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.
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 [...]
NSW 2WD Championship Leaders Ready for Narooma Challenge
N SW two-wheel-drive championship leaders James O'Malley and co-driver Jono Forrest are preparing to take on some of Australia's best rally competitors when they contest this weekend's Toyota Gazoo Racing Narooma Forest Rally. The Tumut Toyota-backed crew head into Round 2 of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship full of confidence after an impressive performance at the season-opening Bathurst Rally, where they finished sixth outright and claimed the honours as the event's leading two-wheel-drive crew. While [...]
Need a Rally Fix? Here Are the Events Left for 2025!
If you’re a rally tragic, you’re in luck... there’s still plenty of high-octane action left before the year wraps up. From iconic coastal stages and flat-out forestry sprints, to multi-day endurance marathons and grassroots club challenges, the rest of 2025 is packed with unmissable events. You can expect: Sweeping forest stages that demand precision and bravery. Fast, flowing gravel roads where commitment pays off. Technical mountain climbs that test both driver and machine. Coastal blasts [...]
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 [...]
Jackson Long Set to Defend Junior Cup Lead at Rally Queensland
Young gun Jackson Long is ready to take on one of his biggest tests yet as the 2025 Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland roars into Gympie this weekend. Currently leading the ARC Junior Cup with 190 points, Long is eyeing another strong result to extend his advantage over closest rival Jaidyn Gluskie, who sits on 90 points. After taking maximum points at the Forest Rally in Western Australia and his strong performance with a heat win at the Rally of [...]
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 [...]
Middle of the Road – Hyundai Tucson Active 2.0 litre Auto
By Jon Thomson At some point in our evolutionary history our DNA was corrupted and as a race we decided that SUVs were a better proposition for personal transport than small hatches or wagons. It must have been a quirk of evolution, because, if you apply logic, there could be no reason why we would swap smaller more efficient cars with ones that are heavier, offer no more space internally and have a higher centre of [...]
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 [...]
4WD Trip to Mt Walker
This 4WD trip has both easy and hard sections and will provide enough challenges for both the novice and experienced off-roader! Back in 2010 we ventured out with the team from ARB Penrith on another one of their customer drive days and at the top of this post you can watch the full video. ARB Penrith run a few of these events each year and it's a great opportunity for their customers to go out [...]
