Paddon and Kennard target first Australian rally title

New Zealanders Hayden Paddon and John Kennard are poised to secure their first EROAD Australian Rally Championship title in Tasmania at this weekend’s final round, but the championship’s not yet in bag for the popular Kiwis.

Having won four of the five rallies so far in their Hyundai i20 Rally2, Paddon and Kennard lead their respective drivers’ and co-drivers’ championships with 470 points, 85 points ahead of closest rivals Lewis Bates and Anthony Mcloughlin. With 100 points available to the winner of Rally Tasmania, plus a potential bonus ten points for the fastest through the power stage, the Kiwis are keeping their focus on doing what needs to be done to win the championship.

Paddon explains, “The rally result is irrelevant, and we are not even aiming to win the rally. While on paper, it looks that we just have to finish 12th or better, this being an endurance event, means we must finish both days of the rally. This shifts the focus from performance to reliability and safety. To be honest, as a driver, that’s makes it harder. For John and me in the car, it’s about driving fast enough to keep our focus, but also minimising risks, keeping a safety margin in terms of how hard we push.”

Rally Tasmania takes place 5 to 7 November inland of the northern town of Burnie and comprises 14 special stages and 217.02 competitive kilometres, including the championship’s single, longest stage, a monster 44 km being run twice on Sunday.

Paddon says the team plans to run the car with a safe setup, carrying more spares, etc.

“Too much effort has gone into this season by everyone at PRG, working away from home and literally in various workshops around the country, for us not to achieve our core goal for 2025. It would mean a lot to all of us to finish the job off, so that means putting any egos aside for a weekend and just doing what we have to do.”

Like the previous five rounds of the six-round ARC, Paddon and Kennard have not contested this rally before. They’ll be using their tried and true pace-noting skills during the pre-event reconnaissance runs through each stage to learn all they can about the roads.

“We don’t know too much about this rally yet, but it does include the longest stage of the season at 44km, so that will be a key stage of the rally in terms of managing tyre wear and strategy.”

The PRG team also welcome a tour group travelling with them to Rally Tasmania and Paddon is looking forward to sharing the event with many Kiwi supporters.

Rally Tasmania kicks off with a popular rally show on Friday night on the Burnie waterfront before two days of rally action through various inland roads.

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