Rally Challenge 4WD class and the Group A Challenge after another superb drive in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3.

Graves came home in front of Jay Pittams (Subaru Impreza) and Carter Strang (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10) to claim the title in emphatic fashion.

Graves led home Pittams and James Macdonald (Subaru Impreza H6) in the Group A Challenge, meaning the Gore driver will do the title double.

Jared Parker successfully defended his Rally Challenge 2WD crown after winning the class on his first ever visit to Whangarei.

Parker (Toyota FX Corolla) beat Kyle Percival (Ford Escort Mk2) by over three minutes with Pat Norris (Toyota Yaris) finishing third and securing runner-up in the title battle.

Bryn Jones holds the lead in the NZRC 2WD class after very strong drive in his Ford Fiesta Rally4. He holds a lead of more than two minutes over Jack Stokes (Ford Fiesta R2) and Tim Mackersy (Ford Fiesta Rally4).

Willy Hawes (Toyota 86) trails Dave Strong (Honda Jazz RS) in the Open 2WD battle. Hawes just needs to finish the event to collect enough points to secure the 2024 title, however.

Anthony Jones holds a dominant lead in the Historic 2WD class in his Ford Escort Mk2. He leads champion-in-waiting Paul Fraser (Ford Escort RS1800) while Mike Cameron will rejoin after electrical trouble in his Mitsubishi Lancer on Saturday afternoon.

The action continues on Sunday with a further seven special stages.

Two-time national champion Ben Hunt will look to hold off WRC rally winner and seven-time national champ Hayden Paddon in a head-to-head battle at the final round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship in Whangarei this week.

Hunt (Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2 evo) holds a 12-point buffer over a charging Paddon (Hyundai New Zealand i20 Rally2) heading into the final round but knows a second-place finish on both legs and the power stage will be enough to be crowned champion.

Paddon missed the season-opening round in Otago and has been trying to make up the deficit ever since – winning every round he has contested.

Hunt will be more mindful of the chasing pack than Paddon – with the likes of Robbie Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4), Emma Gilmour (Vantage NZ Citroen C3 Rally2) and Zeal Jones (Smith & Sons Skoda Fabia R5) more than capable of spoiling his party.

Recently crowned NZRC 2WD and overall 2WD champion for 2024 Dylan Thomson is stepping up to NZRC 4WD in a Subaru Impreza and could be a wildcard while the likes of Haydn Mackenzie (Albany Toyota Yaris AP4), Stewart Reid (SR Automotive Mitsubishi Mirage AP4), Eugene Creugnet (Mitsubishi Mirage AP4) and Pierre-Henri Brunet (Ford Fiesta Proto) will also contest the category.

Without Thomson a three-way battle between Jack Stokes, Bryn Jones and Tim Mackersy – all Ford Fiestas – looms in the NZRC 2WD class, while Indian Naveen Puligilla will be one to watch in his Proton Satria, joining the class for this round.

Willy Hawes will be looking for a finish in his Toyota 86 as he aims to win the Open 2WD championship from the charging Dave Strong (Honda Jazz).

Anthony Jones (Ford Escort Mk2) starts as the round favourite in the Historic 2WD class but Paul Fraser (Ford Escort Mk2) will be thinking about a finish to win the championship ahead of contender Mike Cameron (Mitsubishi Lancer).

The Rally Challenge 4WD battle is set for an epic finale – Southlander Andrew Graves (Mitsubishi EVO 3) takes a 11-point buffer to Whangarei but will have Caleb Macdonald (Mitsubishi EVO6), Carter Strang (Mitsubishi EVO 10) and James Macdonald (Subaru Impreza) all within touching distance of the title.

The likes of Jay Pittams (Subaru Impreza), Gavin Feast (Subaru WRX), Julian Lenglet (Subaru Impreza) and Brian Green (Mitsubishi EVO 9) have demonstrated enough speed to impact the title contenders.

Jared Parker (Toyota FX Corolla) will look to defend his Rally Challenge 2WD crown by holding off Pat Norris (Toyota Yaris) in what has been an entertaining season-long battle. Kyle Percival will enter the mix for the final round in a Ford Escort.

The rally gets underway on Saturday with stages north of Whangarei before stages south and west of the city on Sunday.

A world class performance by rising Kiwi rally star Zeal Jones has seen him secure a place in the final for the Toyota World Rally Team’s “WRC Challenge Program”.

Jones secured a top spot after an exhausting series of assessments by rally icons Mikko Hirvonen and Jouni Ampuja. Six made it through the semi-finals held in Japan and a seventh driver – who qualified by winning the Morizo Challenge Cup – will now prepare for the final shoot-out in Finland in December.

All will be tested physically and have their skills on ice and snow evaluated before one is signed up for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program as a Generation 4 driver.

“It was genuine relief when I found out I had secured a spot,” explained the impressive youngster. “I wasn’t overly pleased with my runs, so I wasn’t sure at all until they announced the result an hour after we finished, especially as the gymkhana-style evaluation was a familiar format to the other drivers.

“However, after making the semi-finals, we were told the results wouldn’t just be based on times like the quarter-finals so I left it all out there and just tried my best to demonstrate to the judges that I can be an all-round driver capable of more than this style of racing, which the instructors acknowledged.

“ The gymkhana-style course was challenging for me as I’ve never done that style of racing. Being in New Zealand, we are blessed with the best roads in the world, even the instructors told me that.”

“With the incredible opportunities I’ve had so far in my career, I’ve been able to advance quickly through the New Zealand rallying ranks, kind of skipping the entry-level learning, which is autocross and gymkhanas. In Japan, this style of racing is more prevalent, especially on the tarmac, so some of the boys had done the same track but in a different configuration in previous trials when TOYOTA GAZOO Racing were on their search for Generation 3 drivers last year.”

Before heading to Japan, Zeal had undergone an intensive day of preparation behind the wheel of Toyota’s GR models under the expert tuition of Kaleb Ngatoa, and he was in no doubt about the value.

“That preparation with TGRNZ proved vital and probably pivotal for me as without the training on track in the GR range with Kaleb, I wouldn’t have been able to apply my skills nearly as well,” he added.

“We were in the GR Yaris, which was as expected. However, they trialled us in an automatic and no use of paddle shift.

This made the circumstances different to what I tested in New Zealand with the manual car.

“It made it difficult to use the power so I had to adapt. It’s now eyes forward to the final and I have to thank all of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing NZ team for their support. When it comes to supporting young drivers like myself wanting to succeed, they go the extra mile.”

Only open to Japanese drivers, Zeal’s mother is Japanese making him eligible to compete. He is the youngest driver ever to become the NZRC Rally Challenge Champion, and is the 2024 New Zealand Rally Junior Champion.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol was delighted with Zeal’s progress on the world stage, commenting: “We are very proud of his achievement in making up to the final trip to Finland. “We had a hunch he might be pretty good but he is already exceeding everyone’s expectations. He fits perfectly with our philosophy of Finding New Zealand’s Next World Champion and we’re eager to develop and nurture talent like his to provide TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand globally the best talent from New Zealand.”

The world’s greatest ever rally driver, Frenchman Sébastien Loeb, and New Zealand’s most successful rally driver Hayden Paddon are the latest stars confirmed for next year’s Race Of Champions (ROC) event in the Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park from March 7-8.

Loeb won no less than nine consecutive World Rally Championships and will be chasing his fifth Champion of Champions ROC title at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Not only did Loeb win nine WRC crowns, he also holds the record for the most WRC event wins (80), most podium finishes (120) and stage victories (939).

Last year, Hayden Paddon became the first non-European to be crowned European Rally Champion and he backed up that effort when he recently clinched back-to-back titles for Hyundai securing the 2024 ERC Title in the final event in Poland.

“To be part of the Race Of Champions and especially represent the first Team NZ in ROC is a dream come true for me,” said Paddon.

“I’ve been watching the Race Of Champions every year since my hero Colin McRae won ROC in Gran Canaria, always hoping that one day I would be invited to compete.

“It’s a true honour to be able to represent New Zealand and compete against some of the best of the best. New Zealand has always proudly punched above its weight in world motorsport and this will be a chance for myself and my teammate, whoever that ends up being, to really fly the Kiwi flag on the world stage.

“I hope many New Zealand fans will join me in Sydney now that this unique event is coming to this part of the world for the first time. March cannot come soon enough.”

Paddon is regarded as one of the most proactive and fan-friendly competitors in local and world rallying and will be chasing his eighth national title in the International Rally of Whangarei from November 8-10.

ROC Sydney will be the first time that New Zealand has a team competing in the ROC Nations Cup and Paddon’s teammate will be announced in the lead up to the event.

The announcement of Loeb and Paddon comes after the recent confirmation of a German “super team” of Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher for next year’s showcase Sydney event, which will also include seven-time Australian Supercars champion Jamie Whincup and many other superstars from around the world.

The Race Of Champions will run over two nights with a purpose built 1 kilometer tarmac track taking centre stage at Accor Stadium, Sydney’s Olympic Stadium.

Loeb currently drives in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) for Dacia, finishing second in the recent Rallye du Maroc in his first event for the team.

He has also been a regular starter in the grueling Dakar Rally since 2016 and finished second in the event in 2017, 2022 and 2023 before finishing third this year.

Further proving his versatility, Loeb joined the World Touring Car Championship with Citroen Total in 2014 and during two seasons finished with six wins and 20 podiums, finishing third in the title chase both years.

Loeb’s impressive record at the Race Of Champions includes being crowned the individual Champion of Champions no less than four times. His first triumph came at Gran Canaria in 2003, defeating Marcus Grönholm in the Grand Final. He repeated the feat in Paris at the expense of Tom Kristensen (2005) and at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2008 against David Coulthard. Then he pulled off another overall victory in 2022 at ROC Sweden after beating Sebastian Vettel in the final.

Phil Campbell/Brianna Little (Ford Fiesta AP4) have won both the Newstead Lodge Waitomo Rally and 2024 Generator Rental Services North Island Rally Series (NIRS) title.  

The fifth and final event of the NIRS season saw overall and Class titles decided over four Special Stages on Sunday 20 October 2024.  

Second home and overall was Quentin Palmer/Noel Moloney (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5) with Phillip Broadbent/Sam Broadbent (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) third.    

“It’s been a great day,” commented Campbell.  “We knew we just had to finish the event to win the Series, so it was about taking no risks.”  

The Newstead Lodge Waitomo Rally was run by the Hamilton Car Club, a Clubmans ‘blind’ event over 80kms around Piopio in the Waikato.  

Rivals Quentin Palmer/Noel Moloney took the early lead after winning the opening 18.75km Special Stage with Campbell second.  

Unfortunately for Palmer, a broken transfer case in the 19.3km SS2 saw him drop down the order to fifth overall with Campbell taking the lead ahead of Carlin Leong (Subaru Impreza WRX).  

At the lunch-time service, Palmer’s team did a great job replacing the transfer case within the allocated time-frame.   The afternoon saw a repeat of the first two stages with Palmer again winning the Tikitiki Special Stage ahead of Campbell and Broadbent.  

Campbell had a healthy 59.5 second lead over Leong heading into the final stage which he won.  Palmer came in second to move up to second overall ahead of Broadbent, Leong and the first NIRS 2WD car home, Charlie Evans/ Dayna Kiekebosch (Mazda RX7).  

“We got the car home in one piece, which is great,” said Campbell.  “Quentin (Palmer) went really well, particularly in one and three (Tikitiki) so it was unfortunate that he had a problem in two.”    

Class titles were also decided with Tony Young (Datsun 1200 SSS) winning Class A (2WD 0-1300cc) title from Steve Cox (Toyota Starlet) over the Series.  

Daniel Alexander (Toyota Starlet) was first car home in Class B (2WD 1301-1600cc) with Simon Rabbidge (Suzuki Swift) winning the category.  

Stephen Dill (Nissan Pulsar) won Class C (2WD 1601-2000cc) after finishing second to John Whooley (Honda Civic).  

Carlin Leong (Subaru Impreza ) picks up the Rookie Drivers award finishing ahead of Kaden Wood (Nissan Skyline) and Dill.  

Charlie Evans (Honda Civic) claimed the Class D (2WD 2001 and over) title from Dave Strong (Honda Civic) with Ian Wood (Toyota DX Corolla) and Madeline Buhr coming in second to Evans in the rally.  

The battle for Class E (2WD Classic) saw Adrian Smith (Ford Escort Mk2) win by 5-points over David Ayling (Ford Escort RS1800).  

Phil Campbell also picks up the Class F (4WD 1601-1999cc) title from Todd Bawden (Ford Fiesta) with Haydn Mackenzie in third (Toyota Yaris).  

As well as finishing second overall, Quentin Palmer easily won Class G (4WD 2001cc and over) with a 38-point advantage over Mike Torr (Subaru Impreza) and up and coming Carlin Leong.  

Jamie Rodgers won Class H (Subaru H6) title while Shaun Wade (Mitsubishi Mirage) took the Class 4WD Pre 1996 title from Chris Burke (Toyota Celica) and Bevan Wilson (Subaru Impreza).  

It was the second successful season for the Generator Rental Services North Island Rally Series with Campbell retaining his 2023 title.  

“It’s a real cool series to be a part of,” said Campbell.  “It has a good variety of events with gravel. Tarmac and rallysprints.  There’s no stress, they make it easy to do and be a part of.   Marty (Roestenburg) and his team do an awesome job and the whole series is well run.”  

“We are delighted with how the Series is tracking with huge support from our sponsors and the whole rally community,” said NIRS coordinator Marty Roestenburg.    

“The prizegiving for the Rallysprint Series and NIRS is Saturday 7 December at the Northern Sports Car Club.  It will be a fun night with over $15,000 of trophies and awards presented.  The 2025 calendar is shaping up nicely which will be announced at the prizegiving.”  

Once again, Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have done something no other New Zealanders have done in world motorsport by winning their second FIA European Rally Championship title in Poland on 13 October.  

Their success also earned the teams’ championship title for their Italian-based team, BRC Racing Team, which has run their Hyundai i20 Rally2 car for their two ERC seasons.  

The eighth and final ERC round, Rally Silesia, took place in southern Poland on asphalt over the weekend of 11 to 14 October.  

Having won the previous ERC event in Wales, plus Rally Bay of Plenty back home in New Zealand, Paddon came into the ERC final with a clear goal of a top five finish. This would secure the championship title regardless of where Mathieu Franceschi, who held second on the drivers’ championship leaderboard, finished.  

All started well for the Kiwis on Friday with the fourth quickest time in qualifying which meant they started in P4, exactly where Paddon wanted to be for road position. They followed that up with a third quickest time around the 1.85km super special stage in Katowice on Friday evening.  

For Saturday’s eight challenging stages in sunny, dry conditions, Paddon’s plan was to keep a good pace with no risk but with the car working really well, Paddon’s comfortable pace delivered five stage wins and an overnight lead of 6.8 seconds ahead of Italian driver Andrea Mabellini.  

“To be leading was more than we expected,” said Paddon on Saturday evening. “Everything felt really good in the car which made our job easier, and we were able to push without taking any risks. However tomorrow will be a different story with the possibility of wet weather.”  

Sunday’s action started in fine weather but with rain expected, most competitors ran a mix of tyre compounds. Rain started on SS11 and road conditions were variable, and rain continued through to the power stage on SS14.  

“When the rain set in, it made things very challenging. We had a few little moments, scares and a couple of spins which was a bit of a reality check. We’re here with one goal, to win the championship so had to dial it down a bit to make sure we cruised through the last stage to get home and wrap up the championship.  

“Overall, it’s been a great yet challenging weekend, to bring home the championship in such tricky conditions. It’s been a rally of two halves with dry conditions on day one when everything felt so good in the car. Then today’s challenging wet and windy conditions when we had to rein things in and keep our goal in mind.  

“Obviously I’m very proud of everyone involved: everyone at BRC Racing Team, John, our team back home, to secure a second ERC title, particularly after the first half of the season when we were looking like we were on the back foot. It felt like a tall order to try and win the championship this year but we never gave up and the team dug really deep. We were able to find something in the latter part of the year that really helped us click with the car and brought us back into play for the championship.  

“Overall, it’s been a very tough season mentally to make sure we got through and got all the points we could. We never stopped working on the consistency side of things. But yes, I’m very proud. It’s more than we expected and a relief to get that over the line.”  

As well as the first non-European to successfully win consecutive ERC titles, Paddon is the first successful ERC title defender since Polish driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz in 2016.  

Paddon now returns home for the final round of the New Zealand Rally Championship in Whangarei on November 8th to 10th.  

Paddon Racing Group appreciates the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Valvoline, Makita, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, TrailLite, Repco NZ, Stedi, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, Machinery House, Design Windows, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, King Gee Clothing and Signbiz.

Phil Campbell (Ford Fiesta AP4) has narrowly won the latest round of the 2024 Generator Rental Services North Island Rally Series (NIRS) at the Battery Town Bay Rally in the Bay of Plenty on Saturday.  

While Zeal Jones/Waverley Jones (Skoda Fabia R5) led for most of the day, consistency from Campbell and co-driver Brianna Little held them in good stead to pick up the win when Jones faltered late in the day.  

“A really good day for us,” commented Campbell who now leads the overall points table with one round remaining.  “The event is close to home, and we were on familiar roads so a successful day in all.  The key was making sure that we were there at the end and finishing”  

Having missed the last gravel NIRS round, this was the first non-tarmac rally for the crew this season.  

“We had a few challenges over the day particularly early on with fuel pressure.  The biggest challenge was with the pace-notes.  Brianna did an awesome job, I just needed to get up to speed.”  

The event also doubled as the penultimate round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship with a total distance of 428km with 150km of Special Stages run on public roads in the Te Puke and Matata areas.  

While Campbell was fastest NIRS car in the opening Special Stage, Jones was quickest through the next seven with Campbell, Quentin Palmer/Noel Moloney (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5), Todd Bawden/Dave Neill (Ford Fiesta R5 MkII), Hayden Mackenzie/Shane Reynolds (Toyota Yaris AP4) and Ben Huband/Tania Cresswell (Subaru WRX) fighting over the other top five positions.  

Behind them was an impressive performance by Carlin Leong/Nathan Roa (Subaru Impreza WRX) having fully rebuilt their car after completely wrecking it back in July by rolling upside down into a stream.  

Heading into SS 10, Campbell was a minute down on Jones who then punctured at the start of the stage.  Campbell won his second stage of the day reducing the gap to 21 seconds.   Both SS 9 and 11 were cancelled meaning Campbell had one last chance in SS 12 which he won.  Jones dropped to tenth for the stage, 21 seconds behind Campbell.  Third home was Bawden followed by Mackenzie, Palmer and NIRS Drive of the Day, Ben Huband.  

“We had a great day,” said Huband.  “It’s been a fantastic event.  The team was organised really well and it all went smoothly.  Initially we were quite slow to start off with and wanted to make sure we finished so the times slowly improved over the day.”  

First home in Class A (2WD 0-1300cc) was Steve Cox (Toyota Starlet) who shares the lead with Tony Young (Datsun 1200 SSS).  

Class B (2WD 1301-1600cc) sees Rodney James (Toyota MR2) and Phillip Broadbent (Toyota Starlet) tied on 20-points each while Kaden Wood (Nissan Skyline) has a 10-point lead over Stephen Dill (Nissan Pulsar) in Class C (2WD 1601-2000cc), and leads the Rookie Driver standings.  

Despite retiring from the event, Charlie Evans (Honda Civic) holds a 20-point lead over Daniel Haines (Ford Escort Mk2), who also had a DNF, in Class D (2WD 2001 and over).  

Adrian Smith (Ford Escort Mk2) is tied with David Ayling (Ford Escort RS1800) in Class E (2WD Classic) and Phil Campbell now has a 13-point lead over Todd Bawden in Class F (4WD 1601-1999cc).    

Quentin Palmer is second on the points table just one-point behind Campbell with one round remaining.  He also has an unbeatable lead of 46-points in Class G (4WD 2001cc and over).

However he is one of only two drivers to have scored at all four rounds so far and as the 'The Best 4 Scores Count' Rule will apply after the Final Round, Palmer can only improve his current total by a maximum of 16 points. Therefore  Campbell holds a significant advantage in his pursuit of successfully defending his NIRS title. Todd Bawden in 3rd and Haydn Mackenzie (4th) both still have a mathematical chance to stop Campbell and win the overall series.  

Jamie Rodgers leads Class H (Subaru H6) and Shaun Wade (Mitsubishi Mirage) has an unbeatable 40-point lead in Class 4WD Pre 1996.  

The final round that will complete the 2024 NIRS season is the Newstead Lodge Waitomo Rally, Pio Pio, on Sunday October 20th.