Paddon sweeps rally

Rally star Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard won the 2023 International Rally of Whangarei in impressive style after sweeping to victory in all 16 stages of the event.

The duo, pictured, brought their Hyundai i20N Rally 2 car home three minutes and 35 seconds ahead of Skoda’s Ben Hunt and Tony Rawstorn in the second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship.

Rana Horan and Michael Connor, also driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2 car, finished third.

The Whangarei event on May 13 and 14 also served as the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and the final round for the sub-category Pacific Cup. 

Paddon’s eighth win in the race – his first was in 2007 – was enough to see him retain the Pacific Cup for 2023.

“I’m really proud of our team and being able to take the Pacific Cup again against strong competition like Ben and Rana,” says Paddon.

“The event has been nice to us over the years so are honoured to make it win number eight and we look forward to next year. 

“It was a flawless effort from the team. The car ran perfectly, so is a credit to their performance from the workshop to the event.”

Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen and co-driver Glen Weston had a frustrating weekend after an electrical system fault prevented them from making the start of special stage one on the first day of racing and they went off the road on the third stage of day two. 

The series returns to the South Island for the third round for the South Canterbury Rally on June 17.