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.
Winch Truck Challenge
Back in 2012, we produced a DVD on Round 2 of the 2012 Winch Truck Challenge series held in Central Queensland. With over 60 minutes of winch truck action, there are Toyota Landcruisers including 70 series, Nissan GU and GQ Patrols and even Landrovers. The whole DVD has been loaded onto YouTube in crystal clear 1080p High Definition, unlike the DVD which is Standard Def! So sit down and relax and watch the entire DVD [...]
Victorians looking to impress at the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay
Victorians Adrian Stratford and Kain Manning will be debuting a fully rebuilt Ford Fiesta ST at the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay. The car was purchased late last year and completely stripped down, with many improvements made to make it ready for the 2020 Till Hino Victorian Rally Championship (VRC). In addition to the VRC, the team were also hoping to enter at least three Australian Rally Championship (ARC) rounds, however the COVID-19 pandemic [...]
FJ45 V8 Landcruiser Farmtruck Winch Machine
The COMEUP Xtreme Winch Challenge is a winching competition held in NSW and Queensland and we are featuring a few of the trucks that have competed at previous events. One fine example is the 1973 modified Landcruiser of Dave Burrows. Dave has been competing in these winching events for many many years with some great results. The 45 Series, affectionately known as the “Farm Truck” has a fuel injected 308 Holden motor stroked to 330cc. [...]
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 [...]
Comeback Success in Safari for McCredie and Maude in Holden Jackaroo
After a 20-year break from competitive rally driving, John McCredie and Nick Maude returned to rallying taking on the 2022 Local Legends Sunraysia Safari Cross Country Rally in an ex-Bruce Garland Holden Jackaroo. The 2022 event was shortened significantly due to wet weather, with Day 2 and Day 3 cancelled. The first day of competition started with a 100km stage, followed by the shortened Tarcoola 25km test. The final day was just one stage, but [...]
WATCH: 2018 Holden Colorado Z71 Test Drive
Looking at the 2nd hand 4WD market for a good off-roader? This should be added to your test drive list. The Holden Colorado has become a popular choice for 4WD’ers and a car we’re seeing much more of out in the bush. Recently we had the opportunity to take a couple of 2018 Z71 models off road for a bit of a drive, and whilst it wasn’t extreme, it certainly gave them a good test. [...]
Rally of the Bay – Drama and Crashes!
Story by Neil Blackbourn and Pictures by Dave King Any rally around the Batemans Bay Area is tough and demanding on cars and crews. Not to much in the way of room beside any of the roads, and lots of twists, turns and rocks to catch you out if just a little off line. But the action from Saturday’s 2019 edition of the MTA NSW Rally Championship, incorporating the Geelong Hino Victorian Rally Championship was [...]
New contenders to take on Penultimate Round of the East Coast Classic Rally Series
Round 7 of the East Coast Classic Rally Series (ECCRS) will be held on the 19th of October in conjunction with the final round of the MTA NSW State Rally Championship at the Kosciuszko Automotive Monaro Stages Rally. There is already a good number of classic cars entered, but the more interesting part of the entry list are the new contenders taking on the penultimate round of the series. Heading the list of new Classic hopefuls [...]
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 [...]
