Catherine Pattison

It could be the plot of a motorsport movie. 

The popularity of cross-country skiing in Norway and Sweden matches that of rugby in New Zealand, which makes competing in the discipline from this part of the world an uphill battle for Andy Pohl.

Sitting second in the US Xterra Championships but keen to test himself in different disciplines, Wanaka's Braden Currie has been dipping a toe in the water of 70.3 (half-ironman) racing in the United States and Ecuador recently.

Kiwi team Paddon and co-driver John Kennard head to the German round of the World Rally Championship this week with a fresh mindset for what will be the first tarmac event of the season.

Balclutha driver Dean Bond battled with malfunctioning brakes and a sick co driver to win his third Catlins Coast Rally on Saturday.

Mosgiel's Steven Thompson (23) has been cutting his rallying teeth for the past five years, yet this weekend's Catlins Coast Rally remains an enigma for him.

New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard will celebrate some important milestones this weekend.

Following his historic top result for a New Zealand rally driver, Hayden Paddon heads to Poland this weekend for his sixth 2015 World Rally Championship event of 2015, focused on his game plan of a top five-finish.

Auckland-based Ben Hunt mastered the four challenging Rally Gisborne stages, including the infamous Motu Rd, to win the New Zealand Rally Championship's fourth round on Saturday.

Greg Murphy's name, synonymous with circuit racing, is about to be muddied, as he takes a slippery slide into the realm of gravel.

The Rally of Otago rumbles into and around Dunedin this weekend, so Catherine Pattison has put together a guide to help you get out there in your gumboots and make the most of the gravel-slinging action.

The global driving phenomenon that is Ken Block arrived in Dunedin this week - accompanied by 12 team members for the Rally of Otago. He talks to Catherine Pattison about life as a hoonigan.

For any Top Gear fans feeling bereft at the show's abrupt demise, a new show - Mud, Sweat and Gears - may just fill the void.

While some might consider Nobuhiro ''Monster'' Tajima unlucky for crashing his Super 86 hillclimb car mere kilometres into the 14.5km course, luck was on his side yesterday.

Highlands Motorsport Park owner Tony Quinn had his first date with a new girlfriend yesterday.

The Race to the Sky returns to Central Otago this weekend - a revival joyously greeted by motorheads - but if petrol doesn't flow freely through your veins, here is Otago Daily Times motoring correspondent Catherine Pattison's guide to clue you up.

Eight-time Race to the Sky champion Nobuhiro ''Monster'' Tajima will have plenty of well-known former and new competitors trying to prevent him from claiming another title next month.

The Otago Rally entry list looks a lot more luminous after star driver Ken Block announced yesterday that he will contest the May 9-10 Dunedin-based event.