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.
Penny and Llewellyn to debut new car at AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay
Penny and Llewellyn testing the GC8. PHOTO: Wishart Media The Jindabyne based Kosciuszko Automotive Rally Team is looking forward to showcasing a new car at the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay. The Alpine based team of Andrew Penny and Rhys Llewellyn compete at all levels of rallying in Australia and in 2019 they won the ACT Rally Series. They also won the final round of the MTA NSW Rally Championship, an event that the [...]
Redhead Motorsport Shows Plenty of Heart Despite Cruel End at the 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay
PHOTOS: Roy Meuronen Photography Sometimes a rally result tells only half the story. For Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith, the 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay wasn't about where they finished. It was about dust, noise, opposite lock, plenty of laughs, and proving that even a 50-year-old Datsun Stanza can still put on a show. After contesting the previous round in their Mitsubishi Evolution V, Redhead Motorsport elected to leave the faster car at home [...]
Jackson Long to Drive Brinkman’s WRX Challenge Car at Adelaide Hills Rally
After an impressive performance at the 2025 Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland, rising rally star Jackson Long has been provided a major opportunity. He will pilot Glenn Brinkman’s Subaru WRX Challenge car at the upcoming Adelaide Hills Rally, a round of the Bosch Motorsport Australian Rally Championship. Brinkman, who is committed to running his iconic Ford Escort Cosworth in the South Australian Rally Championship, made the decision to keep his WRX Challenge car on the road [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Championship Battle Heats Up in the Barossa: Price vs Brinkman Set for Showdown
The gravel roads of the iconic Barossa Valley are set to rumble once again as the 2025 MSS Safety Rally Barossa brings South Australia's premier gravel competitors together for Round 2 of the South Australian Rally Championship (SARC). After a thrilling season opener at the Shannons Rally SA – Rally of the Heartland, all eyes now turn to the vineyards and valleys of Rowland Flat, where an epic battle is brewing. This night–day format rally, known for its mix [...]
Redhead and Winwood-Smith Win Coffs Coast Rally Finale as NSW Titles Decided
The 2025 Quality Accounting Coffs Coast Rally delivered a thrilling finale to the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship, with Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith taking a hard-fought outright victory after a day of challenges, comeback drives, and championship drama on the Coffs Coast. The Redhead Motorsport crew’s weekend didn’t start smoothly. In Heat 1, their Hyundai i20 suffered engine issues that forced the team to turn off the anti-lag system, robbing the car of valuable turbo [...]
