Southland will return to the New Zealand Rally Championship itinerary in 2026.
The Barry Robinson Memorial Rally Southland will be the third round of the championship on July 18.
Southland motorsport fans rejoiced when a revived event, the Southern Lights Rally, returned to the NZRC schedule in 2024, but it was not included this year.
The new-look rally will be hosted by the Eastern Southland Car Club.
Hawke’s Bay also returns to the schedule, with both South Canterbury and Coromandel dropping out.
Motorsport New Zealand has signed off on a six-round championship that maintains a split of three South Island and three North Island rounds.
The championship will begin with the 50th running of the Otago Rally on April 10-12.
Round two is Rally Canterbury on King’s Birthday Weekend (May 31) before the southern swing ends in and around Invercargill.
After a shorter mid-season break, the championship will head back to Hawke’s Bay on August 22 for the first time since 2022.
It will be an emotional return after the floods of early 2023 damaged so many roads in the region and forced the championship to have to go elsewhere in recent times.
Rally of Whangarei moves forward on the calendar next year with a September 25-27 date confirmed. The championship will conclude at Rally Bay of Plenty on October 31.
Championship co-ordinator Blair Bartels was relieved to finally get dates confirmed.
"It is always a challenge balancing the needs of each event, with council requirements, championship needs and doing what’s best for the competitor," Bartels said.
"I am delighted to have this calendar confirmed.
"We know it will be an exciting challenge for competitors, with the different nuances of each event providing a unique test."— Allied Media
