One of the constant themes in the Australia vs New Zealand argument is that the New Zealand Rally Championship is in far better shape than the Aussie series, but one key statistic doesn't necessarily support that view.
It's worth noting that we're not comparing apples with apples here.
Australia has a much greater population than New Zealand, but rallying is a much bigger and more widely accepted sport across the 'ditch'.
You could argue that the bigger country has more sponsorship opportunities as well, but traditionally, and over many decades, there have been more Kiwis with state-of-the-art or ex-works cars than in Australia.
To be fair, comparing the two countries is not really even an argument that should be had, but those on social media keep it rolling as an ongoing theme.
Therefore, it might be time to take a look at the bare facts.
In Australia in 2019 there have been five rounds of the Australian Rally Championship held so far. From those rounds, there have been 30 drivers registered for championship points.
New Zealand have also had five rounds held, with a total number of 31 drivers registered for championship points.
On those figures, you'd suggest that both championships were about on a par, but where the keyboard warriors tend to get all excited is on the total number of entries in each rally.
In this regard the Kiwis win hands down, but the numbers are slightly skewed, given that there are less rallies held, and that more drivers tend to enter the same events.
That doesn't happen as much in Australia, due to the vast land area and a number of different championships held in the individual states.
Having said all that, I will confess that, from my experience in both countries, the New Zealanders do tend to be a more inclusive bunch when it comes to rallying. They work together, help each other out, and generally all seem to be pushing in the same direction.
In Australia, that's not always the case, and the sport has a history of different states (and even drivers) working for their own benefit, rather than for the betterment of the sport as a whole.
Both countries have a lot of work to do when it comes to moving rallying forward, but for now, it's probably time to put the "we're better than you" talk away for good.
The numbers simply don't support it.
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