October 10, 2025 • 5 mins
The 5th round of the New Zealand Rally Championships is going down this weekend in the Bay of Plenty.
It’s a new route this year in an area that hasn’t been raced in for over two years – visiting some iconic stages in the Matahina forest that were made famous in the 90’s and early 2000’s.
Competing in the Championship is Dean Buist, who joined D’Arcy Waldegrave to preview the event.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
We're joined now by Dean Buist, a competitor in the
Rally Championship two will Drive class. He's running a BDA Escort. Ah,
what a classic ride that is. Just now for a
bit of a preview, Dean. Gooday, you're in your happy place.
You're about to go skidding for the afternoon in the batchertown.
(00:33):
Really a bay of plenty. What a smile you must
have on your face.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Oh, it's good to always be good to rally and
it's good that the sun's out, so that's always much
more enjoyable than when it's raining.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I don't know. I know plenty of skiters no love
it when it's a bit murking, a bit muddy. It's
a bit more entertaining for them. Oh, it's just not
as much fun.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
You can't stand inside the road and talk shit with people,
you know, you have to kick dry out the lids
the car fogs up.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You've been around the scene for quite some time and
you're leading the classic section by quite a length. I'm told,
how competitive is the classic section and what cars are
we talking here? Because you're running a BDA Escort, which
is an absolute classic classic, So how tightly contestant is it?
And what are the other rides?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
So yeah, I'm the go second, he's got Escort as well,
and then there's Corolla and a Lancer. I mean there
was well there should be more in the class, but
it's still aways hard to get people to commit to
the series. But you know when we run another events,
you year up against like Group B Eric sevens and
definitely a lot of Escorts because that seems to be
the car of choice.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You know, you've got the classic section. We're also part
of the two wheel section of the Too Will Drive section,
Is that right? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, So you do have anyone that's in the championship
a tour drive car, you're up against them as well.
So the feast is a Britain in Tim Dave Strong's Honda,
and there's you know, I think Coroller as well. So
it's sort of you know, you're so competing against anything
Too will Drive and that is the aim to try
and beat all those cars.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
You know, and there's I love the length of the
teeth if you can call it that, of the drivers competing,
it's it's more than drugs, rallying because guys Dave Strong
and know how long he's been around. For yourself, you've
been doing this a long long time. There's something in it,
isn't there. Whether you're running the brand new cars, a
brand new spec that half a million dollar rides, or
you're driving something slightly cheap that people still want to
(02:21):
get involved. Yeah, I mean it, I suppose it is addictive.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
It's something you know, it's something there you enjoy. And
I mean the thing is the people that you compete
against are all good buggers, you know, so it's always
a good weekend away catching up with guys from around
the country and you know, your meat along the way,
you know, sort of has is talk about Dave, you know.
I mean you've got a really since against Dave since
in the nineties when I had my Corolla. You know,
he used to be my competition then that sort of
(02:45):
he keeps going good on them.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
With your career and where you're going in your late
fifties now, so you're you're in it for a bit
of joy. Do you think you did everything you needed
to do when you're starting off and you started pedling
for the first time, you got satisfactory. Look back at
your career, Dean. Oh yeah, I mean we.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Ran the Coraal for years. We've only really run twoll
drive cars most of our life. We had the odd
fall drive and we've never had to go at the
full championship of a full drive and that's mainly because
it's just a lot more commitment, not more costs. And
you know, I'd rather go and do every event in
a car that's cheaper to run than do the odd
event and a car that's dearer to run. So that's
(03:25):
why we you know, but I know we had with
what's what we've done over the years, it has been good.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
There's an argument too that the two wheel category is
a whole lot more fun to compete and than the
four wheel drives. It's a bit well dare I say,
a bit more tail happy and skiddy. You can really
express yourself out there.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Oh, I mean those guys, those top four drive cars
like being and robbing those cars. You know, they're pretty
impressive to watch the speed they can get from them,
you know, but it's just I mean, everyone has what
they want to do, and good on them for doing,
you know, following your dream.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
You know, how's the health of the sport at the moment, Dean,
because you're on Gay you're involved in this import the tires,
don't you that the control tires. It's used in the rally,
so you've got vested interest in it.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah. We are the importer of the MRI of Control
tie which they introduced last year into the Championship, which
has been I think really good for the Championship.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
And we see well, and we've got a.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Business that we sell a lot of motorsport gear and
there's always people buying stuff, you know, I mean after
you know, after COVID, you had a lot of new
people turn up. You've never seen before that when money
was just running around flat out and you don't see
as much of that, but you still, you know, see
a lot of competitors. We had a club rally and
Hamna color weekends ago and we still had sixty five
competitors there, so that was good. You know, you don't
(04:41):
get as many I suppose young guys as you'd like,
But it's always been the same, you know, the old
ones stay on and a few you know, disappear and
a few turn up. But yeah, but it is an
expensive sport and as I suppose with the location of
all the rallies around the country, it is, you know,
challenging to get to all those events time wise.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Well, can you tell us about the dirt may have plenty.
What's it like? I don't know when I say di,
what's the course like? You're not you're not running around.
You didn't do any wreki at all, so obviously very confident.
But what does it present all of the stages.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Well, there's a couple of quick there's four forestry stages
and that forest stage is always good and with the
weather being the way it is that they should be
quite dry, you know. But I mean I would have
done these roads Silverfern, we did silver Feron up this
way and I did wrote a rally back in the
nineties and Microlis. I've probably been in there, but you know,
I mean I don't really know them. But you all
soon work out. The base will be good, you know,
(05:37):
it'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk said Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
We're joined now by Dean Buist, a competitor in the
Rally Championship two will Drive class. He's running a BDA Escort. Ah,
what a classic ride that is. Just now for a
bit of a preview, Dean. Gooday, you're in your happy place.
You're about to go skidding for the afternoon in the batchertown.
(00:33):
Really a bay of plenty. What a smile you must
have on your face.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Oh, it's good to always be good to rally and
it's good that the sun's out, so that's always much
more enjoyable than when it's raining.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I don't know. I know plenty of skiters no love
it when it's a bit murking, a bit muddy. It's
a bit more entertaining for them. Oh, it's just not
as much fun.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
You can't stand inside the road and talk shit with people,
you know, you have to kick dry out the lids
the car fogs up.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
You've been around the scene for quite some time and
you're leading the classic section by quite a length. I'm told,
how competitive is the classic section and what cars are
we talking here? Because you're running a BDA Escort, which
is an absolute classic classic, So how tightly contestant is it?
And what are the other rides?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
So yeah, I'm the go second, he's got Escort as well,
and then there's Corolla and a Lancer. I mean there
was well there should be more in the class, but
it's still aways hard to get people to commit to
the series. But you know when we run another events,
you year up against like Group B Eric sevens and
definitely a lot of Escorts because that seems to be
the car of choice.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You know, you've got the classic section. We're also part
of the two wheel section of the Too Will Drive section,
Is that right? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Yeah, So you do have anyone that's in the championship
a tour drive car, you're up against them as well.
So the feast is a Britain in Tim Dave Strong's Honda,
and there's you know, I think Coroller as well. So
it's sort of you know, you're so competing against anything
Too will Drive and that is the aim to try
and beat all those cars.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
You know, and there's I love the length of the
teeth if you can call it that, of the drivers competing,
it's it's more than drugs, rallying because guys Dave Strong
and know how long he's been around. For yourself, you've
been doing this a long long time. There's something in it,
isn't there. Whether you're running the brand new cars, a
brand new spec that half a million dollar rides, or
you're driving something slightly cheap that people still want to
(02:21):
get involved. Yeah, I mean it, I suppose it is addictive.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
It's something you know, it's something there you enjoy. And
I mean the thing is the people that you compete
against are all good buggers, you know, so it's always
a good weekend away catching up with guys from around
the country and you know, your meat along the way,
you know, sort of has is talk about Dave, you know.
I mean you've got a really since against Dave since
in the nineties when I had my Corolla. You know,
he used to be my competition then that sort of
(02:45):
he keeps going good on them.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
With your career and where you're going in your late
fifties now, so you're you're in it for a bit
of joy. Do you think you did everything you needed
to do when you're starting off and you started pedling
for the first time, you got satisfactory. Look back at
your career, Dean. Oh yeah, I mean we.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Ran the Coraal for years. We've only really run twoll
drive cars most of our life. We had the odd
fall drive and we've never had to go at the
full championship of a full drive and that's mainly because
it's just a lot more commitment, not more costs. And
you know, I'd rather go and do every event in
a car that's cheaper to run than do the odd
event and a car that's dearer to run. So that's
(03:25):
why we you know, but I know we had with
what's what we've done over the years, it has been good.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
There's an argument too that the two wheel category is
a whole lot more fun to compete and than the
four wheel drives. It's a bit well dare I say,
a bit more tail happy and skiddy. You can really
express yourself out there.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Oh, I mean those guys, those top four drive cars
like being and robbing those cars. You know, they're pretty
impressive to watch the speed they can get from them,
you know, but it's just I mean, everyone has what
they want to do, and good on them for doing,
you know, following your dream.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
You know, how's the health of the sport at the moment, Dean,
because you're on Gay you're involved in this import the tires,
don't you that the control tires. It's used in the rally,
so you've got vested interest in it.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah. We are the importer of the MRI of Control
tie which they introduced last year into the Championship, which
has been I think really good for the Championship.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
And we see well, and we've got a.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Business that we sell a lot of motorsport gear and
there's always people buying stuff, you know, I mean after
you know, after COVID, you had a lot of new
people turn up. You've never seen before that when money
was just running around flat out and you don't see
as much of that, but you still, you know, see
a lot of competitors. We had a club rally and
Hamna color weekends ago and we still had sixty five
competitors there, so that was good. You know, you don't
(04:41):
get as many I suppose young guys as you'd like,
But it's always been the same, you know, the old
ones stay on and a few you know, disappear and
a few turn up. But yeah, but it is an
expensive sport and as I suppose with the location of
all the rallies around the country, it is, you know,
challenging to get to all those events time wise.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Well, can you tell us about the dirt may have plenty.
What's it like? I don't know when I say di,
what's the course like? You're not you're not running around.
You didn't do any wreki at all, so obviously very confident.
But what does it present all of the stages.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Well, there's a couple of quick there's four forestry stages
and that forest stage is always good and with the
weather being the way it is that they should be
quite dry, you know. But I mean I would have
done these roads Silverfern, we did silver Feron up this
way and I did wrote a rally back in the
nineties and Microlis. I've probably been in there, but you know,
I mean I don't really know them. But you all
soon work out. The base will be good, you know,
(05:37):
it'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk said Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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