New Zealand’s most successful rally driver Hayden Paddon has set himself another nigh on impossible challenge – to contest three international rallies in three weekends. Paddon, the only Kiwi driver to win a World Rally Championship, has made a name for himself pushing the envelope when it comes to rallying.
NZ rally star Hayden Paddon aiming for two straight wins in triple international tilt
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Hayden Paddon is gearing up for the second of three international rallies over consecutive weekends. Photo / Stephen Blackberry via Action P
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“The dream is to try and challenge for victories across all three events, but the challenge to do that is huge.
“Together with my three co-drivers and teams, I know we’ll give it everything we have and try our best to keep up with the locals.
“It’s a unique and exciting privilege to get outside your comfort zone and try new challenges, and for me that is motivation to push us to try even harder.”
In Ireland last weekend Paddon had Dave Moynihan in the co-driver seat. However, things didn’t go according to plan and the pair had to retire on day two. While lying third, the pair missed a braking point and ran off the road, rolling the car.
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“Unfortunately a very light roll over on the penultimate stage put an end to our rally while fighting for a podium.
“Right from the outset we were struggling to have any confidence as the bumpy roads were making the car very unpredictable. A stage win on the repeat loop showed some progress and was looking to continue that in the afternoon,” said Paddon.
The Ypres Rally this weekend is one of the longest-running rallies in Europe and is a hard-fought, high-speed, all-tarmac rally that regularly attracts top international drivers. Paddon will be joined by co-driver Jared Hudson in a Hyundai i20N Rally2 car prepared by last year’s Belgian champions, BMA. It’s an event he’s contested once before back in 2013 at the start of his international career.
“[We had a] great first day testing in Ypres in preparation for this weekend’s rally. First test of the BMA Hyundai i20 N Rally2 on typical fast Belgium stages littered with many 90-degree junctions.
“[It] was also special to visit the city of Messen and the NZ memorial, remembering the many Kiwi soldiers who fought in World War I,” said Paddon.
At the conclusion of the Ypres Rally, Paddon heads back to Queensland for the third round of the ARC just outside Gympie near Brisbane. Paddon and co-driver John Kennard took the lead of their respective drivers’ and co-drivers’ championships at the previous ARC round in Western Australia. They are well aware of the challenge they face in Queensland as most of the ARC frontrunners have considerable experience on the rally’s gravel, forestry and plantation roads.
At the beginning of the adventure the plan was to win all three rallies. However, after the disappointment of the Irish result, Paddon is keen to win this weekend and then extend his winning run in the ARC.
“I know we’ll give it everything we have and try our best to keep up with the locals. It’s a unique and exciting privilege to get outside your comfort zone and try new challenges, and for me, that is motivation to push us to try even harder.
“On our return to Australia, we are going into a rally where most of the ARC competitors are familiar with the stages from last year. So, we are going to have to prepare and push hard. It’s a challenge I’m definitely up for,” he said.
