January | 25th | WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo | |
February | 15th | WRC Rally Sweden | |
18th | Targa Tarmac Rallysprint | ||
March | 16th | Targa Bambina | |
28th | WRC Safari Rally Kenya | ||
April | 12th | Rally of Otago | |
13th | ERC Rally Hungary | ||
18th | WRC Croatia Rally | ||
May | 3rd | ERC Rally Canary Islands | |
9th | WRC Rally de Portugal | ||
11th | South Canterbury Rally | ||
19th | Jacks Ridge Rallysprint | ||
30th | WRC Rally Italia Sardegna | ||
June | 2nd | Rally of Canterbury | |
7th | Targa 2 Day Event - cancelled | ||
13th | ERC Royal Rally of Scandinavia | ||
21st | Southern Lights Rally | ||
27th | WRC Rally Poland | ||
July | 5th | ERC Rally Estonia | |
7th | SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally | ||
18th | WRC Rally Latvia | ||
26th | ERC Rally di Roma Capitale | ||
27th | Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi | ||
August | 1st | WRC Rally Finland | |
10th | Wyndham Rally | ||
16th | ERC Barum Czech Rally Zlin | ||
18th | Hoddle Rd Rallysprint, Otorohanga | ||
30th | ERC Rali Ceredigion (Wales) | ||
September | 5th | WRC Acropolis Rally Greece | |
14th | Daybreaker Rally | ||
26th | WRC Rally Chile | ||
October | 5th | Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty | |
11th | ERC Rally Silesia (Poland) | ||
20th | Newstead Lodge Waitomo Rally, Piopio | ||
25th | Targa 4 Day Event | ||
31st | WRC Central European Rally | ||
November | 8th | International Rally of Whangarei | |
21st | WRC Rally Japan | ||
22nd | Silver Fern Rally | ||
23rd | North Canterbury Rally | ||
24th | Westland Rally |
January | 25th | WRC Rallye Monte-Carlo | |
February | 15th | WRC Rally Sweden | |
March | 28th | WRC Safari Rally Kenya | |
April | 18th | WRC Croatia Rally | |
May | 9th | WRC Rally de Portugal | |
30th | WRC Rally Italia Sardegna | ||
June | 27th | WRC Rally Poland | |
July | 18th | WRC Rally Latvia | |
August | 1st | WRC Rally Finland | |
September | 5th | WRC Acropolis Rally Greece | |
26th | WRC Rally Chile | ||
October | 31st | WRC Central European Rally | |
November | 21st | WRC Rally Japan |
April | 12th | Rally of Otago | |
May | 11th | South Canterbury Rally | |
June | 21st | Southern Lights Rally | |
September | 14th | Daybreaker Rally | |
October | 5th | Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty | |
November | 8th | International Rally of Whangarei |
April | 12th | Rally of Otago | |
May | 11th | South Canterbury Rally | |
June | 2nd | Rally of Canterbury | |
August | 10th | Wyndham Rally | |
November | 23rd | North Canterbury Rally | |
24th | Westland Rally |
May | 19th | Jacks Ridge Rallysprint | |
July | 7th | SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally | |
27th | Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi | ||
August | 18th | Hoddle Rd Rallysprint, Otorohanga | |
October | 5th | Battery Town Rally Bay of Plenty | |
20th | Newstead Lodge Waitomo Rally, Piopio |
February | 18th | Targa Tarmac Rallysprint | |
March | 16th | Targa Bambina | |
June | 7th | Targa 2 Day Event - cancelled | |
October | 25th | Targa 4 Day Event | |
November | 22nd | Silver Fern Rally | |
23rd | North Canterbury Rally | ||
24th | Westland Rally |
Yesterday | Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi : Start List for Leg 1 published | |
Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi attracts top field for North Island Rally Series round | ||
2 days ago | Wyndham Rally published | |
4 days ago | Paddon heads to Rome aiming for ERC championship gains | |
10 days ago | Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi entries published | |
Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi published |
The 2024 Generator Rental Services North Island Rally Series (NIRS) roars back into action with the Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi this Saturday, 27 July 2024.
The one-day event has attracted a number of top national teams with Ben Hunt/Tony Rawstorn, Skoda Fabia Rally 2 evo taking top seed ahead of Jack Hawkeswood/Jason Farmer (Toyota GR Yaris AP4), Todd Bawden/Dave Neill (Ford Fiesta R5 MkII), Dylan Turner/Brianna Little (Audi S1 AP4) and Haydn Mackenzie/Shane Reynolds (Toyota Yaris AP4). Fifth on the road is Quentin Palmer/Noel Moloney, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 who is currently placed second overall in the NIRS.
Missing from the entry list is Phil Campbell who leads the NIRS overall points table having won the first two rounds.
While Campbell has elected to sit out the event, Palmer has the opportunity to take over the lead should he be the first NIRS competitor home.
The event starts and finishes in Dargaville and will be run on gravel roads in the Kaipara District with the National field competing 128km over six Special Stages and 190km of touring.
Also on the card is a Clubmans field who will compete over the final four stages, comprising 77km of special stages and 140km of touring.
“The support the rally has received from Council, Iwi, residents, event partners and the Dargaville community has been overwhelming,” said the Event Chairman and NIRS coordinator Marty Roestenburg.
“To bring this exciting sport back to the district after a 30-year hiatus is very cool and the Rally Committee hope everyone has a safe, fun and friendly experience.”
The first two stages take place on the same 26km fast gravel road - Waihue - on a hard base with two spectator points north of Dargaville.
The first service is back at the Dargaville Service Park between these stages and the second run through this fabulously enjoyable stage, before an early lunch from 1145am.
From 1256hrs the 18.64km Tokatoka SS3 takes in parts of previous World Rally Championship stages with a medium to fast packed gravel road incorporating several slumps in the road and narrow bridges.
The 19.58km Greenhill SS4 starting at 1339hrs begins fast before turning 90 degrees right at the spectator point onto the Parahi Outlet and the Parahi and Oparakau Roads, used in previous Rally NZs.
The third service point is in Ruawai from 1420hrs before competitors repeat SS3 (1514hrs) and SS4 (1554hrs) and then head back to Dargaville for the rally finish.
The first car gets underway from Hokianga Road in Dargaville at 9:00am while the first Clubmans car is due to start after the last national car at approximately 1:00pm.
The leaders are expected to finish at the final control (TC6A) on Totara St, Dargaville at approximately 5:00pm.
As the defending FIA European Rally Champion, Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon heads to Rally di Roma Capitale in Italy this week with a clear goal: to protect and, ideally, extend his lead in this year’s championship.
Paddon took the 2024 ERC lead at the previous ERC round in Estonia earlier this month and now has 73 points, just ten points ahead of second-placed Frenchman Mathieu Franceschi while Norway’s Mads Ostberg holds third place with 53 points going into this Italian event.
Acknowledging his main championship rivals, Paddon says: “Both Mathieu and Mads will be fast, especially Mathieu who has made a big step up this year. In terms of overall rally results, we know the local Italian ERC drivers are very fast as they were last year, but our focus will be on our main rivals for championship points.
“We would love to repeat last year’s podium result in Rome but we have seen how competitive the field is this year. It’s definitely going to be a challenge this weekend but extending our championship lead is the key goal.”
Paddon and his experienced co-driver John Kennard are the number one seeds for the 26 to 29 July running of the high speed asphalt rally which is the fifth of eight rounds of this year’s ERC.
The pair join their BRC Racing teammates to conduct a short pre-event test with the Hyundai i20 Rally 2 car early this week. “We will utilise last year’s data from this rally alongside what we learnt from Canaries Rally this year to try and find some better settings for the car in these conditions. We need to keep working hard trying to find more performance as other teams and cars are getting faster.”
The rally gets underway on Friday evening with an opening super special stage near Rome’s famed Colosseum, then they tackle 189km of special stages around the rally base in Fiuggi, a thermal spa town southeast of Rome.
Most of the stages are the same as last year. Paddon describes the stages as mostly flowing, and slightly bumpy in places.
“I enjoy the stages. What makes it unique here, as it was last year, is the weather. We are expecting very hot temps, up to 40 degrees air temp, which makes it one of the hottest rallies we do and looking after tyres in such conditions becomes key.”
Paddon Racing Group appreciates the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Valvoline, Makita, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, TrailLite, Repco NZ, Stedi, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, Machinery House, Design Windows, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, King Gee Clothing and Signbiz.
Phil Campbell (Ford Fiesta AP4) has extended his lead in the 2024 Generator Rental Services North Island Rally Series (NIRS) after the second round was held on Sunday in and around the Taranaki township of Stratford.
Campbell beat home fellow NIRS competitor Quentin Palmer (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5) who moves into second overall, 19 points behind.
“That was a lot of fun,” commented Campbell. “We don’t do a lot of tarmac events so didn’t know what to expect or how we would go against our unrestricted rivals. They were fast and it took a bit to gain our confidence. The aim was to extend out NIRS lead which we did.”
The 2024 SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally incorporated both Targa (unrestricted) and Regional (NIRS) competitors competing on Stage Notes as well as the Clubmans category competing blind (no notes) over the final four stages only.
Cameron Ross/Matthew Buer (Subaru Impreza - Unrestricted category) won the event outright, 34.9 seconds ahead of Campbell/Brianna Little with Jason Gill/Katrina Renshaw (VW Polo - Unrestricted category) third and Quentin Palmer/Noel Moloney (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 - NIRS) fourth.
Hosted by the Taranaki and South Taranaki Car Clubs, and based at the War Memorial Hall in the centre of Stratford, the one-day event was run over seven tarmac stages in superb conditions.
Seasoned Targa campaigner David Rogers (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10) was second quickest in the opening stage before crashing out of contention during Special Stage 2.
Quickest 2WD was Charlie Evans/Dayna Kiekebosch (Honda Civic) who now moves into third overall on the NIRS leader board.
Ross won four of the seven Special Stages and finished second in the other three. Campbell took two stage victories with Gill winning one.
“Our car was essentially in gravel spec,” said Campbell. “All we did was lower it by 20mm and fit tarmac tyres. Ideally, we would have put bigger brakes on it but we don’t have any. They did get hot several times so in the end we just had to manage this by using them less and our times were still quite quick.”
Teams and competitors must now get prepared for the third round, Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi which takes place on Saturday 27 July 2024.
Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard now top the points-table of the 2024 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) following a challenging weekend in wet conditions at Rally Estonia, which took place 5 to 7 July.
Once again, the New Zealanders knuckled down and took on the challenges – and there were several – that came their way to bank the 17 points earned for fifth place overall and move into the championship lead at the midway point of the ERC season. They now have 73 points to second-placed Frenchman Mathieu Franceschi with 63 points, and four rallies to go.
Rally Estonia started with qualifying, and Paddon and Kennard were first to run just as wet weather hit the stage. “This meant we swept the water out of the ruts and limited how hard we could push.”
Faster drivers in qualifying choose their starting position for the following day and, with a slower time, Paddon didn’t have any choice about running fourth on the road for Saturday’s gravel stages. The pair pushed on, winning Friday night’s super special stage in host city Tartu, but more challenges awaited.
“On Saturday morning’s first stage which was full of jumps, we took a bit of a nosedive and damaged the radiator. To be honest, we were lucky to get through the stage at all as it’s possible to cook a motor and not finish in those circumstances. To get through in 17th place wasn’t so bad.
“We were able to patch up the car between stages, and recovered to win two of the remaining eight stages and okay results in the others, despite two punctures, to end the day in seventh place. Most importantly, this was ahead of our main championship rivals.”
Sunday’s route had just four special stages. Paddon and Kennard had a better road position and were able to set consistent top three stage times. In the final points-earning power stage, a brief ‘moment’ near the start - as the weather changed yet again - saw the pair back off slightly to ensure they finished the stage and the rally with a well-earned fifth place.
“Definitely a weekend of positives and negatives but in general we can be happy it’s going in the right direction for our championship defence.”
Paddon and Kennard now have three ERC rallies on tarmac – Rome at the end of July, Czech in mid-August then Wales at the end of August – before Paddon will contest another New Zealand Rally Championship event with Jared Hudson in Manawatu for the Daybreaker on Saturday September 14th.
Paddon Racing Group appreciates the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Valvoline, Makita, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, TrailLite, Repco NZ, Stedi, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, Machinery House, Design Windows, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, King Gee Clothing and Signbiz.
The second round of the 2024 Generator Rental Services North Island Rally Series (NIRS) gets underway this Sunday (7 July) as the SBT Group Taranaki Tarmac Rally takes place, based at the War Memorial Hall in the centre of Stratford.
Phil Campbell (Ford Fiesta AP4) will look to extend his points lead in the NIRS as the 100% tarmac event competes on the iconic Taranaki roads.
The 2023 NIRS champion took victory in the opening round at Jacks Ridge in May, beating home both Todd Bawden and Haydn Mackenzie.
While the latter two haven’t entered the second round, Campbell’s competition will likely come from Quentin Palmer (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5) and Nick Marshall (Ford Fiesta) across the seven Special Stages.
The event incorporates both Tarmac (unrestricted) and Regional (NIRS) competitors competing on Stage Notes, as well as the Clubman’s category, which will compete blind (no notes) over the final four stages only.
Seasoned Targa campaigners David Rogers (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10), Jason Gill (VW Polo) and Cameron Ross (Subaru Impreza) will be very competitive for outright honours.
Hosted by the Taranaki and South Taranaki Car Club, there are 130kms of Special Stages and 196km of Touring Stages, with the rally underway at 8:15 am with the 12km Battery Town Stage One at Cheal Road before a long 30km Tricky Tree Stage 2 and then the first of three service stops back at the Stratford War Memorial Car Park.
The third stage repeats Stage 1 before the Clubman’s competitors join the field for the tight and technical Brake and Clutch Stage Four and fast and twisting Trundles Stage Five.
These are repeated as stages six and seven, both approximately 20km long.
The first car is due to finish at approximately 3:30 pm.
The high speed roads of Rally Estonia, running 5 to 7 July, are the next challenge for New Zealand rally pairing Hayden Paddon and John Kennard where they’re aiming to finish strongly among the points.
As current co-leaders of the 2024 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC), Paddon and Kennard know the competition in Estonia will be intense as they continue their strong bid to secure a second ERC title in their BRC Racing-run Hyundai i20 Rally 2 car.
“We would love to be competing for a win again in Estonia,” says Paddon of a rally he has some experience of, having finished second there in 2018 with Seb Marshall in a Hyundai i20 WRC car and completed the first few stages in 2022 when he was forced to retire due to ill health.
“As with every ERC round so far this year, there will be a lot of fast drivers including numerous local drivers who know the road conditions well. However, championship wise, our focus is firmly on staying ahead of Mattieu Franchesci, who shares the top of the points-table with me at present. This is no easy feat as he is driving very well this year.”
After the first three ERC rounds, Paddon and Franchesci each have 56 points with Romanian driver Simone Tempestini in third with 40 points.
Paddon describes Rally Estonia as another very fast, enjoyable gravel rally on the ERC calendar. “The key differences to Sweden are that the road surface is softer, so it cuts up on the second pass a lot more, and many jumps. It’s a high commitment rally, maybe even more so than Sweden as the room for margin is greater.”
Starting in the eastern city of Tartu, Rally Estonia comprises 187.64 km of competition across 14 special stages. Friday evening’s super special stage in Tartu is followed by nine stages on Saturday and four stages on Sunday, all south of Tartu.
The BRC Racing-run Hyundai i20 Rally 2 car will be in similar set-up to how it was in Sweden where Paddon and Kennard finished a hard-fought third. “We’ll be using the pre-event test in Estonia to get the car dialled into the conditions. Performance-wise, we are pushing and trying as much as we can along with BRC team who are doing an amazing job.”
BRC Racing team principal Gabriele Rizzo says: “We feel we have collected fewer points than we deserved so far this season. Already two times this year in the gravel power stages, we lost time that effected the points earned from the power stage and the event overall. Compare this to last year on gravel we were the best power stage point scorer of the season, thus the first target of the weekend ahead in Estonia is to reverse this trend. We have worked very hard in recent weeks looking at every small detail to be prepared for this event. I believe the commitment of the team and of Hayden and John is higher than ever. Further motivation comes from looking at WRC Poland results, where ERC drivers were performing pretty well on different classes which shows that the level of competition in ERC is very high, and we are working hard to secure the championship again.”
Estonia is the final gravel event of the eight-round ERC season with four super high-speed tarmac rallies still to come. Paddon concludes: “We want to enjoy this last gravel rally of the European season as much as possible and make the most of scoring as many points on our favoured surface as we can.”
Paddon Racing Group appreciates the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Valvoline, Makita, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, TrailLite, Repco NZ, Stedi, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, Machinery House, Design Windows, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, King Gee Clothing and Signbiz.
Just one point separates the two leading contenders in the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship after the first visit to Southland in two decades. WRC rally winner Hayden Paddon claimed a victory of just over three minutes from Ben Hunt in his Hyundai New Zealand i20 AP4, winning each of the 10 special stages across Friday night and Saturday on the fast and flowing Southland gravel stages.
Paddon closes the gap to championship leader Robbie Stokes to 24 points as he fights to overcome missing the opening round back in April.
Hunt (Skoda New Zealand Fabia Rally 2) managed to edge Stokes (Stokes Motorsport Ford Fiesta AP4) by 7.9 seconds in a terrific event-long battle, which leaves the two separated by just one championship point as the series takes a break until September.
Otago Rally winner Jack Hawkeswood (Force Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris) completed a solid drive for fourth place and remains in the title fight – 21 points adrift of Stokes.
Emma Gilmour picked up fifth place in her Vantage NZ Citroen C3 and sits 25 points off the title lead, while Zeal Jones (Smith & Sons Skoda Fabia R5) was fifth and is a further point back from Gilmour.
Dylan Thomson (Ford Fiesta) overcame some early troubles to win the NZRC 2WD class for the third-straight event. He held off Jack Stokes (Ford Fiesta) and Bryn Jones (Ford Fiesta), who completed the class podium.
Dave Strong (Honda Jazz) took out the Open 2WD class ahead of Willy Hawes (Toyota 86) and Murray Percival (Ford Escort). Hawes remains in charge of the class championship.
Paul Fraser’s domination of the Historic 2WD class continued as he banked maximum points yet again, while Mike Cameron (Mitsubishi Lancer) showcased his consistency to take second place and stay in the title fight.
Southland local Andrew Graves held off the challengers in the Rally Challenge 4WD battle to win in his Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 3. He beat home Caleb Macdonald (Mitsubishi EVO 6) and Carter Strang (Mitsubishi EVO 10).
Defending class champion Jared Parker (Toyota Corolla) overcame a number of issues to win the Rally Challenge 2WD class and pick up the MRF Drive of the Rally for his efforts. Pat Norris (Toyota Yaris) was second in the class.
The championship returns after the winter break in mid-September - Saturday the 14th - with the Daybreaker Rally based in the Manawatu.
A full 20 years since the roads of Southland, New Zealand, hosted top-tier competition, this weekend’s 21-22 June Transport World Southern Lights Rally will be headed by defending European Rally Champion and seven-time New Zealand Rally Champion Hayden Paddon.
Leading the first of 65 cars in the world’s southernmost championship rally event, Paddon and junior co-driver Jared Hudson will start their Hyundai i20 AP4 from Invercargill’s Transport World at 5pm on Friday.
The event last ran as a round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) in 2004. Paddon is fresh from contesting the latest round of the European Rally Championship, finishing third overall at last weekend’s Royal Rally of Scandinavia (Sweden).
Returning to Southland has special significance for Paddon, who, in 2003, started his first-ever New Zealand Rally Championship event at the age of 16. Since then, he has amassed a Production World Rally Championship title, the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, and the FIA European Rally Championship crowns, plus a total of seven New Zealand Rally Championship wins. The now 37-year-old is currently the only Kiwi to win a round of the World Rally Championship.
“You could say this is where it really began – 21 years ago when I first contested in the same rally as the then championship leaders,” explained Paddon.
“To be returning in 2024 is exciting, the R2G Group have planned a spectacular event including some night stuff which I’ve always enjoyed. The style of the road is notorious for the region and the challenge of new notes, new roads and debuting our Hyundai in the deep south will make for a very exciting event. “Add in starting on the Friday evening, really makes it unique.”
Following Paddon into the dark is former NZRC Champion Ben Hunt and co-driver Tony Rawstorn in the Skoda Fabia Rally2. Hunt’s pre-event nerves about pending fatherhood have been eased by the safe arrival of a second daughter to the family.
Starting as third car a further minute later, current NZRC points leader Robbie Stokes and Amy Stokes will take to the road in their Ford Fiesta AP4. Championship opening round winner Jack Hawkeswood and Jason Farmer Toyota Yaris AP4 will be fourth car.
Five different manufacturer brands are represented across the first five cars on the road. The front end of the field also includes many Subarus and Mitsubishis that previously dominated the region's roads. The top Subaru representative will be Southland local Mark McMillan and Tim Driscoll in a WRX Sti, while Australian Stewart Reid and Canterbury co-driver Bella Haggarty front the Mitsubishi field in an AP4 car.
Extreme E and 2016 Australian Rally Champion Molly Taylor, along with co-driver Andy Sarandis, will make their first start at a New Zealand event in an H6 specification Subaru Impreza. Joining them in showcasing female driving talent is Dunedin’s Emma Gilmour, paired with co-driver Ben Searcy, in the Citroen C3 Rally2 car. Additionally, Bannockburn’s Terri Taylor, with Jimmy Martin as co-driver, will compete in a Subaru Impreza. The event also features other international participants, including Vanuatu’s Nelson Law and Antonio Korikalo, who will drive a Mazda 2 AP4.
At the tail end of the field is Manawatu’s Andrew Lowe and Thomas Good in a Toyota Corolla.
After the Friday evening Pebbly Hills Forest stage, the cars will park up in central Invercargill for the night before resuming the journey early Saturday morning. The route uses closed sections of road to the north and west of Invercargill, with service stops at Winton and Tuatapere. The final special stage is set at the Teretonga race circuit, using a mix of gravel and half of the track for a spectacular finish, followed by podium celebrations in-field at the venue from 5pm.
The event also marks the shortest day of the year, with daylight hours between 8:31am and 5:05pm.
Event Overview:
The Transport World Southern Lights Rally kicks off on Friday night, 21 June 2024, from Invercargill and covers 150km of special stages through Southland. Spectators can enjoy the action with a $10 donation to charity at the door for the ceremonial start, and $10 entry for both the Pebbly Hills night stage and the ceremonial finish. Tickets are available from Invercargill’s Transport World, E Hayes & Sons, Auto Centre, and Harrison Supplies in Gore, or at the gate.
Backing the organisers, Rally Race Group, are local car clubs, particularly the South Otago Car Club and the Southland Sports Car Club.
Hayden Paddon and John Kennard finished a hard-fought third in the Royal Rally of Scandinavia, which ran 14 to 16 June as the third round of the 2024 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). Both New Zealanders are now first equal in the drivers’ and co-drivers’ championship points.
The Kiwi rally stars achieved their goal of a podium finish in the BRC Racing Hyundai i20 Rally2, but having won three special stages on the super fast Swedish gravel roads and held a close second place to eventual rally winner Oliver Solberg, Paddon was particularly frustrated by another final stage puncture which dropped them down to third overall.
“Obviously it’s good to be back on the podium,” says Paddon, “but it’s a missed opportunity to not get bonus points on the power stage. Nevertheless, we’re pleased to be sharing the lead of the championship, first equal with Mathieu Franceschi. It feels like a pretty challenging start to the year, but we’ve certainly got plenty of good things to build on when we head to the next ERC round in Estonia in July.”
During recce and qualifying earlier in the week Paddon described the stages as looking amazing. The rally commenced with a 2.23km super special stage in Karlstad on Thursday evening which Paddon won by 0.3 seconds from Mads Ostberg.
Friday’s eight stages were fast with lots of time in fifth gear and speeds of over 140 km/h, and slightly rougher conditions in the afternoon which Paddon said didn’t suit the Hyundai as well as the morning’s smoother roads. Nonetheless he was happy to finish the day in second just 3.3 seconds away from Solberg in the lead.
Eight more stages on Saturday brought more intense pressure from other frontrunners and Paddon tried hard to counter Solberg’s pace. He kept his focus on consolidating second place with the goal of adding some power stage points in the final stage, which unfortunately didn’t come to fruition due to the puncture.
“While it could have been better, it also could have been worse and there are still plenty of positives from the weekend and some progress with the car. Now, I head home to contest the Southern Lights Rally in Invercargill on 21/22 June.”
Paddon Racing Group appreciates the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Valvoline, Makita, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, TrailLite, Repco NZ, Stedi, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, Machinery House, Design Windows, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, King Gee Clothing and Signbiz.
Oliver Solberg goes back-to-back at ERC Royal Rally of Scandinavia as late drama slows would-be runner-up Hayden Paddon.
Oliver Solberg is a double BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia winner after he outpaced his rivals in a high-speed battle for FIA European Rally Championship glory.
The 22-year-old from Sweden began the second day of ERC action with a narrow 3.3sec lead over Hayden Paddon. But while Paddon admitted to “pulling the commitment down” due to having “no feeling or grip” during the morning loop, Solberg went on a charge.
Driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 on Pirelli tyres, Solberg was fastest on all four stages this morning to reach midday service in Karlstad leading by 13.7sec.
And the FIA WRC2 Championship frontrunner continued to push during the afternoon, adding another four stage wins to his tally – including the event-closing Power Stage – to come out on top by 38.0sec after Paddon was slowed by tyre damage on the deciding test and dropped to third.
“Yesterday I wasn’t happy but today the feeling is better, the car suits better today’s roads and I found good confidence,” said Solberg, who was co-driven to first place by Briton Elliott Edmondson.
For defending ERC champion Paddon, third place marked his first podium finish of the season. And with Mathieu Franceschi crashing out on the Power Stage, Paddon is now equal on 56 points with the Frenchman at the top of the title table.
“Oliver has been doing a very good job and we didn’t have any answer,” said Paddon, who was on course for a Pirelli one-two in his BRC Racing Team-entered Hyundai i20 N Rally2 until his Power Stage woe.
“It’s frustrating [the result] is probably a bit more than we expected because the others are getting faster and we’re probably a bit more limited with our package.”
After the frustration of retiring from the lead of the V-Híd Rally Hungary season opener in April, Michelin-shod Heikkilä’s podium finish was richly deserved, although a pop-off valve issue on SS15, and a wide moment at a junction on the penultimate test, allowed Mathieu Franceschi to close up to within 3.8sec of Heikkilä. However, the Toyota-driving Finn moved into second when Paddon was slowed as Franceschi suffered the heartbreak of retirement for the first time in 2024.
A spin for Frank Tore Larsen on SS12 proved costly when the Norwegian dropped almost 18sec trying to get his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 pointing in the right direction. But he regained his composure to finish fourth as Mads Østberg battled handling and power issues to finish fifth in his TRT Rally Team Citroën C3 Rally2.
Mārtiṇš Sesks dropped out of the top-five fight when his Toyota stalled and half-spun twice in quick succession in sight of the SS10 finish. “I don’t know what’s happening, the car just stalled under braking,” the dejected MRF Tyres-equipped driver said after he dropped almost 20sec and slipped from fifth to eighth before coming through to sixth.
Isak Reiersen, a 20-year-old car mechanic from Karlstad and the Junior ERC winner on BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia last year, impressed in seventh with Miko Marczyk, Andrea Mabellini and Simone Tempestini rounding out the top 10.
Multiple FIA World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson took 11th followed by Kalle Gustavssson, 2022 ERC champion Efrén Llarena and Hankook-equipped Filip Mareš, who opened the road throughout the final day.
Petter Solberg, winner of the 2003 FIA World Rally Championship, overcame a steering rack issue to finish 15th – and claim the final ERC point – on his first international rally since 2019 and his first European championship start since 1998.
There’s more gravel action ERC-style to come next month with Delfi Rally Estonia hosting the fourth event of the season from 5 - 7 July.
Final Classification:
1. O Solberg / E Edmondson SWE Škoda Fabia RS 1hr 32min 40.8sec
2. M Heikkilä / K Temonen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +38s
3. H Paddon / J Kennard NZL Hyundai i20 N Rally2 +51s
4. F Larsen / L Lundgren NOR Volkswagen Polo GTI +1min 28.7s
5. M Østberg / P Barth NOR Citroën C3 Rally2 +1min 33.8s
6. M Sesks / R Francis LAT Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +1min 41.7s
Wyndham Rally |
Ventia Rally of Dargaville Tunatahi |
Pos | Driver | Total |
---|
1 | Ben Hunt | 1:06:31.7 | |
2 | Todd Bawden | +1:50.9 | |
3 | Jack Hawkeswood | +2:00.3 | |
4 | Quentin Palmer | +2:53.8 | |
5 | Haydn Mackenzie | +3:14.2 | |
6 | Daniel Haines | +6:37.8 | |
7 | McCrae Sloper | +6:50.1 | |
8 | Dave Strong | +7:11.1 | |
9 | Ian Wood | +10:02.4 | |
10 | Phillip Broadbent | +10:08.8 | |
11 | Shaun Wade | +10:17.0 | |
12 | Doug Adnitt | +10:25.3 | |
13 | Mike Torr | +10:26.4 | |
14 | Jeff Torkington | +12:06.8 | |
15 | David Ayling | +12:47.8 | |
16 | Kaden Wood | +13:46.1 | |
17 | Simon Bell | +14:05.5 | |
18 | Steve Dill | +15:04.7 | |
19 | Marc Huband | +15:43.5 | |
20 | Adrian Smith | +16:09.6 |
Taranaki Tarmac Rally |
Pos | Driver | Total |
---|
1 | Cameron Ross | 1:10:27.2 | |
2 | Phil Campbell | +34.9 | |
3 | Jason Gill | +1:23.1 | |
4 | Quentin Palmer | +2:02.6 | |
5 | Nic De Waal | +4:11.3 | |
6 | Evan O'Leary | +4:23.5 | |
7 | Charlie Evans | +4:27.9 | |
8 | Andrew Oakley | +5:19.3 | |
9 | Shaun Wade | +6:37.4 | |
10 | David Ayling | +6:44.2 | |
11 | Mike Torr | +7:11.1 | |
12 | Brian Green | +7:19.6 | |
13 | Brendon Cantwell | +7:44.3 | |
14 | Nick Marshall | +8:57.2 | |
15 | Carol Liston | +9:44.5 | |
16 | Thomas Korff | +9:45.8 | |
17 | Dale Perry | +9:49.1 | |
18 | Bevan Wilson | +11:09.5 | |
19 | Guy Heaysman | +12:28.5 | |
20 | Reece Tanner | +15:43.3 |
NZ Rally Championship |
Pos | Name | Points |
---|
1 | Robbie Stokes | 84 | |
2 | Ben Hunt | 83 | |
3 | Jack Hawkeswood | 63 | |
4 | Hayden Paddon | 60 | |
5 | Emma Gilmour | 59 | |
6 | Zeal Jones | 58 | |
7 | Dylan Thomson | 48 | |
8 | Jack Stokes | 42 | |
9 | Tim MacKersy | 40 | |
10 | Stewart Reid | 34 | |
11 | Willy Hawes | 33 | |
12 | Paul Fraser | 27 | |
13 | James Worker | 25 | |
14 | Mike Cameron | 24 | |
15 | Dave Strong | 22 | |
16 | Bryn Jones | 21 | |
17 | Andy Martin | 15 | |
18 | Nelson Law | 14 | |
19 | Eugene Creugnet | 9 | |
20 | Murray Percival | 5 |
Mainland Rally Series |
Pos | Name | Points |
---|
1 | Robbie Stokes | 62 | |
2 | Marcus Van Klink | 53 | |
3 | Caleb MacDonald | 48 | |
4 | Jack Stokes | 43 | |
5 | Ally Mackay | 41 | |
6 | Dylan Thomson | 40 | |
6 | Deane Buist | 40 | |
8 | Amy Keighley | 35 | |
9 | James Macdonald | 32 | |
10 | Andrew Graves | 28 | |
11 | Paul Cross | 27 | |
12 | Willy Hawes | 26 | |
12 | Thomas Paul | 26 | |
14 | Stephen Gill | 23 | |
14 | Andrew Sim | 23 | |
16 | Tim McIver | 22 | |
16 | Brian Green | 22 | |
18 | Tim MacKersy | 21 | |
19 | Harri Silcock | 20 | |
20 | Mark McMillan | 19 |
AASA Tarmac Championship |
Pos | Name | Points |
---|
1 | Mike Tubbs | 90 | |
1 | Andy Oakley | 90 | |
1 | Nigel Patterson | 90 | |
4 | David Rogers | 86 | |
5 | John Thomson | 82 | |
5 | Nic De Waal | 82 | |
5 | Tony Butler | 82 | |
8 | Dylan Thomson | 80 | |
9 | Derek Moore | 78 | |
10 | Andrew Greville | 76 | |
11 | Bob Boniface | 74 | |
11 | Brian Green | 74 | |
11 | Matt Tubbs | 74 | |
14 | Jason Gill | 70 | |
15 | Timothy James | 64 | |
16 | Ivan Knauf | 50 |
North Island Rally Series |
Pos | Name | Points |
---|
1 | Quentin Palmer | 95 | |
2 | Phil Campbell | 80 | |
3 | Todd Bawden | 74 | |
4 | Haydn Mackenzie | 60 | |
5 | Shaun Wade | 47 | |
6 | Dave Strong | 46 | |
7 | Charlie Evans | 39 | |
8 | Nick Marshall | 38 | |
9 | David Ayling | 34 | |
9 | Mike Torr | 34 | |
11 | Nic De Waal | 30 | |
12 | Dale Perry | 28 | |
13 | Daniel Haines | 27 | |
14 | McCrae Sloper | 24 | |
15 | Bevan Wilson | 22 | |
15 | Ben Huband | 22 | |
17 | Ian Wood | 20 | |
18 | Phillip Broadbent | 18 | |
18 | Rick Aubin | 18 | |
20 | Carol Liston | 16 |