McKay eyes faster finish to his season
Roger McKay has been a big improver as the 2026 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship has drawn on and he might be heading for an even stronger finish to the year.
The Taupo-based driver was a gun in his first stint rallying back in the 1990s but cars have changed a lot since then and there has been the introduction of pace notes, which has seen the sport transform significantly.
Entering the Classics class this season, without a heap of expectations, McKay took a little time to find his feet with his Ford Escort, especially on the high-speed South Island roads.
But his performance at the Traffic Safe NZ Rally Hawke’s Bay turned heads, with a significant step forward in outright pace.
“We weren’t in top gear,” McKay laughed. “Top gear on those South Island roads, flat out, is pretty full on.
“I’m happy to admit that isn’t my forte.
“The whole season in the South Island has been like that.
“Hawke’s Bay was a lot tighter and a bit more to my liking.
“I am also listening to the notes a lot more – that is new to me. When I was competing in 1996 the rallies were blind and notes were just coming in.”
The speed increase bodes well for this weekend’s Vertex Lubricants International Rally of Whangarei on the highly cambered Northland roads.
“I’ve heard the roads are a lot more like Hawke’s Bay,” McKay said. “Lots of corners, lots of opposite camber and that should suit me a bit better.
“I’m really looking forward to it.”
The Southland product has really enjoyed his first full season back competing this year and is eagerly awaiting the final two rounds.
“It has been awesome – I am loving it. I said I was boots in from the start of the year,” McKay explained.
“Not too sure what is happening next year. It is a huge commitment – not only financial but time off work. That’s what bites me in the ass.
“I went in as the total underdog in the class, I thought there was no way I could beat anyone in that class.
“We are going to come out ok I think.”
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