The Otago Rally has a long and successful history The DriveSouth RallyFest includes three strong fields of competitors. The Winmax Brakes Otago Rally is the first round of the 2024 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship. This component of the event features New Zealand's leading competitors in modern, state-of-the-art 4WD turbo rally cars, including the exciting AP4 cars. The International Classic Otago Rally is for pre-1987, 2WD cars. This event has grown in leaps and bounds since its inception in 1997, to the point where it is the leading event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. The 'Leviathan Hotel Allcomers Rally of Otago' is a separate event targeted at locals who have cars that are not eligible for either the Classic or NZRC events. The Otago Rally has run annually since 1976, and has been part of the NZ Rally Championship since 1993 - the longest of any of the present championship rounds.  It is enthusiastically supported by the City of Dunedin. The 2023 event was won by NZ's own WRC star, Hayden Paddon in a Hyundai i20 Rally2. The Classic Rally was won by former WRC event winner, Mikko Hirvonen, in a Ford Escort RS1800.