The defending champs reminded the field who’s on top, with Jarred Biggs & Fleche Crawford taking their first win of the season in Kaukapakapa.
The Conquering Kaukapakapa Trial took place north-west of Auckland for the furthest round north this season, with the Rodney Off Road Club hosting their first National Trial.
The course was laid out to make the most of the dry terrain on offer, providing plenty of traction as well as dust throughout the day! Mud was still on offer, with a few bogs that would ultimately decide the scores at the end of the day.
Event Results
TOP FIVE
At midday Chris Gifford & Sam Thomsen would lead the way by 13 points ahead of Biggs & Crawford. Angus Hamilton & Daniel Howat would be a further 24 points behind in 3rd. Dave McKie & Reece McKie sat fourth, followed by Matt Dodge & Sam Lee in 5th. Dodge & Lee would later drop down in the afternoon with a broken rear diff.
The day went down to the wire, with only 4.24 points between first and second. Biggs & Crawford had to overcome a 13 point gap in the morning, equivalent to going one grading further than Gifford & Thomsen on a stage to make up 20 points. Stage 4 in the afternoon, a mud bog with a bottomless pit towards the end would be the one to make a difference. Most teams could only manage a score of 20 points before getting stuck in the mud, with Biggs & Crawford the only ones to skip across the top to put themselves into the lead with a zero.
Chris Gifford & Sam Thomsen would continue their strong start by finishing 2nd. Together with their win at Round 1 they lead the way in the standings.
Angus Hamilton & Daniel Howat would stun the field finishing 3rd with their C Class buggy, in only their second attempt.
If one C Class truck wasn’t enough, then John Hawken & Haare O’Brien would be happy to help – finishing an excellent 4th place on their return to the Top 10.
Dave McKie & Reece McKie finished 5th to continue their strong start to the season, now sitting 3rd outright in the standings.
C CLASS
With a stuck throttle on the first stage to start their day, Hamilton & Howat were on the backfoot as they rushed around to finish the morning stages to keep their day alive – Never mind leading C Class and sitting third at halfway! The duo would keep it clean in the afternoon to hold onto both spots, becoming the first C Class truck in the Top 3 since Nathan Fogden & Mike Gibbons efforts in 2022. It’s a strong start for the Thames Valley team, as they lead the way in C Class and sit fifth outright.
John Hawken & Haare O’Brien would finish 2nd in C Class and make their first appearance in the Top 10 in 12 years(!), equalling their best result of 4th overall. The Whanganui team also nabbing 3rd for the afternoon.
Defending champs Shayne Towers & Tony Hadland would survive the morning and come 4th outright in the afternoon to take 3rd in C Class and 12th overall, as they find their rhythm heading into 2026.
SUPER PRODUCTION
Paul Taylor & Danielle Taylor enjoyed a trouble-free day and a very competitive afternoon score in their F Class Toyota Landcruiser,
BEST OF THE REST
Rounding out the rest of the Top 10…
Chris Tomalin & Richard Verner would make their first appearance in the Top 10 this season finishing a fine 6th.
Scott Biggs & Phil Walton would finish 7th.
Shaun Nicholson & Mike Ferguson back up their Round 1 result by finishing 8th two times in a row.
Russell Luders and sons Max & Brad Luders would finish 9th Overall.
2NZ Mitch Caldow & Jamie Elms would round out the Top 10 with their first appearance this season.
The next round takes place in Whanganui on 1st February 2026.
