Redhead and Winwood-Smith Chase Mathematical Shot at NSW Title in Coffs Coast Finale

Josh Redhead and co-driver Ray Winwood-Smith head into this weekend’s 2025 Quality Accounting Coffs Coast Rally with a mathematical chance of winning the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship, but it’s going to take a near-perfect run to pull it off.

The duo, competing in their Hyundai i20 G4 Rally Car, will need to win all three heats at the Coffs Coast event to claim the title, a tough but not impossible task given their recent form and the unpredictable nature of the championship finale.

“I’m really excited about the weekend ahead but I’m also being realistic about what needs to be done,” said Redhead. “We’ll be trying our hardest to take maximum points from each heat, but we’re also going to make sure we finish each heat. The car is in good shape and I’m confident we can do the job… but let’s see how the weekend pans out.”

Three-Heat Format to Decide the 2025 NSW Championship – A recently released Bulletin confirmed that the Coffs Coast Rally will run as three heats for the NSW Rally Championship component, effectively creating three opportunities to score more points. It also means that the final standings could see a major shake-up, as the Series Rules require competitors to drop their two lowest heat results when the final scores are tallied.

That rule could play into the hands of current series leader Jody Mill, whose consistency in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo has kept him at the top despite not being an outright heat winner. Mill’s steady string of top-five finishes means he could still retain enough points to secure the title even without a dominant result at Coffs.

But there is also Championship pressure across the field. Second-placed Tony Sullens and Kaylie Newell in their Citroën DS3 also remain firmly in contention, though their campaign has hit a late minute hurdle. At last weekend’s Australian Rally Championship round in South Australia, the Citroën suffered significant damage after hitting a tree and then running over it! With just one week to repair the car or prepare their spare DS3, which is rumoured to be not 100% either, their participation and pace remain uncertain.

Behind them, Lachlan Moore has quietly put together an impressive season. While not an outright winner at any round, his consistency has kept him within reach, and a heat win or two at Coffs is not out of the question and this could easily vault him into the championship lead.

Another wildcard is Nathan Quinn and David Green, piloting the legendary 50-year-old Mazda RX-2. A master of road-book events and racing on home turf, Quinn probably knows the Coffs roads better than anyone. If conditions fall his way, he could well steal valuable heat wins and championship points from the frontrunners.

The 2025 Quality Accounting Coffs Coast Rally also doubles as a round of the Queensland Rally Championship, bringing an extra layer of complexity to the field. While the Queensland competitors won’t take points away from the NSW Championship contenders, their inclusion in the running order means there will be Queensland cars mixed in between the NSWRC entries, affecting both road position and stage conditions.

With dust expected to be a factor and night stages adding to the challenge, the starting order could easily play a crucial role in the outcome. Some of the top NSW competitors are seeded further down the list than usual, meaning they’ll have to fight through more variable road conditions across each of the heats.

Redhead is first on the road! Seeded as Car 1, Redhead and Winwood-Smith will be first on the road, a position that could prove beneficial under the forecasted dry and dusty conditions. Being out front should give them a clear line of sight and a clean road, particularly valuable during the night stages where visibility will be key.

“Starting car one is a bit of an honour and a responsibility,” said Redhead. “We’ll hopefully set the pace for the rest of the field, and with the night stages coming into play, we’ll need to be sharp from the very first corner.”

The 2025 Quality Accounting Coffs Coast Rally is the final round of the 2025 Season, wrapping up both the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship and the NSW Clubman Rally Series.

The event will feature ten special stages and more than 170 competitive kilometres through the forests around Woolgoolga and Coffs Harbour, with two official spectator points offering fans the chance to catch the action up close.

The rally is organised by the Coffs Harbour and District Sporting Car Club and proudly supported by Quality Accounting, along with Shamrock Haulage and MRF Tyres, series partners of the NSW Rally Championship.

With Queensland crews in the mix, road position a critical factor, and three heats determining the title fight, Redhead and Winwood-Smith are set for one of the most unpredictable and high-stakes rallies of the season.