Organisers of the 2026 Barry Robinson Memorial Rally Southland, the Eastern Southland Car Club, are thrilled with the success of the event held on Saturday 18 July 2026.
Hayden Paddon of Cromwell and co-driver Jared Hudson claimed a dominant win in their Hyundai i120N Rally2, winning every Special Stage. In doing so, he extended his lead throughout the day to eventually finish with a 2 minute 43 second margin.
“It was a great day, it was awesome fun,” commented Paddon. “The car ran faultlessly. The stages were very fast in places. All around it is a big tick.”
It was Paddon’s first rally in New Zealand this year after competing in selected events in the 2026 World Rally Championship.
The late Barry Robinson’s wife Jane presented the Barry Robinson Memorial Trophy to Paddon and thanked the Eastern Southland Car Club for keeping Barry’s name and legacy alive. “Most of the roads were in our old backyard,” she said remarking that Stage 2 finished just 1km from the front gate of the property they used to farm.
The rally was Round 3 of the NZ Rally Championship and the first championship competitor was second placed Jack Stokes of Waikuku in his Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo. Stokes and his co-driver Hayden Graves of Gore arrived at the event with a slender lead in the championship over Jack Hawkeswood of Miller’s Flat.
Hawkeswood had the better of them early on before Stokes got ahead in stage four pulling away to finish second 24 seconds ahead of Hawkeswood and Jason Farmer in their GR Toyota Yaris Rally 2. Stokes said the roads were “insane” while Hawkeswood said the changing weather conditions had made things “tricky”.
Robbie Stokes of Waikuku was fourth in his Skoda Fabia, achieving his goal to finish after a horror start to the championship. Quentin Palmer of Taumarunui was fifth in his Skoda followed by Ari Pettigrew of Ohoka in his Porsche 911 WRC in sixth place and first 2-wheel-drive car, admitting to “a few scary moments,” along the way.
Andrew Graves of Gore was seventh in his Mitsubishi EVO 3 on an emotional day as he competed in memory of his former co-driver, Jared Leebody, who passed away recently. Graves later introduced the Jared Leebody Memorial Trophy to the event which will be awarded to the leading Class E co-driver at every ESCC rally. Fittingly it went to Graves’ co-driver on Saturday, Amy Hudson.
Australian Stew Reid, Thomas Paul of Cromwell and Harri Silcock of Rangiora completed the top ten.
In the class battles, Paddon took Class D, Pettigrew Class C, Graves Class E and Thomas Paul, Class H. Others to take their classes were Rory Lawn of Christchurch in Class B with fifteenth place overall, Class F – Paul Cross of Gore in twenty-sixth, Class G – Roger McKay of Taupō in twenty-eighth and in Class A Mike Matheson of Auckland.
Tim Mackersy of Dunedin won the Glen Shirlaw Memorial Trophy for the first Otago Sports Car Club driver home in nineteenth place while Thomas Paul and Bridget Airey won the Barry Robinson Memorial Challenge Trophy for the first Central Otago Motorsport Club crew home, the trophy presented by Barry’s daughter Anna Robinson and Neil Whitford, a former neighbour of Barry’s.
Maurite Balzarini took the Novice Driver Award while Jaimee King took the Novice Co-Driver Award. The trophy for the first ‘Blind’ crew home (crews that did not use notes) went to Jeremy and Dayne McIlwrick of Winton in twenty-second place.
A new trophy donated by Ray Wilson for the youngest driver in the rally went to 16-year-old Ryan Howden of Invercargill while Thomas Paul won the H6 Cup’s Driver Of The Day and the Cup’s cash prize.
Sixty-three crews started the event after last year’s Wyndham Rally winner Caleb Macdonald and 2010 National Rally Champion Dean Sumner were forced to withdraw from the event before the start.
The rally claimed several competitors. Four-time National Champion Ben Hunt of Pukekohe went off the road early on before rejoining later while Invercargill’s Adam Smith had mechanical problems, he too rejoining later in the event.
Mark McMillan, Josh Cooper, Hamish Garrick, Richard Ford, Alan Garrick, Murray Christofferson, and Craig Schumacher all succumbed to mechanical problems throughout the day while others who failed to finish were Josh Keighley and Richie Chadwick with electrical problems and Phil Terry with suspension troubles.
OVERALL
Winner: Barry Robinson Memorial Trophy
1: Hayden Paddon/Jared Hudson (Cromwell) Hyundai i120N Rally2
2: Jack Stokes/Hayden Graves (Waikuku) Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo
3: Jack Hawkeswood/Jason Farmer (Millers Flat) Toyota GR Yaris Cup Car
Glen Shirlaw Memorial Trophy – First Otago Sports Car Club Driver
Winner: Tim Mackersy (Dunedin) Ford Fiesta Rally4
Barry Robinson Memorial Challenge Trophy – First Central Otago Motorsport Club Crew
Winner: Thomas Paul/Bridget Airey (Cromwell) Subaru Impreza H6
Jared Leebody Memorial Trophy – First Class E Co-driver
Winner: Amy Hudson
CLASS A: Damian Vincent Builders 0-1300cc 2wd
1: Mike Matheson/Kevin Brockie (Auckland) Toyota Vitz
2: Marite Balzarini/Mauro Balzarini (Queenstown) Toyota Starlet
CLASS B: MSK Medical Imaging Invercargill 1301-1600cc 2wd
1: Rory Lawn/Matt Sayers (Christchurch) Toyota Starlet
2: Josh Silcock/Ben Leech (Rangiora) Ford Fiesta R2
3: Jarrod Glass/Nick Jenner (Mosgiel) Toyota Corolla FXGT
CLASS C: Marshall Excavating Ltd Wyndham 1601cc & over
1: Ari Pettigrew/Jack Norris (Ohoka) Porsche 911 WRC
2: Deane Buist/Karl Celeste (Christchurch) Ford Escort Mk2
3: Tim Mackersy/Lauren Mackersy (Dunedin) Ford Fiesta Rally4
CLASS D: Central Southland Towing, Winton 4WD
1: Hayden Paddon/Jared Hudson (Cromwell) Hyundai i120N Rally2
2: Jack Stokes/Hayden Graves (Waikuku) Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo
3: Robbie Stokes/Ally MacKay (Waikuku) Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo
CLASS E: Gore Flooring Xtra Pre 1996 4WD
1: Andrew Graves/Amy Hudson (Gore) Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 3
2: Nigel King/Jaimee King (Invercargill) Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 3
3: Paul Preston/Dayle Kirby (Manapouri) Mitsubishi Lancer
CLASS F: Milne Building & Contracting Winton 0-1700cc Classic
1: Paul Cross/Janey Blair (Gore) Toyota Corolla AE86
2: Craig Cormack/Mike Wilson (Gore) Toyota Corolla
CLASS G: Gill Repairs Winton 1701cc & over Classic
1: Roger McKay/Dean McCrostie (Taupō) Ford Escort BDA
2: Brendon Mitchell/Libby Mitchell (Winton) Datsun 1600
3: George Keast/Ryan Wilkinson (Invercargill) Ford Escort Mk2
CLASS H: Alexandra Auto Electrical H6 Impreza
1: Thomas Paul/Bridget Airey (Cromwell) Subaru Impreza H6
2: James McIver/Matthew Wright (Rolleston) Subaru Impreza H6
3: Kevin Laird/Aled Jones (Alexandra) Subaru Impreza H6
Harrisons Supplies Ltd Gore Novice Driver Challenge
1: Marite Balzarini (Queenstown) Toyota Starlet
Harrisons Supplies Ltd Gore Novice Co-Driver Challenge
1: Jaimee King (Invercargill)
Custom Build Engineering Gore First Blind Crew (Crew not using notes)
Winner: Jeremy McIlwrick/Dayne McIlwrick (Winton) Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 4
Youngest Driver Trophy (donated by Ray Wilson)
Ryan Howden (Invercargill) 16-years-old
H6 Cup Prizes
Driver Of The Day – Thomas Paul
Cash Prize – Thomas Paul
Special Stage Winners
SS1: Jesco Tuturau
Hayden Paddon
SS2: Worker Dairies Wyndham Valley
Hayden Paddon
SS3: Blacks Fasteners Waikawa Valley
Hayden Paddon
SS4: Marshall’s Excavating Ltd Pine Bush
Hayden Paddon
SS5: Greg Milne Construction Graham Road
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