SOUTHLAND RALLY IS BACK – but with a ‘new’ look

Rally Southland was, in it’s day, one of the toughest and most gruelling rounds of the New Zealand Rally Championship. Last run in 2004 as part of the national championship, it’s time the 20-year absence came back with some force.

In 2023, Rally Race Group (R2G) bought back the iconic Daybreaker Rally (like our Facebook Page) based out of Manawatu, and featured no less than 92 competing teams. Such was the support of the teams and the local community in seeing the return of Daybreaker Rally, to the R2G team it was a no-brainer that there was a need to bring back another iconic event from the past.

Now named Southern Lights Rally, competitors and fans will once again embrace some of the most famous gravel rally stages in Southland on 21-22 June 2024.

Friday will see the teams start from down-town Invercargill with a publicity-based Ceremonial Start before heading off into the darkness to tackle the first of 10 challenging gravel stages.

Saturday morning the teams will get up early for a full day of some of the best gravel roads in the country. With only two full forest stages across the whole event, the fans will enjoy seeing the best in New Zealand dance their cars around the fast, flowing Southland county stages, linking in some fantastic spectator viewing areas.

We can’t wait, mark it in your calendar now 21, 22 June 2024.