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 [...]
National Title starts at AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay
PHOTO: Roy Meuronen NSW based competitors who aspire for an Australian Rally Championship (ARC) award, can now register and score points towards the ARC4 award by competing at the Batemans Bay based, AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay event. Motorsport Australia has updated the Sporting and Technical Regulations for the RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship and the ARC4 award includes the Rally of the Bay. The ARC4 award is open to competitors who are [...]
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 [...]
4WD Winch Challenge Heats up in Cold Conditions
With overnight temperatures dropping into the negatives, about the only thing hot at the recent round of the Comeup Xtreme Winch Challenge (XWC) series was the winching action! 12 teams lined up on a bitterly cold Friday night at the Springvale property in the small country town of Wallabadah, just south of Tamworth for Round 2 of the popular series. With three stages set to challenge teams in the dark, it would be the Toyota [...]
Rally of the Bay – Drama and Crashes!
Story by Neil Blackbourn and Pictures by Dave King Any rally around the Batemans Bay Area is tough and demanding on cars and crews. Not to much in the way of room beside any of the roads, and lots of twists, turns and rocks to catch you out if just a little off line. But the action from Saturday’s 2019 edition of the MTA NSW Rally Championship, incorporating the Geelong Hino Victorian Rally Championship was [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
ARB Winch Truck Challenge (WTC) 2015
Featuring some of the best competition trucks in Central Queensland, this event has great action, extreme winch walls, a family friendly atmosphere and some great camping facilities so you can make a weekend of it. Held in the Rockhampton District of Central Queensland, this event attracts teams from all over Queensland and is a popular event for both Drivers, Navigators and Spectators. There is always plenty of action and the courses are set to allow [...]
Classic Escort Ready to Fight Modern Rally Cars at Bathurst
Photos: Roy Meuronen Photography Queensland rally driver Tom Dermody will bring classic rallying heritage to the forests of New South Wales when he lines up at the Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst this weekend in his striking red 1978 Ford Escort Mk2. Dermody and Sydney-based co-driver Eoin Moynihan will again represent DMR Motorsport, continuing a partnership that has now spanned more than a decade in Australian rallying. The pair have been rallying together for twelve [...]
