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.
Sunraysia Safari Hits the Tracks
TThe Sunraysia Safari Cross Country Rally starts this week and this years event will be well worth following. Over 30 Bikes and 25 Autos will line up for the start of the 2019 Sunraysia Safari, the third consecutive year for this popular event. The Sunraysia Safari is the longest Cross Country Rally in Australia, and is based out of the township of Wentworth, just north of the border between Victoria and NSW. The event base [...]
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 [...]
Young Gun itching for first Event – AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay
Photo: Roy Meuronen Sixteen year-old learner driver Taylor Gill is itching to get behind the wheel of his Subaru WRX for his first rally. The young gun has teamed up with experienced co-driver, Peter Harris, to compete at the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay on July 4th. It has been a long time coming for Gill, who was originally scheduled to compete at Rally Australia late in 2019, but the devastating summer bushfires saw [...]
Toyota Hilux 1998 Review
When buying a second hand four wheel drive, if it’s a Ute you’re after then it’s likely that you’ll have included the Toyota Hilux on your list of Utes to go and have a look at. If you’re looking for a bargain, then the 1998 2.7 litre petrol Dual Cab could be just the one for you. It’s a very capable off-road machine and probably one of the most easily modified vehicle on the market. [...]
Midstate Freight Caves Classic Rally on track for 10th of October
In just over two weeks, the Midstate Freight Caves Classic Rally is set for some intense competition in both the MTA NSW Rally Championship and also the East Coast Classic Rally Series. With 37 entries received to date, North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) are expecting a rush of entries over the next few weeks in the lead up to the second big rally in NSW since the COVID-19 Pandemic led to many event cancellations and [...]
Toyota Prado 2003 Review
The second hand 4wd market is huge in Australia and today we’ll be reviewing a 2003 Toyota Landcruiser Prado Grande. In 2003, Toyota introduced this new model and it was a significant upgrade to the previous version and featured new styling from a design out of Toyotas European Design Studio. In addition to the styling, this 4WD comes packed with many other features, but not all the features of the Grande are available on the [...]
The 10 Best 4×4 Videos
Of course it goes without saying that OUR videos are the best 4x4 Videos, but we've been watching plenty of others over the years and here is our pick of the 10 best 4x4 Video chanels on YouTube. It can be hard work scrolling through pages and pages of 4x4 videos. There is some real junk out there too. So here we have our list of the top 10 sites on YouTube for 4WD videos (after our great channel [...]
Quinn Wins Opening Round of NSW Rally Championship
Former Australian Rally Champion Nathan Quinn in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has won the opening round of the NSW Rally Championship by the smallest of margin, just 4.7 seconds. Quinn won both heats of the rally and dedicated the win to his co-driver, Ray Winwood-Smith, who was working off pace notes for the first time. Quinn, from Coffs Harbour and Winwood-Smith from Bathurst, won four of the seven stages, but didn’t take the lead until [...]
Motorsport Australia Launches New Licence Structure to Boost Rally and Off Road Participation
From July 1, 2025, it’s going to be easier, and more affordable than ever to get behind the wheel in Australian rally and off road events. Motorsport Australia has unveiled a fresh set of licence options aimed squarely at growing participation at the grassroots and state level. Whether you're chasing a club-level podium or giving rallying a go for the very first time, the new licence structure provides flexible, low-cost pathways into the sport we all love. Under the [...]
