Latest news with #BenHunt
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Mixed results for Kiwis after last week's races
EDITORIAL Well, what an interesting and, in some ways, unexpected week it was for motorsport. The Indy 500 lived up to its billing as America's great race, with drama at regular intervals and close racing to the end. It was a fairytale win for Alex Palou, who, despite being a three-times Indycar champion (2021, 2023 and 2024), had never made it to the top of the Indianapolis 500 podium before. Palou's win makes it five wins and a second place from the opening six rounds of this year's Indycar series. That's an extraordinary show of dominance by the Spaniard in a category where even winning two championship races in a row is quite an achievement. Not such a great Indy 500 for the Kiwis though. Scott McLaughlin was embarrassingly eliminated on the warm-up lap when he lost control and crashed into the inner wall while warming up his tyres; Scott Dixon was looking every inch the canny racer in the early stages, but lost three laps in the pits with brake problems; Marcus Armstrong, who started on the second-from last row of the grid, came home 18th of the 20 finishers after a fairly anonymous run. Formula One Far better news in F1, with Liam Lawson finally showing his talent by qualifying well, claiming eighth place in the Monaco GP, and playing the perfect team-mate to Isak Hadjar, who finished a strong sixth. The race itself was dull, but this was Lawson's best-ever F1 finish, and a result that should give him confidence ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. With Lawson seemingly finding form, and a great championship tussle evolving up front between McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Llando Norris, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Barcelona will be a magic place for a Kiwi F1 race fan this week. Canterbury Rally Turning to rallying, having won last weekend's second round of the Australian Rally Championship, Hayden Paddon is giving this weekend's Canterbury Rally a miss. Emma Gilmour has also pulled the pin, electing to stay close to home due to family illness. Defending national champion and current series leader Ben Hunt carries top seed for the Canterbury event ahead of fellow Skoda driver Robbie Stokes, Jack Hawkeswood (Toyota Yaris), Jack Stokes (Ford Fiesta AP4) and Josh Marston (Holden Barina AP4). In Paddon's absence, I'd have to rate Hunt as favourite given his recent form, although running first on the road comes with its challenges. Hunt also has to contend with three locals, Marston and the two Stokes brothers, who grew up rallying on these roads and will be pressing for home success. This will be the first time since 2019 that the Canterbury event has been part of the national series. For the record, the winner on that occasion was one Ben Hunt, by a tidy margin over Josh Marston. Held tomorrow, the event comprises nine stages, of which the first eight are a mix of forestry, and public road tests, all to the North of Christchurch. The finale is at the Ruapuna race track. Supercars Speaking of Ruapuna, I saw last week that the Christchurch track has now been confirmed ahead of Highlands Park as the venue for this country's second Australian supercars round. The contract will run from 2026 to 2028 and, together with the round at Taupo, form a New Zealand double-header for the series. My parochial side harbours some disappointment that Ruapuna got the nod over Highlands Park in this instance; there's no doubt the Cromwell track venue would have been more scenic and provided something different in terms of the racing challenges too. Ruapuna, though, has the advantages of being in New Zealand's second-largest city and handy to Christchurch International Airport. There has also been strong political support for Ruapuna, both from central government and Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger, who comes from a motorsport minded family, and has himself been a race and rally competitor for many years. The Supercars deal is accompanied by a commitment for a big upgrade of the facilities at Ruapuna, which can only be good news for circuit racing in the South Island. Next year's inaugural Supercars meeting at the track will mark the first time the category has raced in the South Island. Ruapuna will also become the fourth venue in New Zealand to host a Supercars championship round, after Pukekohe, Hamilton (on that city's short-lived street circuit) and Taupo. David Thomson Editor Drivesouth
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Broncos v Dragons, Raiders v Titans, Tigers v Rabbitohs: Live NRL scores, news, SuperCoach analysis
Queensland halfback great Cooper Cronk has delivered a candid assessment of Ezra Mam, saying the Broncos pivot should not have been picked for Sunday's clash against the Dragons. Cronk, one of the code's greatest playmakers, believes the controversial Mam should have been made to earn the famous Broncos No.6 jumper with a longer stint in reserve grade. Mam makes his long-awaited comeback to the big league on Sunday when he runs out against the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium after serving a nine-match ban for his drug-driving indiscretion. Mam has become one of the most polarising figures in the code – the grand-final pivot was heavily booed when his face appeared on the Suncorp Stadium screen during Magic Round. The 22-year-old hasn't played NRL for 288 days and made his return to rugby league with a handy hitout for feeder club Souths Logan last Sunday at Davies Park. A hamstring injury to incumbent five-eighth Ben Hunt against Souths last week has expedited Mam's return to the Broncos scrumbase, but Cronk believes coach Michael Maguire should play hardball. 'I'd still have Mam in reserves, whether Ben Hunt's there or not,' Cronk told this masthead. 'I know the Ben Hunt injury has probably not forced his (Maguire's) hand but he has brought Ezra Mam back in, and he can be a fit. 'He can easily spark the Broncos back, but I wouldn't have brought Ezra Mam back in.' During his time in NRL exile, Mam spent time working on a building site. Banned from driving, he has been relying on lifts from teammates to get to Broncos training or completing 15km round-trip walks from his Brisbane home. Cronk says keeping Mam in second-tier football would have been another character-building lesson, regardless of Brisbane's scrumbase injury dilemma. 'I would have kept him in reserve grade in Queensland in the Hostplus Cup and made him earn his right, because I think if there's a sense of earning everything in the Broncos, I think they're a very good team,' Cronk said. 'If there's a sense of it's just going to happen, I think that could be a downfall for them. 'If I was Michael Maguire, Ezra Mam would be still playing reserve grade for me.' The Broncos go into the Red V clash teetering with a 5-5 record and pressure is building on Maguire to get Brisbane rolling amid speculation of player unrest at Red Hill. But Cronk insists Maguire is the right coach to break Brisbane's 19-year premiership drought – just as he did at South Sydney in 2014 after a 43-year title hiatus. 'Yes, he is (the coach to bring a premiership to Brisbane),' Cronk said. 'He needs to get a good balance between that super confident, swagger 'I can score on any play', and underpin that with some sort of long-game mentality about tackling to victory and defending the opposition for longer periods. 'If he does that, then absolutely they have all the ingredients to do whatever they want this year and beyond. 'The Broncos are a good team, we've seen it. You don't lose your ability to play football, but sometimes you focus on the wrong things. 'They've got firepower, we know that, but if they can underpin that firepower with some high-percentage (completions), some consistency, some hard parts of the game, I think that's going to make them a much better team.'
Otago Daily Times
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Hunt continues winning ways
Ben Hunt wins Rally South Canterbury on Saturday. PHOTO: GEOFF RIDDER Ben Hunt has extended his lead in the New Zealand Rally Championship after claiming victory at Rally South Canterbury on Saturday. Hunt, the reigning national champion, backed up his opening round win at Otago last month with a dominant win by one minute and 56 seconds. The Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally 2 driver led home Josh Marston (RDL Holden Barina AP4) and Robbie Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Skoda Rally 2). The battle between Marston and Jack Hawkeswood (Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris) ran throughout the day until Hawkeswood stopped on the penultimate stage, while Stokes overcame a mechanical issue on the opening stage to salvage a podium finish. Dylan Thomson (Kiwi Carpet Cleaning Subaru Impreza) scored fourth in his older model Subaru Impreza. Hawkeswood, Emma Gilmour (Vantage New Zealand Citroen C3), Jack Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4 and Haydn Mackenzie (Albany Toyota Yaris AP4) all failed to finish. Bryn Jones (Ford Fiesta Rally 4) backed up his opening round win with victory in the NZRC 2WD class, leading home Tim Mackersy (Ford Fiesta Rally 4) by 40 seconds. Dave Strong also went back-to-back in consecutive rallies in the Open 2WD class in his high-powered Honda Jazz, beating Paul Cross (Toyota Corolla). Deane Buist triumphed in the Historic 2WD class, with a win in his Ford Escort. Stephen Gill (Ford Escort) and Andy Martin (Ford Escort) completed the podium. Caleb Macdonald extended his lead in the Rally Challenge 4WD class in his Mitsubishi EVO 6, though Josh Keighley (Subaru H6) and Kevin Laird (Subaru H6) kept him honest. Keighley led home Laird and Ben Huband (Subaru H6) in the Group A challenge. Local driver Darren Galbraith won the Rally Challenge 2WD class in his Ford Fiesta with Ian Warren (Nissan Pulsar) second and first round winner Thomas Paul (Honda Civic) third.
News.com.au
10-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Not in the picture': Broncos, Maroons dealt crushing blow
Broncos star Ben Hunt has reportedly been ruled out of Game I of the State of Origin series after suffering a hamstring injury in Brisbane's loss to Souths. Hunt pulled up quickly while chasing a kick, sustaining a non-contact injury and confirmed to Code Sports he won't be fit to take the field at Suncorp Stadium. Watch your team in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership. Stream every round LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play, on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Early reports suggested a hamstring injury for the playmaker in another hammer blow for Maroons coach Billy Slater who is already without Reece Walsh (knee) for the series opener. 'It definitely hurts,' Hunt said. 'Whether Billy (Slater) was going to have me there again or not, it was unsure, but it is definitely disappointing to know you're not in the picture. 'It's in my hamstring, in the belly of it. I have never done my hammy before, but as soon as I took off it grabbed real tight. 'I knew it wasn't a cramp, it felt a bit more than that so I knew something was wrong straight away.' Hunt's omission from calculations could open the door for Tom Dearden to be picked as Queensland's utility, having played all three games in 2024. 'He's pulled up. I don't want to say Achilles but there was nothing else,' Greg Alexander said in commentary when Hunt went down/ 'It wasn't a knee, it wasn't a twist to the ankle, it wasn't anything else. 'That is something serious for him to leave the field immediately.' As Fox League's Dan Ginnane noted, Hunt's injury creates plenty of Origin ramifications. With the squad for Game I announced in 10 days, Hunt is against it to be fit enough. Melbourne hooker Harry Grant is also under an injury cloud, although he's expected to be right for the series opener. Hunt will go for scans this weekend. If he has to miss time, it means Ezra Mam will likely slot into five-eighth for the struggling Broncos next week. Mam hasn't played this season after serving a nine-game NRL suspension.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kalyn Ponga and Ben Hunt add to Slater's Origin woes as fullback race wide open
Queensland coach Billy Slater is facing a difficult decision on who to include in the Maroons squad for Game 1 after Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga produced a poor game for his club, while Ben Hunt has been ruled out with injury. Ponga had emerged as a heavy favourite to take Reece Walsh's No.1 jersey early in the season with the Knights fullback starting as the in-form fullback. And Walsh's recent knee injury for the Broncos had set up a return for Ponga to the State of Origin arena. However, the Knights have now lost six of their last seven matches after going down 24-20 to the Titans on Friday night. The Knights led by 20 points at one stage, but a horror second-half saw Ponga's side go down with little fight in a season-low for the club. Ponga finished off the game with an error on the last play as he tried to force a linebreak for his side. And the Knights' recent loss has coincided with a horror run of form for Ponga. This has led to calls for Slater to turn elsewhere for Walsh's replacement with Ponga's form hardly calling for selection. Unfortunately, Queensland don't have the current fullback depth NSW has at their disposal. Hamiso Tabui-Fidow has found form in recent weeks, but has been a lock at centre for Slater's side for a number of years. Moving 'The Hammer' from centre would then cause another dilemma for Slater over who fills his position in the line-up. While Ponga is expected to be selected at fullback, the Knights star is hardly filling anyone with confidence as he appears low on confidence himself at club level. The Knights' backline produced all the team's errors during the second-half capitulation against the Titans and Ponga contributed to the mess. Ponga now has 20 errors heading into round 11, the most of any player in the competition. He also hasn't scored a try in 2025. While Ponga's struggles have coincided with a different role in the team, Slater will have to make the call if the No.1 has enough confidence to step in to the Origin arena at Suncorp and deliver for his state. While Slater tosses up over who will play fullback, it appears he won't have the luxury of selecting Hunt after the Broncos five-eighth walked off with a hamstring energy. Hunt pulled up short clutching at his leg with no contact made from the defensive line. The veteran left the field and reports suggest he won't be fit in time for Game 1. And the 35-year-old admitted it was unlikely he will be lining-up, even if his place in the squad was in doubt. "It definitely hurts," he said. "Whether Billy was going to have me in there again or not, I'm unsure, but it's definitely disappointing to know that you're definitely not in the picture." Queensland great Corey Parker had already claimed Hunt may not feature in this year's State of Origin series with Slater set to turn to the younger generation. This was also the view of former Queensland coach Kevin Walters. Hunt has featured in every Origin series since his debut in 2017 and was awarded their player of the series in 2021. Slater will now turn to Harry Grant to play bigger minutes in 2025 as he looks for a new utility. Hunt's injury is also a blow for Broncos coach Michael Maguire. The Broncos have now lost two in a row and have dropped to 10th on the ladder. And Hunt's absence means Maguire might be forced to bring Ezra Mam back earlier than he initially wanted to. Mam could have returned in round 10 after his nine-game suspension ended. However, the Broncos opted to play him in QLD Cup as Hunt and Adam Reynolds resumed their partnership. But Hunt's injury, and their shock 22-14 loss to the Rabbitohs thanks to some Latrell Mitchell magic, will now for Maguire to reshuffle the spine ahead of their clash against the Dragons next week.
