http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.mikeyoung.nz en-us Thu, 14 May 2026 19:32:50 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/138121/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. ... Sun, 10 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post138121 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/136203/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. ... Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:43:23 +1300 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post136203 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/128404/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... Thu, 16 May 2024 10:19:49 +1200 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post128404 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/128403/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... Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post128403 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/128406/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... Thu, 11 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post128406 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/128408/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 ... Sun, 17 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post128408 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/128409/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... Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post128409 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/128457/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... Sun, 15 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post128457 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/128469/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.... Mon, 24 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post128469 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/post/128471/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... Sat, 17 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.mikeyoung.nz/blog/#post128471