I am Ryan a 16yr old rally car driver. Follow my journey to build a racing career.
This is stage 1 of the 2026 Southland rally, it was probably the best stage of the day due to some weather and road condition changes later in the day and a wee mishap on stage 4 causing me to slow down a bit. Hope you enjoy!!!
28/07/2026
From heart surgery to rally stages: Teenager Ryan Howden turns passion into purpose Sixteen-year-old Ryan Howden doesn’t let his heart condition hold him back.
The Southland Rally 2026 Bloopers. Enjoy!!
20/07/2026
A couple photos of the aftermath. Thanks to my crew Karl and Konrad for getting the car back together at service so I could get back out and finish the day. Hopefully there is less work to do at the next event!!
Had a wee oopsie on stage 4 in the weekend. Massive thanks to Dad for pulling the car out with a strop!
Here is a wee video of Ryan and Glenn on stage 7, from Karl Argyle who stopped by a spectator point after servicing with Konrad Ward. Thanks so much for the help guys. Ryan definitely needed your expertise after taking out the fence 😉. More to come on that escapade a bit later.
18/07/2026
🏁 A quick update from Ryan's Racing! 🏁
With Mum flat out in Rally Headquarters yesterday and Grandad and Gem ( Gail Wilson ) on finish control of 2 stages, there wasn't anyone keeping you all up to date on how the weekend unfolded.
Ryan will put together a full event wrap-up over the coming days... once he's repaired a fence 😅 and had a well-earned rest!
In the meantime, here are a couple of photos courtesy of Fenix Moodie . 📸
Thanks to everyone who came out to support the rally, cheered from the sidelines, volunteered and followed our weekend. Stay tuned for Ryan's recap, where he'll share how the event went, the highs, the challenges, and what's next.
Started Barry Robinsonson Memorial Rally Southland. Heading to Stage 1 now.
14/07/2026
Went to visit Aoga Amata Preschool in Invercargill today. The kids had heaps of fun sitting in the car and pretending to drive. I didn't mind telling them about racing either 😁. Even the boss man got in the car.
When I gets a bit wide on the exit of the corner.