Photos by TJW Photos, Willow Eayrs Photography & Michelle Verrenkamp
The defending champs stake their claim for the top spot once again, with Jarred Biggs & Fleche Crawford taking a dominant victory at their home round in Counties.
The Counties 4 Wheelers hosted the penultimate round of the season in Waiterimu near Huntly, with the course laid out in new terrain for the teams from across the North Island. With the dry season of late, the dust was the biggest challenge at times, with multiple teams having clogged air filters! If that wasn’t bad enough, some teams would find themselves lost in stages as the dust surrounded them.
Event Results
MORNING
Dave McKie & Reece McKie took out the morning by 30 points, clearing all stages bar two. Jarred Biggs & Fleche Crawford would be behind with a score of 187 points, with Scott Biggs & Phil Walton closest in third with 238 points. Angus Hamilton & Daniel Howat representing C Class would be 6 points back in fourth, with Wayne Weatherly & Tayla Weatherly fifth with 277 points in the morning.
There were six retirements on the day, with most notably Central Zone leaders Russell Hall & Glen Hall only attempting one stage before transmission issues, along with defending C Class champ Shayne Towers & Stu Mickell also out with transmission problems. Top 10 hopefuls Chris Tomalin & Richard Verner would sit 6th in the morning, only to drop back to 18th after finishing the afternoon in 3WD. Glenn D’Ath & Danielle D’Ath would be 2nd in C Class and a strong 13th overall in the morning, with cooling issues in the afternoon dropping them down the scores.
TOP FIVE
Biggs & Crawford would take out the afternoon on their way to the top spot, ultimately taking the win by 130 points over title rivals Chris Gifford & Sam Thomsen! The McKie’s would drop back to third for another podium, just holding off Angus Hamilton & Daniel Howat by three points!
Despite the defending champions dominant win, they only gain one point in the title race towards Gifford & Thomsen with one round remaining.
Gifford & Thomsen still lead the way by five points on a total of 398, with Biggs & Crawford on 393 and the McKies on 391 points.
Chris Gifford & Sam Thomsen bounced back from the previous round to return to the podium in 2nd and score their fourth podium of the season! Their consistent results at the sharp end put them in prime position for a maiden title at next months final.
Dave & Reece McKie would sneak their way into third after taking out the morning. Their third podium of the season sees them in with a shot of a maiden Top 3 finish!
Angus Hamilton & Daniel Howat finished fourth overall on the day once again waving the flag for C Class.
Winner of the previous round Ash Tonkin would have super-sub Tom Baeriswyl sitting alongside on the day, with the last-minute combination achieving the team’s second best result of the season in fifth.
C CLASS
Angus Hamilton & Daniel Howat took their fourth win in C Class for the season and third Top 5 finish, to sit fifth outright heading into the final round. The rookie team continues to defy expectations, as they become a regular feature within the Top 10 despite only being in their first season together.
Nathan Fogden & Mike Gibbons finished 2nd in class and 10th Overall for their first entry in the Top 10 this season. Their result bumps them up to 3rd= in C Class with one round remaining.
John Hawken & Haare O’Brien finished 3rd in class and 15th Overall. They lead the chasing pack for 2nd place in C Class by a single point, whilst still hanging in the Top 10, sitting 9th overall.
With Hamilton & Howat taking out four class wins from five events, they have one hand on the C Class trophy heading into the final round. Hawken & O’Brien are the next closest, however they would need a win and Hamilton & Howat to finish lower than 9th to pip them to the top step, a big ask for a field of 11 teams! Rhys O’Brien & Clarrie Vazey sit 3rd equal on points with Fogden & Gibbons, with both teams needing a win and Hamilton & Howat in 10th to take it out.
SUPER PRODUCTION
Paul Taylor & Danielle Taylor would take a tumble but keep it togther for yet another win in F Class. With five rounds down the Taylor’s take out F Class for the 2026 season!
BEST OF THE REST
Rounding out the rest of the Top 10…
Scott Biggs & Phil Walton finished in 6th place after their strong morning. The former champs sit 4th overall and four points behind the McKie’s.
Wayne Weatherly & Tayla Weatherly would finish in 7th for their first appearance in the Top 10 since Round 1, putting them in a tie for 10th outright with Chris Tomalin & Richard Verner.
Mitch Caldow & Jamie Elms also make their second Top 10 appearance of the season, finishing 8th overall and sitting 8th outright in the standings.
Shaun Nicholson & Beau Taylor continue their streak of Top 10’s with 9th. With the South Waikato team now guaranteed a Top 6 finish at the end of the year!
BIGGS FAMILY CUP
The Counties 4 Wheelers took out the win, and once again the Biggs Family Cup too with a round to spare! It’s Counties fourth title in the Club Championship, as they remain as the only Club to win multiple titles in the Cup’s nine-year history.
The Biggs Family Cup is awarded to the club with the best score from their three highest class finishers. Counties 4 Wheelers would pip EBTDC by two points to take the win thanks to the Biggs brothers and McKie’s performances. EBTDC gain a single point over South Waikato in the standings, with Bay of Plenty & Wairarapa continuing to do well rounding out the Top Five.
With the top spot decided, South Waikato lead EBDTC by a point for the fight for second. Wairarapa 4×4 Club are the next closest in fourth, some ten points further back.
The 2026 National 4×4 Final takes place near Hastings, with the Hawkes Bay 4WD Club hosting the event with proceeds going to the Hawkes Bay Rescue Helicopter.
