I was unable to attend the Finals, as I travelled to Auckland to farewell my longtime friend Mark Baker, a former rally and offroad racer, ORANZ media guy and motorsport media guru who, until his passing, was the editor of NZ4WD.
Mark had left strict instructions: no black or sombre clothing—everyone was to wear something bright and colourful. I’m pleased to report I even outdid Paul Madden, aka Dink, a long-time Hawaiian shirt wearer, with the brightest shirt!
A big thank you to Mark’s brother Gary for being celebrant and creating the light-hearted celebration of Mark’s life that Mark would have wanted. Gary even found a Tony McCall look-alike to read Tony’s eulogy while Tony was racing in Christchurch.
That’s a wrap on the 2026 CT Civil ORANZ National Finals, held at Canterbury Offroad Raceway, West Melton, on 24–25 October.
The weekend brought the national season to a close with shortcourse racing and a 250 km enduro. Dusty conditions raised safety concerns, and the enduro had to be shortened.
It was a weekend of attrition, with a number of competitors forced out. In the first heat, Bruce McKeown was out after a first-lap rollover. Nick Leahy’s weekend ended when a failed water pump led to a blown head gasket, while Tony McCall retired with an engine bearing failure. In Class S, Geoff Densem was out after tangling with another car on the front straight jump, resulting in a sizeable rollover.
In the provisional overall results, Noah Hutchison and Slim Slee finished level on 230 points. The tie was decided by enduro positions, giving Noah the overall win. Kadin Thomason finished third with 228 points, and Jack Rice was named Youth Champion.
Class placing
Class 1: 1st Slim Slee; 2nd Donald Preston; 3rd Sareena Paterson
Class 2: 1st Noah Hutchison; 2nd Tim Culling
Class 3: 1st Conor Nicklin; 2nd Jason McKinstry; 3rd Karlos McKay
Class 5: 1st Brad Harvey; 2nd Daniel Rusbatch
Class S: 1st Andrew Williams; 2nd John Butler; 3rd Lincoln Bramley
Class 9: 1st Donald McMillan
Class 8: 1st Kadin Thomason; 2nd Paul Preston; 3rd Louis Carlyle
Class U: 1st Neil Coutts; 2nd Scott Mitchell; 3rd Tony Tyrell
Kiwi Trucks / Class J: 1st Ryan Carlyle; 2nd Corban Vernon; 3rd Harrison Mooney
Kiwi Trucks / Class M: 1st Jack Rice; 2nd Oliver Mooney; 3rd Aiden Culling
Kiwi Trucks / Class K: 1st Felix Culling
One of the most impressive sights in the pits was Cameron Vernon’s big rig, which made the trip from Auckland carrying six Kiwi Trucks and the Carlyle Motorsports Class 8 entry.
With 46 entrants, including 12 youth racers, the Finals showed that our sport is in good shape for future growth. Big kudos to the South Island competitors who raced their regional rounds and Finals over four consecutive months. That’s a huge commitment to the sport.
A special thank you to title sponsor CT Civil and National Series sponsors Destination Apparel, Elite Kitchens, V-Dub Shoppe and 4WDbits for their support throughout the season. We also thank Canterbury Off Road Racing Club for hosting, and all the officials, marshals and volunteers who helped make the weekend happen.
A big thank you to Logan Douglas from Live Motorsport for travelling around the country and live streaming our events. Your coverage helps bring the racing to everyone—bring on 2027!
Congratulations to all the competitors, and thank you to everyone who lined up and raced throughout the 2026 season. That’s another national season done—see you at the track next year!
