NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Motorsport: Hayden Paddon in scrap for second spot

Eric Thompson
By Eric Thompson
NZ Herald·
18 Nov, 2016 04:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard enjoy Rally Australia, with some of the roads similar to what they rallied on in New Zealand. Photo / Timo Amis

Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard enjoy Rally Australia, with some of the roads similar to what they rallied on in New Zealand. Photo / Timo Amis

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Sebastien Ogier wrapped up his fourth world rally title weeks ago, but the battle for second and third has raged on, with Kiwi Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard right in the mix.

After a long, hard slog that started at Rallye Monte Carlo in January, the World Rally Championship has finally made it to Rally Australia at Coffs Harbour this weekend.

Paddon is fourth on the championship table, just three points behind Andreas Mikkelsen and a further 14 points back from teammate Thierry Neuville. It is eminently possible that Paddon could finish only his second season in the top tier of the WRC as the second best rally driver in the world.

The New Zealand pair has experienced just about every emotion possible in a single year. Two massive crashes, one of which involved a burning car, and throwing all caution to the wind in Argentina, to stand on the top spot of the podium, becoming the first Kiwis to do so in the 47-year history of the WRC.

As far as setting records goes, Kennard set a few of his own this year.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He's the oldest co-driver in the series and, with the win in Argentina, became the oldest co-driver to hold aloft a winner's trophy.

"It's been a hell of a season. It's been one of those seasons that, if you'd been offered it at the beginning, you would have gone 'Yeah, yeah, we'll take that', and then you get to the end and go, if only we did this or that," said Kennard.

"It's been a good year overall but patience isn't a word that Hayden knows how to spell. He's always in a hurry to be the best as quick as possible. Sure, we had two big crashes, but over the years things like that have allowed us to make the biggest leaps forward.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"You sometimes have to take a step back, which makes Hayden delve even deeper in to analysing what's going on and he gets better. If you can get Hayden to relax in the car, that's when he gets his best results. It's now about finding a balance between wanting to learn that last little bit to be where he wants to be, and being able to relax a bit.

"He knows now what he has to do, so the weekend should go well."

You'd think a bloke in his 50s would have had enough of being flung around inside a car like a ball bearing in a paint tin, but not this one. Kennard is keen, as long as he's required, to carry on. Getting the win, challenging the leaders on a regular basis and setting fastest stage times bodes well for a tilt at the world title over the next couple of years.

"I'll be on the start line at Monte Carlo, that's for sure. We both recognise that it'll get to the point at some stage where there needs to be a change. It's like the situation when you say 'When we win a championship round, I'll retire'. You then win one and start thinking how good it would be to win another one, and after a few wins, you start to think about a world championship.

Discover more

Sport|motorsport

Radio Sport Driven Hour Mon Nov 14

14 Nov 05:48 PM
Sport|motorsport

Rally NZ confirmed on 2017 calendar

16 Nov 01:28 AM
Sport|motorsport

Motorsport: Paddon's saving best for last in Oz

16 Nov 04:00 PM
Sport|motorsport

Volkswagen promise to go out with a bang

16 Nov 06:27 PM

"Maybe I'll hang around for that. With Volkswagen out of the picture and a number of drivers with new teams and cars, this means the pool of drivers able to win a championship has been reduced.

"We'll have a good push next year, but ultimately I think 2018 [to win a championship] is the goal for Hayden," said Kennard.

Rally Australia is Kennard and Paddon's surrogate home event and one the pair like as it has similarities to some parts of New Zealand. Last year, they won a stage and finished fifth overall and are looking to improve on that come tomorrow afternoon.

"We should do all right here as it's a lot like the roads at home. We're only three points off third so we'll push a bit this weekend. To get to second [in championship], we have to win and Thierry has to finish eighth or worse.

"Whatever scenarios people come up with, we'll just be going out here and doing our own thing. About 70 per cent of the rally is the same as last year so it'll suit Hayden very well," said Kennard.

Paddon himself is keen to end his season on a high, but will not be trying anything different in his approach. He'll maintain his normal mantra of not looking at either a rally result or the championship, rather putting together the best performance he can.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's certainly been a bit of a roller-coaster and despite some issues we made progress in all the rallies," said Paddon.

"We've been looking forward to this rally all year. We have a lot of fans who have made the trip from home. I grew up on roads like these so it'll be maximum attack. We've had good preparation, it's now just matter of putting it all together on the day."

WRC points
After 12 rounds.
1. Sebastien Ogier 247
2. Thierry Neuville 143
3. Andreas Mikkelsen 129
4. Hayden Paddon 126
5. Dani Sordo 119
6. Jari-Marti Latvala 110
7. Mads Ostberg 94
8. Ott Tanak 82

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Tennis

'Very tough': Sinner braces for Alcaraz challenge in Wimbledon final

11 Jul 08:52 PM
Premium
Opinion

Paul Lewis: Why chasing perfection in rugby is a flawed ambition

11 Jul 07:01 PM
Motorsport

'We’re confident': Payne on tackling Townsville's challenges

11 Jul 06:47 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

'Very tough': Sinner braces for Alcaraz challenge in Wimbledon final

'Very tough': Sinner braces for Alcaraz challenge in Wimbledon final

11 Jul 08:52 PM

Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Wimbledon final.

Premium
Paul Lewis: Why chasing perfection in rugby is a flawed ambition

Paul Lewis: Why chasing perfection in rugby is a flawed ambition

11 Jul 07:01 PM
'We’re confident': Payne on tackling Townsville's challenges

'We’re confident': Payne on tackling Townsville's challenges

11 Jul 06:47 PM
‘World-class performer’: Ajaz Patel thrown Black Caps lifeline by new coach

‘World-class performer’: Ajaz Patel thrown Black Caps lifeline by new coach

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP