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Ben Hunt and Tony Rawstorn won the 1st Round of the 2025 TER Series, the Otago Rally in New Zealand.
08.04.2025
The 2025 TER Series, the World Series of TER, began last weekend in Dunedin, New Zealand, in the Otago region, which hosted the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally.
After a one-year hiatus, the Otago Rally returned to the World Series of TER as the opening round of the 2025 season.
From the outset, the battle for victory involved three crews: Jack Stokes in a Ford Fiesta AP4 and Ben Hunt and Robbie Stokes, both driving Skoda Fabia Rally2 cars.
During the first part of Day 1, Jack Stokes and Hayden Graves led the rally. However, Ben Hunt, co-driven by Tony Rawstorn, took control of the standings and ended the day 10.5 seconds ahead of Robbie Stokes’ Skoda and 14 seconds ahead of Jack Stokes’ Ford.
On Day 2, Robbie Stokes codriven by Raynolds Shane launched an aggressive attack and overtaking Hunt on Special Stage 10.
The competition tightened as Jack Stokes was forced to retire on SS12 due to a mechanical failure in his Fiesta AP4.
This left Hunt and Robbie Stokes to battle for victory.
Stage by stage, Hunt closed the gap on Stokes until they were separated by just one-tenth of a second heading into the final stage.
The decisive moment came on the iconic “Kuri Bush” stage.
Hunt and Rawstorn outpaced Robbie Stokes and Raynolds Shane by 2.8 seconds to claim their first victory in the TER Series’ opening round.
The fight for third place was equally intense between Jack Hawkeswood in his Toyota GR Yaris AP4 and Josh Marston in a Holden Barina AP4.
After a thrilling contest, Hawkeswood, codriven by Jason Farmer, secured third place.
Emma Gilmour, driving a Citroën C3 Rally2 with Australian co-driver Ben Searcy, finished fifth overall.
In the International Classic Rally category, former WRC stars Kris Meeke and Hayden Paddon entertained fans with their performances in Ford Escort RS Historic cars.
Meeke led after Day 1 but lost over six minutes on SS10 due to a puncture, finishing second in the Classic category and tenth overall.
Hayden Paddon retired on SS1 due to mechanical issues but rejoined for Day 2 and engaged in an exciting duel with Meeke.
In a surprise twist during the final stage, Paddon was allowed to drive his Hyundai i20 WRC on “Kuri Bush.”
The car was the same one he used to win Rally Argentina in the WRC.
Paddon set a new record for the stage, showcasing his mastery of WRC machinery.
The event once again demonstrated why Dunedin and the Otago region are iconic rally destinations, with large crowds enjoying spectacular action on fast-paced stages.
In three weeks, the TER - Tour European Rally will celebrate its tenth anniversary alongside the seventh edition of TER Historic at Rally Poreč in Croatia’s Istria region, marking the 1st round of the 2025 series.
