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.
O’Malley’s Narooma nightmare: Inside the single-pin fault that cost a championship charge
PHOTOS: Roy Meuronen Photography James O’Malley and co-driver Jono Forrest will head to Batemans Bay with plenty to fight for when they contest the 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay on Saturday, 25 July. The single-day event is the third round of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship and will provide the O’Malley Rally Team with an important opportunity to recover from a disappointing result at the previous round in Narooma. O’Malley and Forrest completed [...]
The Mav – Ford Maverick Winch Truck
Peter Bannister competes in a 1992 model Ford Maverick, affectionately call “The Mav”. He and Navigator Josh Flynn were last seen competing at round 1 of the 2016 COMEUP Xtreme Winch Challenge series, but due to a few issues on Friday night and Saturday, could only manage to finish 7th outright. The Mav has a Ford badge on it, but is essentially a Nissan Patrol after Ford rebadged the model for sale in Australia back [...]
FJ40 Modified Landcruiser Winch Truck
One of the most popular choices of Winch Truck, with both competitors and spectators is the Toyota FJ40. It's tough, it's extreme and it turns heads wherever it goes! Rod and Russell Rathbone have been stalwarts of the Xtreme Winch Challenge series and have shown their consistency and skill over the years in their Wyong Automatics Toyota FJ40 Landcruiser Comp Truck. At Round 1 of the 2016 COMEUP Xtreme Winch Challenge Series, Rod and Russell [...]
NSW Development Rally Series – Datto Wins!
Michael and Erin Valantine achieved first outright in the 2017 Techworkz Automotive New South Wales Development Rally Series – or DRS. The MV Solar team of Father and Daughter, started out on a high, with a win at the first of the six-round series in their 2WD Datsun Stanza. The Singleton Automotive Caves Classic rally was the opening round, and a win here was exactly the start to the season Valantine was looking for. Suffering from [...]
Hoy Triumphs at 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay as Sullens Takes Championship Lead Batemans Bay
The forests surrounding Batemans Bay delivered a thrilling day of rallying as the 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay produced fast competition, dramatic retirements, impressive comeback drives and a major change at the top of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship standings. Organised by the North Shore Sporting Car Club, the event hosted Round 3 of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship, Round 3 of the NSW Clubman Rally Series and Round 3 of the [...]
Turon River – NSW
Not far from Sydney is an ideal camping location with everything you could possibly want for an easy weekend adventure. There's a beautiful river, views, four-wheel-driving, fishing and a whole lot more. Turon National Park is located just west of Capertee, NSW. The main feature of this National Park is the Turon River which flows through the heart of this rugged and yet beautiful landscape. Camping within the National Park is free and there are [...]
Pedder Prevails in Thrilling Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst
Photos: Roy Meuronen Photography The Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst delivered a spectacular day of competition, with fast forest roads, changing conditions and intense battles across all categories highlighting one of the standout events on the NSW rally calendar. At the front of the field, Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall claimed outright victory in their R2 Skoda, delivering a strong and consistent performance across the day to secure the win after a hard-fought battle with [...]
Richie Dalton Ready to Fly on Favourite Stages at the 2025 Lazer Rally of the Bay
Irish-born rally star Richie Dalton, alongside co-driver Mac Kierans, is heading to Batemans Bay full of confidence and excitement as he prepares to take on the 2025 Lazer Rally of the Bay in his Toyota GR Yaris AP4. The car will be prepared and serviced by the renowned Neal Bates Motorsport team, a name synonymous with rallying success in Australia. Their technical expertise and championship-winning experience will be key in extracting every ounce of performance from Dalton’s GR Yaris [...]
Rally NSW – Development Rallying in Australia
Developing rallying in NSW is a key focus of the Rally NSW management team in 2017, and there has been some great competition in the Club Motorsport area, thanks to the Techworkz Development Rally Series (DRS). Rallying is a popular and exciting form of Motorsport that challenges man and machine against the clock. In recent years, we have seen a slow decline in entrants in Australia, but in New South Wales, there is a bit [...]
