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.
Hill and Cooling Impress on Debut of H6 Subaru at Rally of Bathurst
Photo: Roy Meuronen Photography Sam Hill and co-driver Mikayla Cooling delivered a strong and consistent performance at the Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst, finishing 14th outright in the event, 11th in the NSW Rally Championship field, and 9th in the Production Cup on the debut outing for their unique H6 Subaru. The rally marked the first competitive appearance for the car, which began life as a Subaru RS Challenge vehicle before being transformed with an unusual [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Hatton ‘Super Excited’ As Rallying Returns
Photo: Sydney rally driver JJ Hatton is back in action this weekend. By Team Release JJ Hatton is back behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 rally car this weekend, when the sport resumes after the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been a long time between drinks for the Sydneysider, but this weekend’s Batemans Bay based ‘Rally of the Bay’ will finally see him raising the dust against a top class field. The rally is the first round of [...]
O’Malley Bounces Back with Career-Best Pace at the 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay
PHOTOS: Peter Norton After the disappointment of an early retirement at the previous round in Narooma, James O'Malley and co-driver Jono Forrest responded in the best possible way with a composed and determined performance at the 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay, finishing fifth outright and first rear-wheel-drive crew home in their Toyota 86. The result was the reward for a measured drive that built momentum throughout the day as the pair adapted to the [...]
Patrols Dominate at COMEUP XWC Round 3 – 2019
It’s been nearly ten years since the Comeup Xtreme Winch Challenge has ventured north into Central Queensland, but on the weekend of July 12-14, it was back with an action-packed weekend of extreme 4WD winching action. Seventeen Central Queensland based teams lined up on Friday night to tackle the first of three stages, set in the Seeonee Park grounds on the outskirts of Rockhampton. It would be a pair of Nissan Patrols taking the first [...]
Wyangala Dam – NSW
Located near the western NSW township of Cowra, Wyangala Dam is a terrific spot for a leisurely weekend of camping, or for the more active, a great water sports haven! It might sound like a pretty ordinary place to go camping, but Wyangala Dam has a lot to offer and makes for a very relaxing weekend away. The Dam itself can vary in water level from as low as only a few percent (it was [...]
Team Ranga – Nissan Patrol Winch Truck
They say only a "Ranga" can call another red head a Ranga, but when your team name is Team Ranga, we may need to make an exception for these two blokes in their Nissan Patrol GU. Paul Semmens and Nathan Mills have had a few thrills and spills in their 4.8 inter-cooled turbo Patrol, sporting a few different coloured panels after repairs from previous winch events that didn't go according to plan. The truck features [...]
