Murray O'Neil & Shelby O'Neil

🚗 Nissan Almera – Class B

Sometimes all it takes is one conversation to change the course of your life.

For Murray O'Neil, that moment came at the Bill Gwynne International Rally School in 1989.

After a training session, Murray thought he was about to receive a telling-off.

"Instead, Bill asked me where I'd been driving. I told him nowhere... apart from the Hutt River bank! He simply said, 'Go and get yourself a rally car.'"

Murray took that advice to heart.

Just a few years later, he was lining up in the 1995 Rally of New Zealand behind the wheel of the ex-Morrie Chandler Mitsubishi Evo I.

Despite having very little seat time, Murray produced an outstanding result.

"I finished first Rookie, ninth Kiwi and eleventh in Group A. Four days of heaven."

While that remains one of the highlights of his rally career, another moment now sits alongside it.

"Getting back out on the stages with my son Shelby as my co-driver at the 50th Rally Otago... magic!"

Like every experienced rally driver, Murray has also collected a few stories over the years.

One lesson has stayed with him ever since.

"Never think the powerlines follow the roads... we made that 90 right, 90 left and 90 right... just!" 😄

This year, Murray returns to Rally Taumarunui in the ex-David Black F2 car, now running in F1.6 specification.

"I loved these technical stages back in the '90s. Let's see how I feel about them now... old school... blind."

But more than anything, he's looking forward to sharing the weekend with Shelby.

"I'm looking forward to chilling out with my boy. His own rally car is being built as we speak."

Murray couldn't be prouder.

"Shelby is my only son who's got the feel for motorsport. Long may it continue."

For the O'Neil family, Rally Taumarunui isn't just another rally—it's another chapter in a passion that's now being passed from one generation to the next.

Please join us in welcoming Murray and Shelby to Rally Taumarunui, and be sure to give them a wave when you see the Nissan Almera out on the stages! 👋🏁