Round 1 Preview: Back in the Bay!

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The 2025/2026 NZ 4×4 Trials Series kicks off where it left, with The Superior Excavation National 4×4 Trial hosted near Whakatāne at 70 Downard Road this Sunday.

Don’t forget to bring some cash, with entry $10 per person. Food & drink are available, with hot food and coffee carts on site, along with the local scouts putting on a BBQ.

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Representing the Eastern Bay is a strong group of entries, who together claimed 2nd overall in the Biggs Family Cup Club Trophy last season!

Representing C Class is Rhys O’Brien and Clarrie Vazey with their unmissable Pink Honda K24 buggy called Dolly, they’ve been a top contender in C Class over the last five seasons

Young guns Alex Cameron & Hayden Sisson with their 3.8 Supercharged buggy

Fresh off their maiden Top 10 is Wayne & Tayla Weatherly also representing EBTDC

Paul & Danielle Taylor bring the muscle with their F Class 5.7L V8 Toyota Prado

D Class features Gary West & Carl Morris with their twin turbo Toyota 1UZ V8 powered buggy

Changes and some familiar faces

In the 4 cylinder powered buggies of C Class…

Not one to rest on his laurels, defending C Class champion Shayne Towers & Tony Hadland have been busy in the off-season replacing the Nissan SR20 with a turbocharged Honda K24 for this season
The increasingly popular 2.4L Honda also features in the new for 2025 Nitro Custom of Angus Hamilton & Daniel Howat, with the buggy all bark and bite thanks to a rotrex supercharger
Five-time C Class champs Nathan Fogden & Mike Gibbons will be looking to take the top spot back having finished runner up last year
Matt Sterling & Korey St Clare enter their sophomore season with a few more goodies under the hood
Jon & Sam Bolton’s Lil’ Flick always looks the part, with an impressive noise too!
Former champs John Hawken & Haare O’Brien are ones to look out for, grabbing a win last season

The fight for the Top 3 is anyone’s game, with former 2024 Caleb Adlam & Jarrod Moss taking a season off and Glenn & Danielle D’Ath making a return in their repowered buggy.

The V8’s!

It’s a new set of National place holders for this season, with 1NZ Jarred Biggs & Fleche Crawford the team to beat this season after coming on form at the end of last season.

Jarred Biggs & Fleche Crawford finally took their maiden title last season with Hot Wheels, a 454ci Nitro Custom

2NZ Mitch Caldow & Jamie Elms waved the flag for CowperTrucks in Mad Wolf, a 6.2L LS3 ex-Dan Cowper buggy

After narrowly missing out last season, the Redback Racing team of Ash Tonkin & Dyon Ross would take out 3NZ in their LS3 powered Nitro Custom featuring rear steer.

Most notably absent this year is Kevin Hermansen in The Gambler and Andy Canning in X2, with the two competitive teams taking a season off.

Throughout the rest of D Class there have been a few changes…

Shaun Nicholson & Mike Feguson have moved into ‘Steve’, the ex Aaron Guest Nitro Custom
With Derek & Matthew Ramsay making their debut in Nicholson’s old CowperTruck
Shaun Joblin moves over from the co-drivers seat to make his debut behind the wheel of the ex Jamie Larsen Nitro Turtle
Four-time 1NZ Scott Biggs is sporting a new look this season
Former E Class champ Cody Fogden makes the move up into D Class
K Class champ John Sheridan moves up into D Class with a CowperTruck

Be sure to check out some of the other hard chargers out on the course!

Brent & Mickey Ward are always entertaining, with their LSA powered buggy
Dave & Reece McKie took out a win last season
Alastair Bevege & Grant MacDonald represent the V6’s with their Nissan VQ35 turbo
Matt Dodge & Sam Lee scored their maiden Top 10 last time out at Whakatane

Rain, hail or shine, gates open at 8:00 AM with the action getting underway at 8:30!

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