ABOUT US
ON THE DIRT was created as a YouTube channel back in the first year that YouTube came into being, 2007. In those days, it was the personal YouTube account of John McCredie with a few little videos of some 4WD trips he had done with family and friends. John had always had a passion for gravel rallying and even won the Australian Rally Championship for pocket rockets in the front wheel drive 0-1300cc category. From there, this passion extended to four-wheel-driving and in 2009 John and his two sons Nathan and Jacob filmed their first 4WD Winch Comp.
The YouTube Channel soon started to grow in both popularity and size (number of videos) and was changed from the name OHM26 to ON THE DIRT. With more videos being produced and more 4wd and rally content being uploaded, the channel now has over 14,000 subscribers and almost 5 million views.
4WD Tyre Review – Kumho AT51’s on the Pajero and Defender
I often get asked what tyres I run on my four-wheel drive, so I thought it was about time I shared with you what I have and what I think. I have the Kumho Road Venture AT51’s on the Pajero and this is my second set of these All Terrain tyres. So straight up, for me to have bought them a second time, there must be something good about them. And based on my recommendation, we [...]
Sunraysia Safari Hits the Tracks
TThe Sunraysia Safari Cross Country Rally starts this week and this years event will be well worth following. Over 30 Bikes and 25 Autos will line up for the start of the 2019 Sunraysia Safari, the third consecutive year for this popular event. The Sunraysia Safari is the longest Cross Country Rally in Australia, and is based out of the township of Wentworth, just north of the border between Victoria and NSW. The event base [...]
Middle of the Road – Hyundai Tucson Active 2.0 litre Auto
By Jon Thomson At some point in our evolutionary history our DNA was corrupted and as a race we decided that SUVs were a better proposition for personal transport than small hatches or wagons. It must have been a quirk of evolution, because, if you apply logic, there could be no reason why we would swap smaller more efficient cars with ones that are heavier, offer no more space internally and have a higher centre of [...]
Arnhem Land – NT
By John McCredie In the North of Australia is a land area called Arnhem Land. It is an Aboriginal reserve that covers almost 100,000 square kilometres and has some of the most remote communities in Australia. You could say that the Aboriginal people own this land and whilst that is essentially true, the idea of ownership has quite a different meaning in their culture. Recently I was privileged enough to be able [...]
Ruggles Motorsport start Clubman Assault at AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay
The Ruggles Motorsport Team are planning a full assault on the 2020 Techworkz Automotive NSW Clubman Rally Series in their Group 4 specification Triumph TR7 V8. It’s an all family affair for the team with lead engineer and major sponsor Ben Ruggles heading up the team, Matt Ruggles driving and son Guy Ruggles in the co-drivers seat. They also have their adopted brother, ‘Pommy’ Paul Beaston on the Service Crew. Matt is no stranger to rallying, [...]
Narooma Rally Set to Ignite the South Coast on September 13, 2025
The beautiful Eurobodalla region is set to echo with the sound of rally engines when the 2025 Techworkz Automotive Stages and Horizon Apartments Narooma Forest Rally hit the forests on Saturday, September 13. This action-packed event is the penultimate round of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship and the East Coast Classic Rally Series (2WD and 4WD), while also hosting the final round of the NSW Clubman Rally Series and the penultimate round of the [...]
Winch Challenge Bites Teams
Seven teams started, but only four finish. One of the best Comeup Winch Challenge Competitions yet! Round 4 of the 2019 Comeup Extreme Winch Challenge Series was held at the Springs 4x4 Park in south east Queensland, just south of Warwick. Stage one was a speed stage that would get competitors ready for the other nine full on stages and get the blood pumping. Paul Semmens and Nathan Mills of Team Ranga were the first [...]
Navara – Fierce Warrior
By Jon Thomson Australia is in love with dual cab utes, it can’t be stated more clearly than that. Once the province of tradies and council inspectors, one tonne dual cab utes are now morphing to fill so many different niches in the market these days, making them attractive for everyone from families with a couple of kids to young blokes and gals looking for an alternative sports car, to grey nomads towing caravans, off road [...]
Green Light for AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay
The 2020 running of the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay has now received a ‘Green Light’ from Motorsport Australia. The final approval was given to North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) based on the event falling within the Motorsport Australia ‘Return to Race Strategy’, which is approved by the NSW State Government. Whilst NSSCC has been pushing ahead with plans for the Rally, there was always the possibility that further restrictions could have been [...]
