Auto Trader NZ
Published 3 September 2020
With long-time co-driver John Kennard, Paddon secured a hard-fought victory on the notoriously rough roads of the Argentinean rally with a commanding performance in the final special stage to best three-time WRC drivers’ champion Sebastien Ogier. Sunday’s tense battle came after Paddon and Kennard has scored their 11th WRC stage win on Friday – to match the total set by the late, great Kiwi rally star Possum Bourne – and, with three more stage wins to their credit on Saturday, the pair went into the final short day with a lead of 29.8 seconds over Ogier.
The first fog-affected run through El Condor saw Ogier take 7.4 seconds out of Paddon’s lead as Paddon lost precious seconds with a gear-change issue. On special stage 17 Ogier delivered a blistering run which cut Paddon’s lead to a mere 2.6 seconds with just the final power stage to go. But Paddon stood up to the Frenchman’s challenge, saying he drove the wheels off his new generation Hyundai 120 WRC car to secure not only his first power stage win, but also his debut WRC rally win.
“It’s an amazing feeling, to win like this, on the last stage where the odds were a little bit against us,” said Paddon at the rally finish. “We lost a lot of time in the previous stage and just over two seconds margin going into that last one – I didn’t have a lot of confidence, but we just pushed like hell.
“A huge amount of work has gone into the New Generation i20 WRC. I knew from the first test that we could win with it. I just didn’t quite expect it to be so soon. Everyone in the team, at the rallies and at Alzenau, thoroughly deserves this result. I am sure it’s the start of a lot more to come! I am thankful for everyone who has supported us back home in New Zealand and for all the positive messages we’ve received this weekend.”
During his history-making weekend of competition, Paddon won five WRC stages in all, bringing his total WRC stage victories to 15. He’s the second driver from the Southern Hemisphere to win a WRC round (the first being Argentina’s Jorge Recalde who won his home rally in a Lancia in 1988 and in again in a drivers-only round in 1995). The event victory gives Paddon’s team, Hyundai Motorsport, its first win on a gravel event with Paddon’s team-mate Thierry Neuville having delivered the only other WRC event win for Hyundai on the German tarmac in 2014. It’s also the first win in the new generation Hyundai i20 WRC car in only its fourth outing.
MotorSport New Zealand president Shayne Harris celebrated the news of Paddon and Kennard’s success. “I think the main thing for me is how great is this for Hayden and John. They have worked really hard to get this, right from Hayden’s own vision for his career in motorsport which included MotorSport New Zealand’s Elite Academy. For New Zealand motorsport as a whole, it is fantastic to see our guys at the top of world rallying. I am sure other young Kiwi rally competitors will take notice and follow in their footsteps.”
Harris adds: “I hope the result signals to the WRC organisers that the New Zealand round deserves to be reinstated on the WRC calendar. This is something I know Hayden, John and tens of thousands of Kiwi rally fans want to happen.”
Peter Johnston, chairman of Rally New Zealand, was equally delighted to see Paddon and Kennard on the top step of the podium.
“What a fantastic result for Hayden and John and everyone who’s been part of their journey to the top of world rallying. Every sport has its heroes and for rallying in New Zealand we have a hero in Hayden Paddon.
Johnston adds: “Everyone at Rally New Zealand congratulates and are very proud of Hayden and John’s achievement. We look forward to working with Hayden as the official rally ambassador of Rally New Zealand to bring the World Rally Championship back to New Zealand in the not-too-distant future.”
The Argentinean victory means Paddon, originally from Geraldine and now based in Europe, now holds second place in the WRC drivers’ championship with 57 points to Ogier’s 96 – the highest-ever championship position for a Kiwi rally driver to date.
