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.
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 [...]
Wiedman Takes Victory in a Thrilling Opening Round of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship
The Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship kicked off in spectacular fashion over the weekend at the Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally of Canberra, delivering intense competition across the field. Queenslander Josh Wiedman and co-driver KJ Miller emerged as the standout performer, taking the overall victory and establishing Wiedman as a serious contender for the 2025 NSW Rally Championship. Having initially been overlooked as a NSW competitor due to an event administrative error, Wiedman’s speed and consistency [...]
80 Series Landcruiser – stuck in a tree!
With Round 2 of the COMEUP Xtreme Winch Challenge series coming up on the 24th of June, we thought we'd take you back to round 1 for a quick re-cap. In this video, Luke McNicol gets stuck into the Saturday stages. Unfortunately he gets a bit too "stuck" and ledges himself onto a tree. The only way to escape the clutches of the undergrowth was to enlist the help of event organiser David Metcalfe and [...]
Taylor Gill Battles the Rally of Gods to Take Second in Junior WRC
They don’t call it the Rally of Gods for nothing. The EKO Acropolis Rally is one of the most brutal tests in the World Rally Championship, and in 2025 it proved once again why it has earned its legendary status. With scorching heat, tyre-shredding rocks, and mountainous stages north of Athens, it pushed competitors to the edge. But for Aussie rising star Taylor Gill, it was a rally that tested his patience, precision, and perseverance, and he walked away [...]
All in the Family – Brads 1978 Range Rover
This article is the first of our user submitted stories. If you want to be featured, just send us an email or contact us via our Facebook page. Brad Clayton’s 1978 Range Rover is the two door variety and has been affectionately named ‘sofie’ ever since it was registered. The name doesn’t have any real significance other than a reference to the number plate. It’s been a daily drive since it was registered and has been in the family [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Fun New 4WD Park in Australia
This Central West 4WD Park in NSW is a short drive from Mudgee and this video gives us the low-down on the fun and activities on offer. Finding quiet undiscovered bush camping sites can be quite a challenge. And when it comes to long weekends, especially Easter, it might just be impossible to find that hidden gem. But we were recently invited to come and check out Jamie Smiths Central West 4WD Park, just south [...]
O’Malley and Forrest Claim 2WD Victory at Rally of Bathurst
Photos: Roy Meuronen Photography James O’Malley and co-driver Jono Forrest delivered an impressive performance at the Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst, claiming two-wheel-drive honours while finishing sixth outright in the NSW Rally Championship field and ninth outright in the overall event. Competing in their Toyota 86 against a strong field that included some of Australia’s top rally crews and a fleet of high-powered four-wheel-drive machinery, O’Malley and Forrest produced a consistent drive across the fast [...]
