Look back in history Sunday: Rally Whangarei – Paddon’s Patch?

He may be from the South Island and known for winning Rally Otago eight times, yet Hayden Paddon has also made Rally Whangarei his ‘patch’ having won it on six occasions leading up to the 2021 event.

Rally Whangarei has been known for being the key Kiwi round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and hosted their first event in 2007, using roads that were well known and used many times by New Zealand’s World Rally Championship event.

Hayden Paddon was to win the 2007 event (main picture), beating home reigning APRC champion Cody Crocker of Australia.

His second win in 2009 saw Paddon take out awards for Overall Winner, the Pacific Cup, qualifying for the Asia Pacific Pirelli Star Driver competition and overall for the Rally New Zealand Championship.

In 2010, Paddon was contesting the Production-World Rally Championship (P-WRC) but was able to compete, and win at Whangarei, leading home Emma Gilmour and Ben Atkinson in a Subaru, Australian pairing Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Smyth and Scot Alister McRae and Bill Hayes, fourth in the Proton Satria Neo.

Although he won the event in 2013, Paddon became increasingly busy with his international career, winning the P-WRC in 2011, competing in the S-WRC in 2012 before his commitment to the Hyundai Motorsport World Rally Team between 2014-18.

He added to his tally in with wins in 2018 and 2019 with the event cancelled in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic making its impact. At the time of writing, Paddon already has a commanding lead after the first day of the 2021 International Rally of Whangarei presented by Mark Cromie Motor Group.

Rally Whangarei winners (2007-2020)