Hayden Paddon will tick a bucket list item and give rally fans an incredible show during the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally this April.

After finishing the event in the Classic section, he will return to the start of the final stage, the famous Kuri Bush, to complete a second run in his famous Hyundai i20 World Rally Car – the car in which Paddon outdrove Sebastien Ogier on the final stage to win the 2016 Rally of Argentina.

It will be the first time a World Rally Car will run down the famous 15-kilometres, and it’s sure to be a huge delight for spectators lining the stage.

“Firstly, a big thank you to the Otago Rally organisers for allowing this opportunity,” Paddon said.

“It’s always been a bucket list thing for me to drive a WRC car on Kuri Bush, one of New Zealand’s most famous and hair raising stages.

“We hope to put on a good show for the spectators and see what sort of time the car can do, but at the same time, we’ll drive with a degree of caution to not take risks and look after this unique and special car.”

Paddon imported his WRC-winning Hyundai to New Zealand in 2024 and plans to use it sparingly at events in the future, with the famous Kuri Bush stage being just the second of such instances.

Whether the car overhauls his existing stage record of 7m12.8s, set in 2023 (Hyundai i20 N Rally2), remains to be seen, however, he’s wary of keeping the car neat and tidy, given its historical significance and value.

“We hope to put on a good show for the spectators and see what sort of time the car can do, however, at the same time driving with a degree of caution to not take risks and look after the car.”

The itinerary for this much-anticipated run will be communicated prior to the event to ensure fans don’t miss out on their chance to witness history.

The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is grateful to the Dunedin City Council for Premier Event funding.    

New Zealand’s most successful rally driver, Hayden Paddon, will light up the 2025 Central Machine Hire Otago Rally aboard a special rally car.

Ten years on from his record breaking outright win in an Escort BDA, Paddon will again drive the famed model when the rally runs from April 4-6.

Steering the eye-catching blue BDA owned by Tim McIver, Paddon will take the fight to international star, Kris Meeke, in a bid to wrestle the International Classic Rally crown back to New Zealand.

Recently announced to complete a full program in the Australian Rally Championship, Paddon will begin his New Zealand program with the Dunedin event, just two weeks after the Canberra opener across the Tasman Sea.

Having won the Otago Rally on 10 occasions, more recently in Hyundais, he has also competed in the Classic Rally on three occasions, with mixed results.

First competing in the class in 2012, Paddon finished fourth after a puncture, and a return two years later ended in retirement. 

It was 2015, though, where he delivered a stunning outright win to trump not only those in the Classic Rally, but also every New Zealand Rally Championship competitor.

Competition for the Classic win won’t be easy, especially with Kris Meeke travelling south to drive the Rossendale Wines BDA for the second year running.        

“I’m looking forward to tackling the Otago Classic again, 10 years after our win there last time” Paddon said. 

“Firstly, a big thank you to Hyundai NZ for allowing us to take up this opportunity, and Tim McIver for the use of his car.

“I have some very good memories from 10 years ago, and with Kris also being present this year, I think it will be a mega battle that will only amplify the experience. 

“First and foremost it’s about fun for us all, but the competitive side will for sure come out in the stages, and I think we will be egging each other on.”

The Paddon-Meeke battle is not the first between former World Rally Championship round winners to occur in classic cars at Otago. Bjorn Waldegard and Hannu Mikkola both contested the rally, seeded cars one and two, in 2003, while Didier Auriol would also go up against future WRC rally winner, Paddon, in 2014.

Intentions to enter the Otago Rally, regardless of class, have exceeded 130, with a great number coming from overseas. More than a dozen Australians are planning to make the trip, while other teams are hoping to come from the United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Japan, Ireland, and many others.

The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is grateful to the Dunedin City Council for Premier Event funding.

The New Year brings a new challenge for Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon and the Paddon Racing Group (PRG) as they take their Hyundai i20N Rally2 car across the Tasman for an all-out tilt at winning the 2025 Australian Rally Championship (ARC).  

Paddon has committed to contesting all six rounds of the highly-competitive Australian championship which starts in Canberra in March, and continues in Western Australia in May, Queensland in July, Victoria in August, South Australia in October and Tasmania in November. PRG personnel will join Paddon at each round.  

Paddon is looking forward to the challenges of contesting more Australian rallies after the last two successful years in Europe with back-to-back FIA European Rally Championship titles to his credit. And while it’s a few years since he’s rallied in Australia, he’ll be drawing on earlier successes such as winning the 2022 Asia Pacific Rally Championship event in Coffs Harbour, finishing second overall in the 2018 Australian World Rally Championship event, and third overall at WRC Rally Australia in 2017.  

“I’m really excited to finally put together a campaign for the Australian Rally Championship, something we have been trying to make happen for a couple of years. It’s a championship that we have not yet tried our hand at, and I’ve been following closely the level of competition and calibre of the events, watching from the other side of the Tasman.  

“We are under no illusion that it will be a tough challenge, going up against some very fast competition on unfamiliar events and terrain, but we will treat it like any other rally or championship that we compete in, and know we have the best team with PRG and a strong package with the Hyundai i20N Rally2 to give it our best shot.”  

As a longtime fan of Possum Bourne who won the Australian championship seven times from 1996 to 2002, Paddon remembers the intense competition between Bourne and four-time ARC title winner Neal Bates through this period.

Now, Neal Bates’ sons Harry and Lewis are stars of the ARC with Harry having won the title, which earns the champion the Possum Bourne Memorial Trophy, three times (2019, 2023 and 2024). Lewis also won the ARC title in 2022.  

“It will be special to compete in Australia this year, especially after the many years of success that Possum Bourne had there and watching that as a kid. To now take our own Kiwi team across the ditch and rejuvenate that trans-Tasman rivalry is going to be an exciting and fun challenge. We know from previous times we have competed in Australia that everyone is very welcoming which adds to the experience.”  

Kiwi fans will be able to follow Paddon in action during the six ARC events as championship organisers deliver a mix of on-stage action, interviews and analysis via live streams broadcast on the ARC’s Facebook and YouTube channels.  

PRG appreciates the support of their partners including Hyundai New Zealand, Caltex Havoline Oil, Mitre 10 Trade, Winmax Brake Pads, Bar’s Bugs, EROAD, Ben Nevis Station, Wipertech, Design Windows, MITO, Repco, Machinery House, King Gee, KiwiFibre and Trial Lite.