The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is thrilled to announce the return of Finnish rally star Pasi Hagström for the 2026 event, marking a major highlight of the rally’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Hagström, a former Subaru World Rally Team test driver and Finnish Rally Champion (1999), will travel from Finland to New Zealand to reunite with co-driver Ian McKee.
The three-time winners will drive the very car that delivered them victory in 2008 — Allan Dippie’s Porsche 911 RS.
The pairing is a key part of the Otago Classic Rally’s history, as Hagström helped put it on the international map when he became the first European driver to win it in 2004.
Further victories came in 2006 and 2008, and his triumphs in a Ford Escort RS1800 and later in the Porsche 911 are part of event folklore.
Hagström said he is looking forward to returning to the South Island’s spectacular stages.
“I’m excited to be coming back to the Otago Rally and its fantastic scenery, roads and people,” Hagström said.
“I have such fond memories of my time there and still follow the event every year.
“It’s exciting to be driving the Porsche that I won the Classic Rally in back in 2008. It’s going to be a real challenge — I haven’t been driving much recently — so I need to be realistic about my chances. But I’ll see what I can do!”
The return of Hagström has been made possible through the generosity of Allan Dippie, the owner of both Central Machine Hire and the Porsche 911 RS.
“I’m delighted that Pasi is back in the Porsche again,” Dippie said.
“When we started talking about how to make the 50th anniversary event special, it seemed a natural fit to invite back our first European Classic Rally winner.”
Event spokesman, Roger Oakley, said Hagström’s influence on the event was profound.
“When Pasi first came to Otago, he showed us what genuine WRC speed looked like,” Oakley said.
“It was enthralling, and it inspired the other competitors to lift their game. Equally, Pasi is such a nice person — the fans and competitors will really enjoy meeting him again.”
Hagström’s return adds to what is shaping up to be a spectacular 50th anniversary edition of the Otago Rally, with another international star driver yet to be announced.
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