New Zealander Jeff Judd, who finished second in 2022 after a battle with James Ford and runs Magnum Motorsport, was also running Tony Jardine and Australian co-driver Duncan Gordon’s Commodore Hotels and Pirelli backed Toyota Corolla AE 86. Judd had just got into second place on Leg 2 when he and world renowned WRC co-driver Belgian Stephane Prevot fell off the road. They recovered to finish 10th.

Jardine was, in fact, rallying a Judd run car with history: it was the 1984 New Zealand Championship-winning Toyota of Brian Stokes, the father of second place Robbie and Amy, still original and one which had never been on its roof, as the team were quick to remind Jardine.

And third after a great battle with 2023 National UK Historic Rally Champion Roger Chilman, was Robert Gough in a brand new Viking Motorsport Escort on his first ever Silver Fern Rally. Farmers and neighbours, Chillman and Gough, who are more used to battling each other in the forests of the UK, found themselves 12,000 miles away, unwittingly pitched against each other, this time on New Zealand soil. After a good battle, Robert Gough emerged as the final podium sitter, but Roger was still happy with fourth place in the Meirion Evans run Wales Motorsport car. “I said I would be happy with a top five finish given the entry, so with fourth I am delighted! The scenery was amazing, coming over the hills to be confronted by snowy capped mountains was very special and I enjoyed the battle with Robert who lives just 20 miles from me – it was great fun!”

British success ran though the field as thirteen of the fourteen UK crews that started finished, all except Ben Howlett’s Chrysler Avenger which sadly suffered fuel tank issues amongst others.

The 2024 Silver Fern Rally produced more British winners in the 1600cc historic category, as well. David and Douglas Young won the class in their 1972 Escort Mexico by a good margin and were an impressive 19th overall. Second in the 2WD Historic 1600s, and absolutely delighted with class runner-up were Tony Jardine and experienced Australian co-driver Duncan Jordan in the Toyota Corolla AE 86 after a couple of offs. One was a high speed spin backwards into a bank where the exhaust had to be unblocked of soil by a local farmer before the car would start again. A puncture after hitting a different bank later and getting stuck in a ford all added to the adventure.

The Silver Fern could easily have been called the ‘Rally of Champions’ as there were so many on the event, but not all in the places you would expect them to be! Double European Champion co-driver Dave Kennard was co-ordinating the Tuthill Porsche team efforts, whilst his double champion driver Hayden Paddon was running his own team and ‘spannering’ for his father Chris’s Hyundai which enjoyed a top five finish in the ‘Challenge’ section of the rally. Chris kindly allowed the event to finish in the beautiful surroundings of his vineyard, near Wanaka, called Padden’s Paddock. Hayden stayed for the prize giving but then he was off early next morning to compete in a Hillclimb in his Subaru!

The Viking Motorsports Team is headed up by former World Rally Champion co-driver Phil Mills, who co-drove Petter Solberg to world championship glory in 2003. Phil was running three cars. His team manager and co-ordinator was Iain Tullie, ex M-Sport team co-ordinator and seven time LeJog gold medal winner. Phil was also running three times British Rally champion Matt Edwards, who was co-driving and mentoring racer-turned-rally man Bonamy Grimes, a fascinating character who is also an endurance cyclist who had previously ridden over some of the rally territory of New Zealand. As a rally driver with Matt Edwards, the crew finished eighth overall, a great top 10 finish.

The Silver Fern Rally had some incredible stages with some amazing names, Sheep Dip Road for example! Another great stage wound around the edge of the ever so blue Lake Lyndon, this incredible lake stage had a speed restriction in one part as there were no divers or safety boats! Then the Middle Valley Road, which was 33 kilometres in length heading towards the snowcapped mountains of the Southern Alps in the South Island, most UK teams agreeing with Jardine when he said that all he wanted to do was “stop the car and take a picture!”

Pig Saddle Road was tight and twisty through a forest in contrast to the super-fast stages. Then there were mountain passes, raw and unforgiving, step-up to the heavens through the 28km Myers Pass! With a fast beginning and end, but a major climb to tight fresh air hairpins and huge drops on each side, it proved to be an adrenalin rush, especially the second run the other way in thick fog!

Whilst the heat and dust hard caused some visibility issues, the stages, especially over some rutted sections, were also a challenge. Jardine told team boss Jeff Judd that he was grateful for the Pirelli choice of their hard tyres, as others either punctured or went through softer tyres at an alarming rate.

The rally was loving rookies Phil Kadoorie and another ‘out of place’ champion, co-driver RAC and Safari-winning Ryan Champion in the crowd-wowing Lancia Stratos, bringing its Ferrari-engined sound track to New Zealand for the first time. The 1972 Stratos HF sadly ended up on its roof, neither crew hurt, yet even while it was still upside down, the quick-thinking service crew managed to get into the stage, replacing the uprights on the damaged car even before it had been righted! Kadoorie and Champion got it back into action as soon as possible, finally finishing 17th having been in the top ten. “I have to come back in 2026 to redeem myself, what a rally!” said Phil afterwards.

There were some other accidents, sadly for William Midgley, who was in the famous, historic Midgley Toyota Corolla 1600 GT brought all the way over from UK and co-driven by the man who’s navigated it through most of its history, Geoff Maybank. They ended up upside down, a long way down a bank wedged between trees, but after hauling it out and deciding on a policy of no surrender, a day of body hammers and repairs delivered them back into the rally. The crew finished 34th overall, a brave effort indeed.

A ‘Bucket List’ rally experience that cannot be replicated anywhere else, in terms of the stages, the topography and the warm and welcoming people, many crews are already planning to return in 2026. And in terms of the toughness, and the adventure, many said that’s what they signed up for!

Julian Birley and Emyr Hall not only achieved their dream of competing in their Sunbeam Lotus, but finished a fine 24th after electrical issues. Grant Shand was fast and up to the challenge in his Extreme Escort with his young and talented daughter and co-driver Rosa, to take a brilliant 11th overall. Andrew Siddall enjoyed a cracking time, finishing a superb 12th in his Mk 1 Escort with top Irish co-driver Gary McElhinney alongside. Gary had long put thoughts of his last stage 2023 RAC Stratos retirement with Seb Perez behind him. Amazingly, Andrew was competing just six days into his honeymoon, yet the team were gratefully fed and watered by the new Mrs Siddall who decided she was definitely married to rallying!

To compound the UK success on Silver Fern 2024, Richard Spink and Nigel Hutchinson were 14th overall in their Mk 2 Escort having forgiven a recovering Jardine for holding them up in his dust after a puncture. With Brandon James and the legendary co-driver Dale Furniss 15th overall in their Wales Motorsport Escort, the invading UK army success was complete. Whether they can repeat that success in 2026 remains to be seen, but it is pretty much guaranteed that most of them will be back for the rally adventure of a lifetime.