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On the Pace and Class Win at FIA APRC Final

Following a second place finish at last month's Rally of Bay of Plenty, Mike Young and co-driver Amy Hudson were planning to go one better at New Zealand' s Rally Whangarei (8-10th Nov), the final of the 2024 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. ...

Second Overall and Class Win at Rally Bay of Plenty

Driving a Toyota Yaris AP4 supported by Dunlop Tyres, Mike Young and co-driver Amy Hudson finished second and first in class at last weekend's Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty.Young started conservatively, building his pace through the day and moving from 5th to 3rd, then finally into 2nd overall. The weather and road conditions were challenging with dry and dusty roads for most of the day, then turning to rain and mud for the final three stages. ...

Solid Start to Asia-Pacific Campaign

New Zealand driver Mike Young finished last weekend's very fast Otago Rally in fourth place overall to get his FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) campaign off to a good start. The team's Toyota Yaris AP4 car ran faultlessly all weekend and Young very pleased with the result overall, considering his main goal was to qualify for the 2024 FIA APRC and score points in the APRC Pacific Cup.Speaking at the finish at Brighton Beach south of Dunedin, Young commented "I was pu...

Otago Rally Action

Hi EveryoneHere's video coverage from Otago Rally where we finished fourth overall. To view, click on the video player above or HERE.There's plenty of in-car camera footage showing just how fast the event is, how committed you have to be to the pace-notes and some behind the scenes with the team at the service-park. Enjoy!Below are links to our sponsor's website - please support them.CheersMike...

Heading South to Otago

Hi EveryoneToday the team and I are heading to the Otago Rally, a qualifying round of the 2024 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. The event is based in Dunedin with the ceremonial start Friday evening, followed by 275km of stages on Saturday and Sunday. Without a doubt, they are the best rally roads in the world - fast-flowing and with lots of crests to test your notes and commitment, check out this video footage from 2021!Like any sport, you need to practice and train. Over the...

Winning Start to 2024

Hi AllWhat an awesome start to the year and the lead-up to our 2024 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship campaign with a win at the Bothwell Rallysprint in our Dunlop Toyota Yaris AP4.The event was based at Glenn Murray 100km south of Auckland and a fantastic 7.5km stage that's mostly tight and twisty, suiting the Yaris perfectly.We had a really tight battle all day with last year's winner Phil Campbell in a Ford Fiesta AP4, and rising star Zeal Jones in a Skoda Fabia F5. On the second ...

Highlights of 2023

Hi EveryoneWhile it was a year to forget in terms of finishes and results, there were a quite few memorable moments in 2023 and one of the most recent was to re-unite with the Cusco Racing team and drive their Toyota C-HR at the finale of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship in Indonesia.The roads were a real challenge - rough, slippery, and narrow and unfortunately after ripping off the sump-guard it was a DNF for us. Check out the stages from our OB camera by clicki...

Rally BOP

Well.....what can I say about our weekend at Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty.Firstly it was really good to be on the pace in the new car so early, without any seat time in the last 3 months. The Toyota Yaris is so nimble and light, it's a lot quicker than our previous car in the twisty sections and very stable in high-speed sections.We were up to 4th overall and having a great battle with Ford Fiesta drivers Todd Bawden and Phil Campbell when unfortunately our rally ended on SS8 with a broken a...

Toyota Video Wrap for 2023

Hi All,With nearly 3 months between events it's an opportunity to review and re-set our plans for the future. The Cusco Toyota C-HR has been returned to Japan and what we drive next and where, will be revealed in the next couple of weeks.In the meantime click on the link to view a two-minute VIDEO wrap of the 2023 season so far made for all the Toyota dealerships that helped us out on the first three events of the year....

Finish in the Ford

Hi EveryoneOur 2023 New Zealand Rally Championship campaign came to an abrupt end at last weekend’s South Canterbury Rally.The first three stages on the fast-flowing Canterbury roads went well, sitting in fourth place overall with Dunlop’s new pattern tyres giving plenty of grip in the very cold conditions.Our problems started on the tour to the Fairlie service break with a dashboard warning light and by the time we got to the service park, the car had lost all power with an altern...

Video Rally Whangarei

Click on the photo above to play the video. Thanks to NZRC/Volt TV for supplying the action footage and Asia Pacific Sports Media for putting it together....

Last Stage Heartbreak in Whangarei

Mike Young and co-driver Amy Hudson survived a dramatic Rally of Whangarei where less than half field finished but the event had it's own challenges for the Cusco Toyota C-HR team.On the third stage of the day Young clipped a tree on the outside of a corner and bent a rear suspension arm. The part proved more difficult to replace than anticipated and as a consequence over 2 minutes was lost at the morning service break, dropping the team down to 12th overall.The rest of the event was a fight bac...

Close Call on Otago Rally

A huge moment on SS10 - click to play video...

New Zealand debut for Cusco Toyota C-HR

After missing last year's WRC Rally of New Zealand due to shipping delays, Mike Young and co-driver Amy Hudson will finally to get to drive Cusco's Toyota C-HR on home territory beginning with the Otago Rally that starts in Dunedin on 31st March and finishes 2nd April.Otago will be followed by Northland's Rally of Whangarei 12-14th May with both events qualifying rounds of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship as well as the New Zealand Rally Championship....

Finishing 2022 on a High Note

Testing the Cusco Toyota C-HR at Maramura Forest -  click to watch video...

On the Global Stage at the FIA Motorsport Games

Hi Everyone,What a massive opportunity it was to take part in last weekend's FIA Motorsport Games in Marseille, France. Seventy-four countries were represented competing in 16 different disciplines that included circuit racing, rallying and E-Sports. I was there as co-driver and coach for Indian rally driver Sanjay Takale who was competing in the Rally 4 category in a Peugeot 208.We've worked together before, as team-mates at Cusco Racing in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and then at th...

Podium Finish for Young and Hudson in Japan

New Zealand rally driver Mike Young finished his first all-tarmac event the Rally Montre in Japan, 2nd in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship category and 5th overall driving the Cusco Racing team’s Toyota TRD C-HR. ...

Young Returns to Japan for APRC Rally Montre

It's nearly three years since Mike Young last drove in Japan and that was the 2019 APRC Rally Hokkaido, driving the brand-new Cusco TRD C-HR to a debut win.With Covid-19 restricting international travel in 2020 and based in Perth, Australia Young switched to national events and the West Australian Rally Championship. With long-time mentor Scott Beckwith co-driving and former Cusco driver Dean Herridge providing and running a Maximum Motorsport Subaru Impreza, no-one in the team was prepared for ...

Top Five Times for Young at Otago Rally

Although setting numerous stage times in the top five, Mike Young finished last weekend's Otago Rally 9th in the New Zealand Rally Championship and 11th overall, after throttle control sensor problems on both days dropped Young and co-driver Malcolm Read down the order.With over 4 minutes lost on Stage 1 due to the faulty throttle sensor, Young started Stage 2 in 59th place and set about hauling himself back up the leaderboard. After the 30Km Stage 2, Young had the SAS Subaru back up to 20th and...

New Zealand and Asia-Pacific Events for Young in 2022

With a successful pre-rally test completed Mike Young is relishing the chance to get back to the fast South Island roads and start his 2022 rally campaign with NZ Rally Championship Otago Rally, this coming weekend (April 8-10th).  For the Dunedin based event, Young will be back in the SAS Subaru Impreza he drove in 2021, along with regular co-driver Malcolm Read. Initially Young was to be co-driven by Amy Hudson but with Read’s plans to move to the UK delayed until early May, it was deci...

Young Improves Pace at Hawkes Bay Rally

Another solid result for Mike Young at last weekend’s Hawkes Bay Rally finishing 5th in category and 6th overall, has given Young and co-driver Malcolm Read plenty of confidence as they look ahead to the championship finale in September....

Hawkes Bay Rally and a New Sponsor

The Mike Young Motorsport team takes on a new challenge at this weekend’s Rally Hawkes Bay.Based in Napier and running on stages North towards Wairoa, it’s the first time in ten years the Kennedy Park Resort sponsored event has been run, meaning that most competitors have never driven the roads competitively.For Young who is completely new to his home rallies, it’s his best chance yet to score a good result against the New Zealand Rally Championship regulars....

Fighting Finish at South Canterbury Rally

Technical issues early in the event blunted any chances of a podium finish for Mike Young at last weekend’s NZRC South Canterbury Rally, however in the last loop of stages he and co-driver Malcolm Read fought their way back to 4th in the Category 1 and 8th overall. “It wasn’t the quite the start we wanted, but the SAS team worked hard in the first service to fix an engine miss and then we had a couple of other small issues on the afternoon loop that lost us time"."On the final two stages w...

Home Run for Young

New Zealander Mike Young is realising a long-held ambition to compete in his home championship by entering the final 3 rounds of the 2021 New Zealand Rally Championship. Young will team up with the regular co-driver Malcolm Read for the first event, this weekend’s third round the NZRC South Canterbury Rally. The pair will be driving the SAS team Subaru STi and after a test event in Central Otago last weekend Young is looking forward to driving the car."SAS have built a great car, its easily th...

Mike and Scott 2020 Champions

Mike Young and Scott Beckwith have clinched their first Western Australian Rally Championship amidst a dramatic year of COVID-19, close finishes and last minute entries.What began as a one-off event at the Forest Rally in September, quickly turned into a stunning championship winning season.Young’s clean sweep of victories proved his driving class, while also proving the speed and reliability of his Maximum Motorsport Subaru.Heading into yesterday’s Safari Darling Rally, Young’s absence at...