Paddon records best WRC finish

PlaceMakers-sponsored Kiwi rally duo Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard drew inspiration from their return to the Southern Hemisphere, achieving their best-ever WRC result. The pair finished sixth at Rally Australia in September and ahead of both their Hyundai Shell teammates.

The Kiwis fought hard with Norway’s Mads Ostberg for the result, the rivals separated by just seconds throughout the three days of racing. After Ostberg encountered problems on the penultimate stage, Paddon charged on to secure his position and finish in 2:56:14.

“I am pleased with our performance and our result,” said Hayden. “The battle for sixth place was exciting; you don’t often have a fight like that on the Sunday.

“We’ve been more competitive this weekend and made another good step up from our last rally in Finland, which is the most important thing.”

Hayden was aiming for a top-five finish and says the gap in experience is the main reason he hasn’t yet been able to crack the elite group.

“We just need a bit more time, we’ve rallied in four WRC events against drivers who have done ten times that. It’s a promising result for the future, though.”

The result doubled his points tally from eight to 16, pushing him into 14th in the championship.

Hayden and John next race in Spain on October 23 and Hayden says the primary focus is on securing a contract for next year.

“We’re working on securing another Hyundai contract with more events included. Hopefully we’ll know in another month or two.”

Paddon competes in grassroots event

Geraldine-born Hayden gave local fans something to cheer about when he got stuck into South Canterbury Car Club Blakely Pacific Ltd Spring Rally, pairing up with Christchurch’s Tony Gosling.

The pair competed in Gosling’s Ford Escort and was the first 2WD home, finishing third overall to secure the class win. Timaru pair Darren Galbraith and James Bracefield (Evo 6) came home in first place, completing the event in 1:05:24, 54 seconds ahead of Paddon and Gosling.