New Zealand rally star Hayden Paddon has confirmed he will contest all six rounds of the EROAD Australian Rally Championship (ARC) in 2025.
Racing under his Paddon Racing Group outfit, the Kiwi’s tilt for his maiden Australian crown will see him behind the wheel of a Hyundai i20N Rally2.
Paddon is a welcome addition to an already high quality field in Australia and enters the season having secured back-to-back European Rally Championship titles, becoming the first from outside the continent to win the title in the process.
Outside of this, Paddon has won seven New Zealand Rally titles, the Production World Rally Championship, the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and is the only New Zealander to ever take victory in a World Rally Championship (WRC) event.
Boasting a WRC career spanning nearly a decade, Paddon’s landmark victory came in 2016 at Rally Argentina with Hyundai.
The New Zealander’s association with Hyundai began in 2014, and has included a stint with its WRC team. From 2014 until 2018, Paddon scored one victory, eight podiums, 38 stage wins and finished a best of fourth in the 2016 standings.
While this year’s will be the first time Paddon tackles a full Australian campaign – he is no stranger to rallying across the Tasman Sea.
Rally Australia has been a happy hunting ground for Paddon throughout the years, achieving fourth, third and second between 2016-2018.
Paddon also made an appearance at the Pedders Eureka Rush ARC round in 2019, which formed part of the APRC Pacific Cup before returning to Australia in 2022 for Rally Coffs Harbour where he achieved his first victory in pursuit of the APRC crown.
Ahead of what has been a long time in the making, Paddon was excited for his first full ARC season.
“I’m really excited to finally put together a campaign for the Australian Rally Championship,” said Paddon.
“It’s 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 the level of competition and events was something that has been an appeal while watching from the other side of the Tasman.
“We are under no illusions that it will be a tough challenge – up against some very fast competition on unfamiliar events/terrain. But we will treat it like any other rally or championships that we compete in, and know we have the best team with PRG and a strong package with the Hyundai i20N Rally2 to give our best shot.
“It is a bit special to compete in Australia 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.”
The opening round of the EROAD Australian Rally Championship season is the Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally of Canberra on 21-23 March.
