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.
FJ55 Land Cruiser – The Ugly One
Loved and Hated. The FJ55 Land Cruiser was a 4WD that divided 4WD enthusiasts. It looks and styling was loved by some, hated by others! Toyota's 4WD production started way back in 1941 when the Japanese Army took a Jeep, that they had acquired during the occupation of the Philippines, and sent it back home and ordered Toyota to make something similar. Then in the 1950's, the US Army commissioned Toyota to make 100 vehicles similar [...]
Mitsubishi Triton 2011 Review
When buying a second hand car, the Mitsubishi Triton is a popular choice for the four wheel drive enthusiast and we’re going to take a quick look at this very impressive Ute. That’s what we call them in Australia, so if you’re from elsewhere, you might know this off-road warrior as a utility or pickup truck. Today we are looking at a pre-loved 2011, GLX 2.5 Diesel MN model. With its curved lines and wide [...]
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 [...]
Irish Rally Icon Frank Kelly to Join Lazer Rally of the Bay Field in Spectacular Australian Return
The 2025 Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship just got a serious dose of international flavour, with Irish rally legend Frank Kelly confirming he will contest the Lazer Rally of the Bay on August 2, bringing his legendary 1977 Ford Escort Mk2 “Baby Blue” to the forests of Batemans Bay. This exciting development follows Kelly’s standout visit to Australian rallying at the Forest Rally in Western Australia, where he competed in Round Two of the EROAD [...]
O’Malley Prepares for Rally of Bathurst After Breakthrough Season
Pictures by Roy Meuronen. After a standout first full season in the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship, James O’Malley is preparing to return to the stages in 2026, beginning with the upcoming Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst. O’Malley enjoyed a strong campaign in 2025, securing first place in the NSW Rally Championship for the 1601–2000cc two-wheel-drive class, finishing third in the outright two-wheel-drive standings, and placing sixth outright. The results marked an impressive milestone in [...]
New contenders to take on Penultimate Round of the East Coast Classic Rally Series
Round 7 of the East Coast Classic Rally Series (ECCRS) will be held on the 19th of October in conjunction with the final round of the MTA NSW State Rally Championship at the Kosciuszko Automotive Monaro Stages Rally. There is already a good number of classic cars entered, but the more interesting part of the entry list are the new contenders taking on the penultimate round of the series. Heading the list of new Classic hopefuls [...]
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 [...]
Winch Truck Challenge
Back in 2012, we produced a DVD on Round 2 of the 2012 Winch Truck Challenge series held in Central Queensland. With over 60 minutes of winch truck action, there are Toyota Landcruisers including 70 series, Nissan GU and GQ Patrols and even Landrovers. The whole DVD has been loaded onto YouTube in crystal clear 1080p High Definition, unlike the DVD which is Standard Def! So sit down and relax and watch the entire DVD [...]
Rally NSW – Development Rallying in Australia
Developing rallying in NSW is a key focus of the Rally NSW management team in 2017, and there has been some great competition in the Club Motorsport area, thanks to the Techworkz Development Rally Series (DRS). Rallying is a popular and exciting form of Motorsport that challenges man and machine against the clock. In recent years, we have seen a slow decline in entrants in Australia, but in New South Wales, there is a bit [...]
