The Otago Rally is a gravel rallying event held across the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island, promoted by the Otago Sports Car Club. The first Otago Rally was first held in 1976, and has been run annually since. Regularly hosting the opening round of the New Zealand Rally Championship, the event is known for its fast, undulating public road stages. The rally has historically been held in autumn, with the event currently running early April.
The event is particularly known for the inclusion of the Otago Classic Rally into the event, which comprises pre-1982 two-wheel-drive rally cars. The classic rally has attracted former drivers from the World Rally Championship such as Ari Vatanen, Michèle Mouton, and Mads Ostberg.
History The Otago Rally was established in 1976, originally named the Shoreline Hotel / 4XO Rally. The original route used forestry roads through the Berwick and Otago Coast forests and was a blind rally. In 1977, the Otago Rally was run twice. The first 1977 running being a club rally which featured as a round of the inaugural Mainland Rally Championship, and the second running in 1977 featuring as round three of the national Pall Mall Rally Championship, For rest of the 70s the Otago Rally was run as a club rally.
Throughout the 1980s the Otago Rally switched between running a club rally, and running as a round of either the national New Zealand Rally Championship, or the local Mainland Rally Championship. Throughout the 1980s the rally would use roads through the Flagstaff, Berwick, and Coast Forests.
In the 1990s the Otago Rally shifted to use closed public roads instead of the forestry roads used in the 70s and the 80s. The 1993 rally was the first to be officially named the Otago Rally, and from 1993 onward the rally featured as a regular round on the Mainland Rally Championship, and the New Zealand Rally Championship. The 1997 Otago Rally saw the first inclusion of the 2WD Otago Classic Rally being run alongside the Otago Rally event.
The 2000 event saw the first use of safety notes (pacenotes) by the main field in the Otago Rally. The 2002 event saw the introduction of reconnaissance for crews using safety notes. The use of safety notes was not allowed in the Otago Classic Rally until the 2005 event. The 2006 event saw the split of the main rally into a national championship field, and an allcomers field.
In 2018 the Otago Rally introduced the 4WD Otago Classic Rally. In 2019 the event became a qualifying round of Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), and has continued to be an APRC championship round since. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this being the only year an Otago Rally was not run. The 2026 Otago Rally served as the event's 50th running.
Otago Rally Winners
Overall Rally NameDateDriverCo-DriverCarRef.Shoreline Motor Hotel / 4XO Rally17.04.1976 Trevor Crowe Austin ColeDatsun 1200Shoreline Motor Hotel / 4XO Rally09.04.1977 Ian BeggMazda RX3Paul Mall Rally02.07.1977 Rod Millen Mike FranchiMazda RX3Shoreline Motor Hotel / 4XO Rally08.04.1978 Bill PottingerBarry BoydFord Escort Mexico 1600Read Datsun Rally05.04.1979 Ian BeggMazda RX3Read Datsun Rally08.11.1980 Carl Rabbidge Kevin MorrisonFord Escort RS 2000Shoreline Motor Hotel Easter Rally18.04.1981 Barry Robinson Geoff LangeVauxhall ChevetteShoreline Motor Hotel Easter Rally10.04.1982 Barry Robinson Geoff LangeVauxhall ChevetteShoreline Motor Hotel Otago Easter Rally02.04.1983 Barry Robinson Geoff LangeVauxhall ChevetteRead Nissan Rally17.11.1984 Peter Robb Trevor StarkDatsun 1200Shoreline Motor Hotel / Read Nissan Rally28.09.1985 Dave BrownlieGordon ParkMazda RX3Read Nissan Rally20.09.1986 Larry TimpanyWarren EganSubaru Leone RXShoreline Motor Hotel Rally12.09.1987 Roger Townsend Geoff AdamsFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIShoreline Motor Hotel Rally23.04.1988 Brian Stokes Ian LathamFord Sierra XR 4WDShoreline Motor Hotel Rally12.04.1989 Simon Davies John KennardSubaru RX 4WD TurboShoreline Motor Hotel Rally30.09.1990 Mark Leonard Hayden MorrisMazda 323 4WD TurboShoreline Motor Hotel Rally07.09.1991 Barry RobinsonWade PatersonVauxhall ChevetteLeisure Lodge Rally18.07.1992 Deane Buist Conrad SmithMazda 323 4WDLeisure Lodge Rally28.08.1993 John Silcock Robert WebsterMazda 323 4WDTurfus Motor Court Rally16.04.1994 Brian Stokes Jeff JuddFord Escort RS CosworthShoreline Motor Hotel Rally26-27.04.1995 Greg Graham Jim RobbSubaru Impreza 555Shoreline Motor Hotel Rally24-25.05.1996 Joe McAndrew Bob HaldaneSubaru Legacy RS 555Shoreline Motor Hotel Rally16-17.05.1997 Geoff Argyle Raymond BennettMitsubushi Lancer Evo 4Shoreline Motor Hotel Rally16-17.05.1998 Joe McAndrew Christopher BoyleSubaru Impreza 555Shoreline Motor Hotel Rally15-16.05.1999 Bruce Herbert Robert RyanMitsubishi Lancer Evo 6Shoreline Motor Hotel Rally20-21.05.2000 Bruce Herbert Robert RyanMitsubishi Lancer Evo 6Southern Motor Court Subaru Rally19-20.05.2001 Chris West Chris CobhamMitsubishi Lancer Evo 5Shoreline Motor Hotel / 4XO Rally11-12.05.2002 Bruce Herbert Robert RyanSubaru Impreza WRXSouthern Motor Court Subaru Rally10-11.05.2003 Todd Bawden Damon McLachlanMitsubishi Lancer Evo 6Southern Motor Court ODT Otago Rally22-23.05.2004 Chris West Garry CowanSubaru Impreza WRX STiOtago Daily Times Otago Rally14-15.05.2005 Chris West Garry CowanSubaru Impreza WRX STiOtago Daily Times Otago Rally5-7.05.2006 Chris West Garry CowanSubaru Impreza WRX STiOtago Daily Times Otago Rally14-15.04.2007 Richard Mason Sara MasonSubaru Impreza WRXOtago Rally10-11.05.2008 Richard Mason Sara MasonSubaru Impreza WRXOtago Rally16-17.05.2009 Hayden Paddon John KennardMitsubishi Lancer Evo 9Otago Rally10-11.04.2010 Dean Sumner Paul FallonMitsubishi Lancer Evo 9Drivesouth Otago Rally8-10.04.2011 Hayden Paddon John KennardSubaru Impreza WRXDrivesouth Otago Rally25-27.05.2012 Richard Mason Sara MasonSubaru Impreza WRX STiDrivesouth Otago Rally6-7.04.2013 Hayden Paddon John KennardMitsubishi Lancer Evo 9Drivesouth Otago Rally10-11.05.2014 Richard Mason Sara MasonSubaru Impreza WRX STiDrivesouth Otago Rally9-10.05.2015 Hayden Paddon John KennardFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIDrivesouth Otago Rally9-10.04.2016 Hayden Paddon John KennardHyundai i20 AP4Drivesouth Otago Rally8-9.04.2017 David Holder Jason FarmerHyundai i20 AP4+Drivesouth Otago Rally14-15.04.2018 Hayden Paddon John KennardHyundai i20 AP4+Drivesouth Otago Rally13-14.04.2019 Hayden Paddon John KennardHyundai i20 AP4+2020 Cancelled - COVID-19Drivesouth Otago Rally17-18.04.2021 Hayden Paddon John KennardHyundai i20 AP4+Drivesouth Otago Rally9-10.04.2022 Hayden Paddon John KennardHyundai i20 AP4+Drivesouth Otago Rally1-2.04.2023 Hayden Paddon John KennardHyundai 120N Rally2Central Machine Hire Otago Rally13-14.04.2024 Jack Hawkeswood Jason FarmerToyota GR Yaris AP4Central Machine Hire Otago Rally5-6.04.2025 Ben Hunt Tony RawstornSkoda Fabia Rally2 EvoCentral Machine Hire Otago Rally11-12.04.2026 Jack Stokes Hayden GravesSkoda Fabia Rally2 EvoCentral Machine Hire Otago Rally10-11.04.2027Event To Be Held
Multiple Winners
Drivers WinsDriverYears10 Hayden Paddon2009, 2011, 2013, 2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2021–20234 Barry Robbinson1981–1983, 19914 Chris West2001, 2004–20064 Richard Mason2007–2008, 2012, 20143 Bruce Herbert1999–2000, 20022 Ian Begg1977, 19792 Brian Stokes1988, 19942 Joe McAndrew1996, 1998
Co-Drivers WinsCo-DriverYears11 John Kennard1989, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2021–20234 Sara Mason2007–2008, 2012, 20143 Geoff Lange1981–19833 Robert Ryan1999–2000, 20023 Garry Cowan2004–20062 Jason Farmer2017, 2024
2WD Otago Classic Rally Winners Rally NameDateDriverCo-DriverCarRef.Shoreline Motor Hotel Rally16-17.05.1997 Allan Wills Peter FriddFord EscortShoreline Motor Hotel Rally16-17.05.1998 Jeff Judd James CowlesFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIShoreline Motor Hotel Rally15-16.05.1999 Brent Rawstron Ian McKeeFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIShoreline Motor Hotel Rally20-21.05.2000 Gary Adock Mark DaltonTriumph TR7 V8Southern Motor Court Subaru Rally19-20.05.2001 Brent Buist Glenn BuistFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIShoreline Motor Hotel / 4XO Rally11-12.05.2002 Brain Stokes Shayne O'HagenFord Escort RS 1800 MKIISouthern Motor Court Subaru Rally10-11.05.2003 Brain Stokes Bryce BiggsFord Escort RS 1800 MKIISouthern Motor Court ODT Otago Rally22-23.05.2004 Pasi Hagström Ian McKeeFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIOtago Daily Times Otago Rally14-15.05.2005 Jimmy McRae Gary SmithFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIOtago Daily Times Otago Rally5-7.05.2006 Pasi Hagström Ian McKeeFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIOtago Daily Times Otago Rally14-15.04.2007 Deane Buist Rocky HudsonFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIOtago Rally10-11.05.2008 Pasi Hagström Ian McKeePorsche 911 Carrera RSOtago Rally16-17.05.2009 Derek Ayson Greg ScottFord Escort MkIIOtago Rally10-11.04.2010 Derek Ayson Greg ScottFord Escort MkIIDrivesouth Otago Rally8-10.04.2011 Derek Ayson Greg ScottFord Escort MkIIDrivesouth Otago Rally25-27.05.2012 Marcus Van Klink Dave NeillMazda RX-7Drivesouth Otago Rally6-7.04.2013 Neal Bates Coral TaylorToyota Celica 2000 GTDrivesouth Otago Rally10-11.05.2014 Neal Bates Coral TaylorToyota Celica RA40Drivesouth Otago Rally9-10.05.2015 Hayden Paddon John KennardFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIDrivesouth Otago Rally9-10.04.2016 Markko Märtin Stéphane PrévotFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIDrivesouth Otago Rally8-9.04.2017 Markko Märtin Stéphane PrévotFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIDrivesouth Otago Rally14-15.04.2018 Regan Ross Samantha GrayFord Escort RS 1800 MKIIDrivesouth Otago Rally13-14.04.2019 Mads Østberg Torstein EriksenFord Escort RS 1800 MKII2020 Cancelled - COVID-19Drivesouth Otago Rally17-18.04.2021 Deane Buist Karl CelesteVW Golf Mk2 GTiDrivesouth Otago Rally9-10.04.2022 Deane Buist Karl CelesteToyota CelicaDrivesouth Otago Rally1-2.04.2023 Mikko Hirvonen Jarno OttmanFord Escort RS 1800 MKIICentral Machine Hire Otago Rally13-14.04.2024 Kris Meeke Noel O'SullivanFord Escort RS 1800 MKIICentral Machine Hire Otago Rally5-6.04.2025 Deane Buist Karl CelesteFord Escort RS 1800 MKIICentral Machine Hire Otago Rally11-12.04.2026 Kris Meeke Stuart LoudonFord Escort RS 1800 MKIICentral Machine Hire Otago Rally10-11.04.2027Event To Be Held
Multiple Winners
Drivers WinsDriverYears4 Deane Buist2007, 2021, 2022, 20253 Pasi Hagström2004, 2006, 20083 Derek Ayson2009–20112 Brian Stokes2002–20032 Neal Bates2013–20142 Markko Märtin2016–20172 Kris Meeke2024, 2026
Co-Drivers WinsCo-DriverYears4 Ian McKee1999, 2004, 2006, 20083 Greg Scott2009–20113 Karl Celeste2021–2022, 20252 Coral Taylor2013–20142 Stéphane Prévot2016–2017
Otago Rally Allcomers Winners