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.
Rally of the Bay – Review Part 2
This is part 2 of our review of the 2020 AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay. When we left you in Part 1, the Toyota Team pairing of Harry Bates and John McCarthy had built up a significant lead after three stages to be leading the rally by just over 26 seconds. And it was the other Toyota Yaris, driven by Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin that was sitting in second. Richie Dalton and [...]
Rally of Oberon Returns to Close Out the 2026 Rally NSW Season
The Rally of Oberon will make its return to the NSW rally calendar on Saturday, 14 November 2026, providing competitors with a new season-ending challenge across the forests surrounding Oberon. Organised by the Rally Car Club, the event will feature approximately 140 kilometres of competitive stages, with crews tackling roads through the Jenolan forests in a traditional roadbook-only rally. The Rally of Oberon will host: Round 5 of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship Round 6 [...]
Behnke Rallying to be back in the driver’s seat
Following a five-year hiatus from being behind the wheel, the Rally of the Bay on the 4th of July is set to see the return to the driver’s seat for Canberra rally competitor Mike Behnke. Over the past few months, Mike’s revitalised Honda Civic, which is undergoing a ground up refurbishment, has rapidly taken shape thanks to the help of members of the Light Car Club of Canberra and the Qirx Motorsports team. The group of [...]
Entries Open for the 2025 Lazer Rally of the Bay – Get Ready for Coastal Rally Action!
There’s something special about the Rally of the Bay. Maybe it’s the twisty coastal roads, the roar of rally cars echoing through the forest, or the atmosphere in Batemans Bay as rally crews roll into town. Whatever it is, it’s back for 2025, and now’s your chance to be part of it. Entries are officially open for the 2025 Lazer Rally of the Bay, taking place on Saturday, August 2nd, and rally competitors from across the country are already [...]
Three Heats Set to Shake Up the Championship at the 2025 Quality Accounting Coffs Coast Rally
Event Date: Saturday 11th October 2025 The stage is set for a thrilling finale to the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship and the NSW Clubman Rally Series, as competitors head to Woolgoolga, NSW on Saturday, 11th October for the 2025 Quality Accounting Coffs Coast Rally, the final round of the 2025 season. A recently released Bulletin confirms that the event will run as three heats for the NSW Rally Championship component, adding an extra layer of [...]
XWC – Winch Action from Xtreme Winch Challenge
A fine and Sunny Saturday Morning would greet the ARB Xtreme Winch Challenge competitors and it was off to Special Stage 4 to get things started for the day. Rod and Russell Rathbone would be the first to tackle the stage. Starting first and the fresh morning air must have helped, as the Rathbone boys would take the stage win with 100 points, leaving the rest of the teams fighting for the minor places. One of [...]
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 [...]
Toby Price Ticks Sunraysia Safari Off the Bucket List With Outright Win
Toby Price came to the 2026 Sunraysia Safari with one more Australian off-road event he wanted to tick off the bucket list. Four days later, he left Wentworth as the outright winner. Price and co-driver Ben Searcy have won the 2026 Sunraysia Safari after more than 1,000 kilometres of competitive running across some of the toughest country the event could throw at them. And they did it in perhaps one of the more unlikely outright-winning cars in [...]
Redhead Motorsport Shows Front-Running Pace Before Bathurst Retirement
Photos: Roy Meuronen Photography It was a rally of highs and heartbreak for Redhead Motorsport at the Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst, with Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith demonstrating outright speed before being forced to retire due to brake issues. The team arrived at Bathurst after an intense build in the workshop, with preparation going right down to the wire. In fact, the car was trailered directly from the workshop to the start line, leaving no [...]
