Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard continue to lead the 2023 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) after securing a hard-fought second place at Rally Poland which ran 18-21 May.  

Paddon and Kennard, from Cromwell and Blenheim respectively, got off to a flying start in Poland in the BRC-run Hyundai i20 N Rally 2 car. Second quickest in Friday night’s opening super special stages in the host city of Mikołajki, north of Warsaw, the pair won two Saturday morning stages and held the rally lead through to SS5. As expected, the afternoon’s repeated runs through the four gravel stages saw the roads become more rutted. Paddon and BRC team management made the call to focus on getting the car safely through the remainder of the day, which meant balancing wanting to fight for the rally win and the ultimate goal of a strong finish to maximise championship points. They ended the day with another stage win and just eight seconds off the leader, Latvian Martins Sesks.  

Sunday’s stages and conditions were tougher than expected, with ruts and holes throughout the day’s eight stages challenging all competitors. Tyre damage on the morning’s first stage meant Paddon had no spare tyre for the remainder of the morning loop. Another puncture on the afternoon loop meant Paddon controlled his pace to minimise the risk of a further puncture, which would have meant retirement from the rally. The Kiwis held second place throughout the day and fought for bonus points in the final, power stage.

Their considered drive earned them second place overall and allowed Paddon to extend his lead on the ERC points-table to 85 points, 37 points head of Sesks.  

Paddon says: “It was a really good rally here in Poland. We have competed here before but these stages weren’t familiar to me. To come away with second place is perfect for our championship along with a couple of extra bonus points on the power stage.  

“It certainly wasn’t without its challenges. I’d say today was one of the more stressful days we’ve had. The conditions were very rough. We had some tyre problems we had to manage so that made us a little bit on edge to prevent any more problems which could have ended our rally. We’re happy with some stage wins and being able to demonstrate speed against a very competitive European field. Today (Sunday) the focus was on keeping second place and securing the points to build our championship lead, which we were able to do. So overall, a very good weekend with great work from everyone at the BRC team with our Hyundai.”

Looking ahead, the next ERC event is in Latvia in June. “The first three rounds have gone to plan,” says Paddon. “We want to continue this momentum. For sure, we want to fight for rally wins, but ultimately it’s about putting ourselves in a good position to try and win the championship.”  

Paddon’s next rally is a new one for the experienced Kiwi – he heads to Rally Barbados where he and Kennard will run a Hyundai i20 R5 in the Caribbean event, 9-11 June.  

Paddon and Hyundai New Zealand Rally appreciate the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Makita, Open Country, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, Ben Nevis Station, Bailey Caravans, Repco NZ, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, ETCO, Jacanna Freight, Pak N’ Save, Machinery House, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, Zealandia Systems, Carters Tyres and Signbiz.

Mike Young and co-driver Amy Hudson survived a dramatic Rally of Whangarei where less than half field finished but the event had it's own challenges for the Cusco Toyota C-HR team.

On the third stage of the day Young clipped a tree on the outside of a corner and bent a rear suspension arm.

The part proved more difficult to replace than anticipated and as a consequence over 2 minutes was lost at the morning service break, dropping the team down to 12th overall.

The rest of the event was a fight back to get back into a points scoring position.

By SS17 the penultimate stage Young and and Hudson were back up to 5th overall, however midway through the final test, a rock wedged itself between the brake caliper and the alloy wheel, ripping the sidewall of the tyre open.

With a deflated front tyre Young was lucky to keep the C-HR on the road before stopping and changing the tyre mid-stage.

The time lost dashed any hopes of a top five finish, the Cusco pair eventually finishing 10th overall and 4th in the Asia Pacific category.

"Overall it's been a good weekend - the roads up here in Whangarei are awesome and we finished when many others didn't. We've got a long way to go, still trying to find that sweet spot with the car, its heavy and doesn't work as well but we're getting there and gradually fine tuning it. Had a few issues over the weekend and a big thanks to the service crew for keeping us in the event - they did a great job as I kept them busy with the things I broke!".

Young and the team's next event is South Canterbury Rally on the 17th June.

Mike Young Motorsport is supported by Cusco, Dunlop, Seeka, Go Logistics, Wurth New Zealand, PF Automotive, Pacific Toyota, Cooke Howlison Toyota, McDermid Auto Collective, Northland Toyota, Opotiki Tyres Service, Robert Monk Transport, Asia Pacific Sports Media and Yoda Rallying.

It’s all go for New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard at present, having secured another win in the New Zealand Rally Championship, the second round of which took place in Whangarei from 12 to 14 May.

The pair now head straight back to Europe for round three of the 2023 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) in Poland starting 18 May.  

Paddon and Kennard took a start-to-finish win in Whangarei, winning all 18 stages and ultimately finishing three minutes, 53.9 seconds ahead of Ben Hunt in second place.  

The victory means the pair continue to hold first place on the NZRC Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ points-tables, and puts them in the unique position of leading a rally championship in New Zealand and another one in Europe.  

Paddon was understandably pleased with the weekend’s results in Whangarei.

“I’m really pleased to come away from here with maximum points in the championship, seeing as we’re missing the next round in South Canterbury. It was important we had a clean rally and there was a massive attrition rate here this weekend, with a number of competitors out for a variety of reasons. We just tried to keep our noses clean and have a good rally, so we’ve ticked all the boxes on that front.”

While it’s often on Paddon’s radar to aim for new stage records on the Kiwi rallies where he knows the stages so well, he admits that wasn’t his main aim this weekend.

“We got a couple of stage records, which is nice, but with heavy rain in the region last week, it didn’t allow for the roads to be in the best condition, plus we were chasing every point on offer and needed a clean rally.”  

An added bonus from the Whangarei result was the opportunity to secure the Pacific Cup as part of the 2023 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). The Pacific Cup is a sub-title for drivers and co-drivers and contested at three of the seven rounds on the 2023 calendar. Having scored maximum points in the second APRC round in Otago, Paddon and John Kennard overtook the lead previously held by Japan’s Takuma Kamada after the shortened Rally of Tsumagoi earlier in the year.  

Paddon paid credit to everyone at PRG.

“The whole team did an amazing job as they continue to do at every rally with our car and our PRG customer cars. Our team is gelling well and it’s a pleasure to be part of it all.”  

Looking forward to the next ERC round in Poland, which is based in Mikołajki in the Masurian lake district, a three-hour drive north from the capital Warsaw, Paddon says they expect a completely different rally.

“It’s obviously positive for us that we’re getting as much seat time as we can in the same model of Hyundai, but in terms of the road surface and the feeling we’ll have in the car next week in Poland, it will be quite different to Whangarei.”

Paddon is the number one seed for Rally Poland, ahead of what’s expected to be a close, fast field of drivers from Spain, Sweden, Italy, Poland, France and other European countries.

The top level competitors do a qualifying stage on Friday lunchtime before the ceremonial start and a super special stage.

On Saturday, they do three stages twice plus an arena stage in the early evening.

On Sunday, they contest four stages repeated morning and afternoon.

Overall, the competitive distance travelled is 182 km.  

Paddon says: “We’re feeling good. We’ve had a very good start to the year, so we’re trying to carry this momentum on and bring home another podium finish next week.”  

Paddon and Hyundai New Zealand Rally appreciate the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Makita, Open Country, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, Ben Nevis Station, Bailey Caravans, Repco NZ, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, ETCO, Jacanna Freight, Pak N’ Save, Machinery House, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, Zealandia Systems, Carters Tyres and Signbiz.

WRC rally winner Hayden Paddon has completed yet another faultless drive to secure victory in round two of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship in Whangarei.

Paddon won all 16 stages over the weekend in his Hyundai New Zealand i20 Rally2 to take a commanding win of over three and a half minutes from two-time national champion Ben Hunt.

Hunt fended off the challenge of Raana Horan on Sunday to secure a comfortable second place in his Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2, while Horan finished third in the Generator Rental Services Skoda Fabia Rally2.

Josh Marston took a solid fourth place finish in his RDL Holden Barina AP4.

Dylan Thomson held off Jackson Clendon in an epic battle in the NZRC 2WD class with both youngsters charging hard in their Ford Fiesta Rally4 cars.

Thomson’s margin edged out to 24 seconds on Sunday afternoon after the pair battled toe-to-toe for most of the event.

Jordan Grant (Suzuki Swift) completed the podium.

Australian-based Irishman Glenn Alcorn took the class win in Open 2WD in his Ford Escort, holding off Daniel Haines (Ford Escort) and Dave Strong (Honda Jazz).

Stewart Reid claimed the famous Motogard Trophy by winning the Historic 2WD class in his Mazda RX7.

Defending class champion John Silcock battled mechanical issues, which hampered his charge.

Earlier the infamous Waipu Caves stage claimed a number of high profile victims with Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen, veteran Todd Bawden and Clint Cunningham all crashing out on the first pass through.

The series moves to South Canterbury in mid-June for round 3.  

Hayden Paddon has dominated the opening day of the International Rally of Whangarei to take a commanding lead overnight in the second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.

Paddon leads two-time national champion Ben Hunt by just over two minutes in his Hyundai New Zealand i20 Rally2 car.

Hunt was sharp throughout the day to hold a comfortable second place in his Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally2.

Raana Horan (Generator Rental Services Skoda Fabia Rally2) was third overnight with Josh Marston (RDL Holden Barina AP4) fourth, Todd Bawden (Online Contractors Ford Fiesta Rally2) fifth and Clint Cunningham (Skoda Fabia R5) in an impressive sixth.

Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen didn’t make it to the start of the opening stage after an electrical drama in his LJ Hooker/Giltrap Audi S1 AP4. He was able to re-start the event with the short two-passes through the Pohe Island Super Special stage in downtown Whangarei.

Robbie Stokes (Team Hutchinson Ford Fiesta AP4) had an engine issue that saw him fail to complete the opening stage, while runner-up from the opening round in Otago Ari Pettigrew (Manukau Auto Centre Holden Barina AP4) rolled on stage four.

Youngster Zeal Jones produced arguably the performance of the day to win the Rally Challenge one-day event in his Subaru Impreza, holding off defending champion Jeff Ward (Subaru WRX).

Dylan Thomson held a narrow lead of four seconds over Jackson Clendon in the NZRC 2WD battle. Thomson was debuting his new Ford Fiesta Rally4 car at the event and the pair traded stage times all day in a battle between identical cars.

Australian-based Irishman Glenn Alcorn came out on top of the Open 2WD after day 1 to lead Daniel Haines by over a minute – both in Ford Escorts.

Stewart Reid took advantage of defending historic champion John Silcock’s mechanical dramas to hold a 30 second lead in the Mazda RX7 battle in the Historic 2WD class.

Another six special stages await competitors on Sunday.    

The 12-14 May running of the 2023 International Rally of Whangarei is underway with teams now doing pre-event reconnaissance.  

Preparation for the return of the international level to the Whangārei region comes after numerous weather events and successive years hiatus through COVID-19 restrictions.  

Organisers are now looking ahead following Tuesday’s rain downpour – focussing on delivering the event as planned, with currently only one minor alteration to the timetable.  

Scheduled to be contested over 18 special sections of closed road, that has now been reduced to 16.  

“On the Sunday we’ve removed the Tangihua road from the timetable – which was to be used twice,” said Steve Foster, chairman of the organising committee.  

“Following the weather front that passed through last Tuesday we’ve had to ask and been asked the question as to the usability of some roads. Inspection has confirmed it only affected one section of road where there have been slips that are yet to be cleared. While it’s expected to be open again on Friday we’ve opted to remove it from our schedule.”  

At 14.40km long it will reduce the overall competitive distance from 254.60km to 225.80km.  

Foster says Pohe Island is now the current focus. The William Fraser Memorial Park is to host Saturday’s publicity section: “Current conditions make it marginal for hospitality to setup at Pohe Island – we’re working on an alternate option while remaining optimistic the clearer weather means we can run as planned.”  

With there was some rain squalls during Thursday, weather for the next few days is expected to be clear.  

“It’s possible a few showers could pass through later on Sunday however that’s a few days out and unlikely to affect anything,” added Foster.  

The event brings 47 teams to the region – 8 of them contesting the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) category. Top-seed drivers include Hayden Paddon and Shane van Gisbergen.  

Seven cars are offshore entries, including the Cusco Toyota C-HR of Michael Young. Others include Eugene Creugnet and Pierre-Henri Brunet from New Caledonia, Julien Lenglet and Nelson Law from Vanuatu, Australia-based Scot Stewart Reid and Irishman Glen Alcorn.  

Activity starts from 1pm Friday with shakedown testing at William Fraser Memorial Park’s Pohe Island. Drivers will then be at the Cameron St Mall from 4:45pm for a signing session ahead of the 5:30pm Ceremonial Start. The competitive section begins Saturday morning with four special stage tests to the north of Whangārei. They return to Pohe Island from 11:42am for a service stop before repeating the journey in the afternoon. The day concludes with a double run of the Pohe Island 1.15km spectator stage. Sunday now uses three road stage sections to the south – repeated after the 10:39am service break. The remaining teams return for the Ceremonial Finish at the Pūtahi Park - Town Basin, Whangārei, from 3pm. There is prize money of NZ$3,000 for the winning APRC entrant, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third, provided by Indian businessman and promoter Vamcy Merla.  

US businessman, action sportsman and top-level rally driver Ken Block, will have his memory honoured with a perpetual trophy to be awarded at this year’s International Rally of Whangārei, 12-14 May.  

Block, who sadly lost his life earlier this year in a recreational accident, contested multiple New Zealand Rally Championship events. Of his three visits to Whangārei he won the national category title in 2015. His last appearance was in 2019.  

In preparation for the 2023 event organisers then approached the Block family. Ken’s wife Lucy responded with a simple statement: “He would for sure approve. “He LOVED NZ rally and they were by far his favourite roads. He (also) always carried a greenstone necklace at every rally since it was presented to him in New Zealand.”  

The bespoke trophy is being made by Ellerslie Jewellers, and will incorporate greenstone into the design, given the value Block attached to his piece of pounamu. Organisers have also reserved 43 on the entry list – the competition number used by Block.  

Event Chairman, Steve Foster said “It’s hard to even consider a memorial trophy for someone who meant as much to us as Ken did.

"We always expected he would return, and we intend to keep that memory with the presentation of this trophy.  

“We’re grateful to Lucy and the family for granting permission to present this trophy. It’ll be a tough moment, and I can guarantee a lot of wet eyes. Ken meant a lot to us”.  

The trophy will be awarded on Sunday 14 May at the ceremonial finish of the rally (Pūtahi Park - Town Basin, Whangārei) from 3pm.  

The rally covers 720km of the Northland region, using 18 special stages of closed road. Starting with a ceremonial welcome at Whangārei’s Cameron St Mall from 5:30pm Friday the competitive section begins Saturday morning. The day concludes with a double-run of the William Fraser Memorial Park – Pohe Island stage. Sunday uses roads to the south, returning for the ceremonial finish mid-afternoon.  

There are 48 teams entered, the event counting toward the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, Brian Green New Zealand Rally Championship as well as others contesting the Allcomers category.

Entrants for the 2023 International Rally of Whangārei, being held 12-14 May, include Hayden Paddon and V8 Supercar champion Shane van Gisbergen.  

A total of 48 teams have entered, in cars ranging from the latest international specification Rally 2 Hyundai 120N to a 1977 Mitsubishi Lancer. The rally covers 720km of the Northland region, using 18 special stages of closed road. It is a qualifying round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), the final round of the Pacific Cup and second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC).  

Top seeded driver Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard return to New Zealand following a second placing at the weekend’s Rally Islas Canarias, a round of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). Paddon and Kennard lead the series after two rounds and now change focus to the Whangārei event the pair have won seven times.  

“Whangarei always has some of the best stages in New Zealand, they’re really cambered and flowing like no other. I think we can expect our New Zealand-based Hyundai i20 N Rally 2 car to perform better on those stages compared to Otago, and hopefully everything we learned about the car in Otago and continued to develop since will help us to extract further performance gains,” said the 36-year-old.  

It’s new territory for van Gisbergen, who’s last home event was the Repco Rally New Zealand: “It'll be my first time on the Whangārei roads and from what I can see they have a bit of everything”, he said. Van Gisbergen will drive the Audi S1 AP4 specification car with Australian based co-driver Glen Weston. “It looks like a fast but also technical rally. I’m looking forward to the challenge and seeing how we go. I’m in a different car this season, so we will be learning that and looking to improve each rally.”  

Seven cars are offshore entries, including the Cusco Toyota C-HR of Michael Young. Others include Eugene Creugent and Pierre-Henri Brunet from New Caledonia, Julien Lenglet and Nelson Law from Vanuatu, Stewart Reid and Glen Alcorn from Australia. A total of 11 teams have entered for the APRC category with 35 point-scoring for the NZRC. Others are entered in the Allcomers category.  

Activity starts from 1pm Friday with shakedown testing at William Fraser Memorial Park’s Pohe Island. Drivers will then be at the Cameron St Mall from 4:45pm for a signing session ahead of the 5:30pm ceremonial start. The competitive section begins Saturday morning with four special stage tests to the north of Whangārei. They return from 11:42am for a service stop before repeating the journey in the afternoon. The day concludes with a double run of the Pohe Island 1.15km spectator stage. Sunday uses four road stage sections to the south – repeated after the 10:39am service break. The remaining teams return for the ceremonial finish at the Pūtahi Park - Town Basin, Whangārei, from 3pm. There is prize money of NZ$3,000 for the winning APRC entrant, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third, provided by Indian businessman and promoter Vamcy Merla.  

This weekend, New Zealanders Hayden Paddon and John Kennard compete in Rally Islas Canarias, which is the second round of the 2023 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC).  

While Rally Islas Canarias was not originally on their schedule, Paddon and Italian team BRC agreed that it was a good option to keep trying to earn points at the earlier rounds of the eight-round championship. ERC regulations state that drivers count their best seven scores from a possible eight.  

After winning the opening ERC event in Portugal in March, Paddon says they collectively decided to keep their options open to dropping a round later in the season and work to gain points at every possible round.  

The timing of Rally Islas Canarias, which runs 5 and 6 May, is just a week before the International Rally of Whangarei, 12-14 May, and ERC round three takes place in Poland the following weekend, 19-20 May, meaning a set of long-haul flights for Paddon and Kennard.  

Paddon says: “It’s added to an already busy stretch this season, but we thought it was important to keep our points going towards the championship. One of our main focuses this year is to try and win the European Rally Championship title which would be a big achievement for us. Both teams – PRG in New Zealand and BRC Europe – will be busy too, making this happen. Getting to drive the two Hyundai i20 N Rally 2 cars means plenty of seat time and good opportunities to refine and develop the cars’ performance on both sides of the world.”  

Paddon says he’s looking forward to rallying in the Canary Islands. “It’s the first tarmac round of the ERC so our first tarmac ERC event in the Hyundai i20 N Rally 2 car. We ran the car as a full-event tarmac test at Rally Regione Piemonte in northern Italy a couple of weeks ago, finishing fifth, which was a big help to get used to the car on tarmac.”  

Paddon and Kennard participated in the official test this week as part of Rally Islas Canarias with Paddon saying it went well and the team did an amazing job, making good improvements with the car throughout the day.  

He describes the stages as very technical, fast and smooth like a racetrack.  

“The local European drivers are very fast here but obviously we’re going to put our best foot forward and aim to be around the podium. You know, when you put your helmet on, you get pretty competitive and want to be near the front!”

Based in the town of Las Palmas, the rally comprises 13 special stages totalling 190.06km on asphalt roads which climb and descend frequently. A notable feature of the sealed stages is the abrasive surface, constructed partly from volcanic lava, which means grip levels are high and remain constant if it rains, although tyre wear can increase in dry conditions. Former winners include Didier Auriol, Piero Liatti and Carlos Sainz, who claimed five consecutive victories in the 1980s.   On Wednesday, European time, they participate in reconnaissance where they’ll be looking to refine their pacenotes. Recce continues Thursday morning before the qualifying stage for FIA and ERC1 priority drivers. Qualifying results determine the order in which drivers can choose their road position for Fridays start list.  

Paddon is seeded number one on the entry list, ahead of Norwegian Mads Ostberg.  

“From the Canary Islands, we’re back on the plane for Rally Whangarei the following weekend, and the weekend after that we’re back in Europe for ERC Rally Poland back on gravel. We’re definitely looking forward to coming back to New Zealand for Rally Whangarei; it’s always one of my favourite rallies.”  

Paddon and Hyundai New Zealand Rally appreciate the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Makita, Open Country, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, Ben Nevis Station, Bailey Caravans, Repco NZ, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, ETCO, Jacanna Freight, Pak N’ Save, Machinery House, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, Zealandia Systems, Carters Tyres and Signbiz.  

Dunedin’s hometown rally heroine Emma Gilmour has had a positive debut in her Vantage Windows & Doors Citroen C3 Rally2 car, finishing fifth at the Winmax Brakes Otago Rally today. 

She was sitting in this top five position at the conclusion of Saturday’s eight stages to the north of Dunedin and held strong over the six stages that ran today - fighting off any challenges from the chasing pack of New Zealand’s top rally drivers.  

Gilmour’s co-driver was Scotland's Claire Mole, who travelled over to read her pace notes for the opening round of the 2023 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.  

She was enthusiastic about siting alongside her good friend on Gilmour’s local turf.  

“Emma has driven amazingly. For her first time out in the car, fifth is just incredible. She’s a hell of a talent,” Mole says. Despite a puncture in the penultimate stage, Gilmour was thrilled with how everything played out over the Otago Rally. “All in all, it was a great weekend. I’m happy with my debut in the Citroen and I really enjoyed it,” she says.  

“The pace at the front was really hot. Hayden [Paddon] usually takes the top step, so that only leaves two other spots. It would’ve been nice to be on the podium, but still, being top five is a really good effort.”  

Not only was it Gilmour’s first event in the turbocharged Citroen C3 but it was also the beginning of her partnership with Paddon Rallysport.  

“The car was great and it was amazing working with the Paddon Rallysport group. Ollie, my main man, did a great job running the car.”  

Cuts to the Citroen’s tyres resulted in two lots of changes and Gilmour says they “got away with one of them but the other one went flat in the second-to-last-stage.”  

Today’s stages to the south of Dunedin were best described as “tricky,” Gilmour says.  

“The conditions were changing a lot. We had rain at times and fog. It was super slippery, with a lot of cars encountering trouble in the forestry sections. They were quite technical stages which were different to Saturday’s stages.”  

Having Mole navigating was the icing on the cake of a successful weekend, with Gilmour commenting that it was "really special to have Claire here from overseas.” “Thanks to her and also to all my supporters and sponsors for making this event possible.”  

Gilmour will miss the NZRC’s second round in Whangarei as it clashes with her next Extreme E round in Scotland early next month. Emma Gilmour thanks the following sponsors for their support: Vantage Windows & Doors, Gilmour Motors Suzuki, Dura-Seal, Dayle ITM, MITO, Suzuki New Zealand, Castrol NZ, Sparco, Allport Motorsports, Custom Signs, Hella, Webdesign, UniformNZ, Pure Sports Nutrition and Body Synergy Gym.