Who are the NZRC’s fastest track competitors?

Not surprisingly championship rivals Ben Hunt and Robbie Stokes are the kings of tarmac tracks so far in the 2025 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship but the chasing pack makes for interesting reading.

Some names you might not expect to be as high up a combined leaderboard feature on the shortlist of the best competitors from the combined three spectator stages at each of the first three rounds – the Dunedin Street Circuit at Otago, Levels Raceway at South Canterbury and Ruapuna Raceway at Canterbury.

Defending national champion and 2025 series leader Hunt (Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally 2) has been the fastest at each of the three stages to have the best combined time of 14.06.00 minutes, edging his nearest title rival Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Skoda Fabia Rally 2) by just over nine seconds.

Hunt pipped Stokes by just over a second on both the Dunedin Street stage as well as the Levels Raceway stage before conceding nearly six seconds as he took a rally lead into the final stage at Canterbury.

Josh Marston (RDL Holden Barina AP4) is third in the combined standings, 14 seconds further adrift, with Haydn Mackenzie (Albany Toyota Yaris AP4) fourth 5.4 seconds further back.

Rally Challenge 4WD leader Caleb Macdonald comes in fifth in his Mitsubishi EVO 6, 15.3 seconds in front of veteran driver Brian Green (Mitsubishi EVO 9).

Not surprisingly, Deane Buist (Ford Escort) is the best of the 2WD competitors in seventh spot – one minute and seven seconds off Hunt but just 6.4 seconds off the combined time of Green.

Stephen Gill (Ford Escort) with eighth, Bryn Jones (Ford Fiesta) ninth and rookie standout Josh Keighley (Subaru Impreza) in 10th.

Pat Norris (Toyota Corolla) in 11th and Mike Cameron (Mitsubishi Lancer) in 13th catch the eye as well, edging other competitors that have completed all three stages.

Combined stage times of Dunedin Street stage, Levels and Ruapuna

1. Ben Hunt (Skoda Fabia Rally 2) 14:06.0
2. Robbie Stokes (Skoda Fabia Rally 2) 14:15.2
3. Josh Marston (Holden Barina AP4) 14:29.2
4. Haydn Mackenzie (Toyota Yaris AP4) 14:34.6
5. Caleb Macdonald (Mitsubishi EVO 6) 14:51.7
6. Brian Green (Mitsubishi EVO 9) 15:07.0
7. Deane Buist (Ford Escort) 15:13.4
8. Stephen Gill (Ford Escort) 15:23.9
9. Bryn Jones (Ford Fiesta) 15:26.4
10. Josh Keighley (Subaru Impreza) 15:29.1