2025 Lucas Oils NZ 4×4 Trials Season Preview: Celebrating 50 years!

Time flies when you’re having fun!

For the last 50 years, NZ 4×4 Trials has been taking over the New Zealand summer with 4wd events across the country.

From Suzuki’s to Nitro’s, Zone Series’ to National Series, reversing hazards to normal stages, South Island events to North Island exclusively (for now!), the sport has evolved with the times to what we enjoy today

Road legal wagons back in the 80’s
Modified 4×4’s back in the early 90’s
Spaceframe buggies on rise towards the turn of the Millenium
To the new age!

With Round 1 only days away, let’s have a quick run through on where we’re at for 2025:

EVENTS

Hawkes Bay host the first round of the season at the beginning of November down in Argyll

Thames Valley host a rally near Huntly for Round 2 on the last day of November, before the sport takes December off!

Levin host an event in the Rangitikei over Wellington Anniversary weekend

Manawatu host a rally close to Manawatu, taking place in Colyton in March

Back up north we go! Bay of Plenty host Round 5 in Te Puke towards the end of March

To the top! As Counties host the 50th National Final near Whangarei in mid April.

THE TEAMS

The same old same old like most series, with a few new and returning faces thrown into the mix!

C CLASS

The up-and-comers now turn to defenders, as Caleb Adlam & Jarrod Moss of Wellington look to defend their first C Class title for 2025. With consistency at the top end the key to a C Class title, the young guns will have to continue to show their mettle against the old guard.

A maiden Top 10 last season (and the only one for C Class last season!) showed the scene what the boys are capable of

The only news to seep through on developments to the existing teams, was that 402c Racing Shayne Towers & Tony Hadland now have an Toyota 80 Series rear diff, replacing the oft broken 8″ Hilux to improve their reliability for the former Top 10’s.

Shane Deadman & Brian Deadman return to C Class after a few seasons off in their Toyota Turbo powered Homebuilt. In-between they have also replaced the original Hilux diff setup to GU Nissan Patrol diffs front and rear, providing better stability as well as reliability.

Shane Deadman & Brian Deadman

Former J Class champ and K Class navigator last year Sean Cushing makes the jump up into C Class with the Dirty Evo Homebuilt. The buggy has been improved over the previous season with the rear of the truck being chopped and changed to save weight and improve the rear suspension setup. Former E Class champ Cody Fogden steps in alongside after filling in for Chris Gifford & Nathan Fogden last season.

Occasional navigator Matt Sterling from Levin makes his debut behind the wheel with Korey St Clare in C Class. With a new hush-hush build still on the go, Sterling & St Clare will be borrowing the Coal Runnings buggy of Daniel Morris for the first round.

D CLASS

Journey Claws, Journey Claws, Journey Claws!

Journey Claws vs Federals

The most common update amongst all teams is the switch to the new popular tyre taking over from the Federal Couragia MT. Since Journey Claws made their debut with Stu Earle in The Wolverine a few years ago, their popularity has increased immensely over the last season as the beloved Federals were discontinued.

The most surprising development over the off-season was that former champ and current 2NZ Sam Thomsen & Caitlyn Thomsen would not be partaking this season, with Nitro #1 still due a makeover since winning the demanding Suzuki Extreme 4×4 Challenge.

Former 2NZ’s Jarred Biggs & Fleche Crawford who missed out on the Suzuki Extreme 4×4 Challenge return, with the motor now repaired after a DNF at the National Final.

Kevin Hermansen & Nick Hamilton return in a leaner & meaner Gambler, having been rebuilt over the past season for another shot at 1NZ! The most notable difference is a new front end from the front hoop forward, with improved visibility similar to other rear engine IFS buggies. The “cab” and rear of the buggy appear largely unchanged since amendments in 2022.

Hermy & Nick get a test run under their belt at Cowper Trucks

In terms of new faces, Alex Cameron debuts in the ex-Colin Dean 3.8 V6 powered Homebuilt featuring rear-steer, its first National since 2016.

Bryce Donovan from Hawkes Bay debuts in the original Cowper Truck known as Crazy Frog! The truck having last competed as The Punisher with Chris Gifford two seasons ago.

Chris Southwick also makes his debut to trials in the ex-Kurt Johnson Green Hornet Buggy.

F CLASS

Two-time F Class champ Paul Taylor returns after a few seasons off in his Toyota Tundra powered Toyota Prado, with daughter Danielle alongside for the first time.

Word was circulating that former champ Steve Morley might make a reappearance for some healthy competition, but only time will tell!

G CLASS

The oft forgotten Production class is one of the two original classes (along with Super Modified for C & D) that have been around since the very beginning in 1975. Formerly known as A and B Class till the late 1990’s, Production was the stepping stone to the sport which saw multiple fresh faces later become front runners over the years. From Steve McMinn to Derek Smyth, Syd D’Ath to Mike Gee-Taylor to name a few.

Returning back to a standard Suzuki is former A & E Class champ Daniel Howat & Cole Stockler, reuniting the combination from 2021 where Howat & co sealed the E Class title before the last round held in Argyll… Picking up where they left off, the team from Wellington will get to manoeuvre a Suzuki SJ in the Central Hawkes Bay.

Glory days for this author! (I’ll get a new pic later)

K CLASS

Sole entrants in K Class this season is local legend John Sheridan & Matt Wilson in the ex-Brent Ward Homebuilt. Having competed against fellow Wairarapa club members Geoff Butcher & Sean Cushing last season, the former are still yet to grab their first win after an electrical issue robbed them last season.

Sheridan & Wilson

As with F Class, time will tell if any former competitors return to spice things up!