Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon topped the timesheets for the first day of the 2022 Ben Nevis Station Golden 1200 Hillclimb taking place this weekend in the Central Otago high country above Bannockburn.
Driving the Paddon Rallysport-run Hyundai i20 AP4 car set up specifically for this hillclimb event, Paddon finished the day with a time of 2m, 8.2s and believes there could be another couple of seconds’ improvement he could gain tomorrow.
Two competitors driving Semog Crosscars – Christchurch’s Matt Penrose and Cromwell’s Ari Pettigrew – completed the top three overall placings as the first day’s competition concluded.
“I’m very happy,” said Cromwell-based Paddon who has a dual role this weekend, as driver and event promoter. “The day ran smoothly for virtually all competitors. Interesting several are having troubles with last corner of the course running wide. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow in our Hyundai.”
Conditions were near perfect, warm and dry, for the 76 competitors who tackled the 3.6km stretch of gravel road on the first day of the 2022 edition of the Ben Nevis Station Golden 1200 Hillclimb. The road itself was mostly hard and well compacted, with the gravel being swept from the fastest lines as the three timed runs took place throughout Saturday’s competition.
This year, the hillclimb course has been shortened to 3.6km, rather than the original 6km course first run in 2020. The shortened course starts at the same place on Ben Nevis Station and includes 22 challenging corners as the road rises from the Nevis Valley towards Bannockburn. The decision to shorten the course this year means competitors have less time to wait between the six runs scheduled across two days.
During the morning’s first run, Paddon, as expected of the defending Golden 1200 titleholder, set the quickest time, blasting the Unlimited 4WD Class 1 Hyundai i20 AP4 up the hillclimb course in a time of 2m, 2.8s. Second fastest was Amberley’s Ian Ffitch, who finished fourth overall in the inaugural event, on his Superquad with a time of 2m, 22.9s. Three Christchurch competitors completed the top five – Sean Haggarty in his Class 1 Subaru with 2m, 28.5s with Crosscar driver Matt Penrose next with 2m, 30.1s and Michael Tall in his Class 1 Mitsubishi Mirage with 2m, 30s.
Paddon took more than two seconds off his time in the second run, setting a 2m, 10.3s. Penrose and Tall improved their times even more dramatically with their second and third-fastest times of 2m, 23.3s and 2m, 23.5s respectively. Dunedin’s Mike Wellington jumped into the top five with a time of 2m, 24.9s in his Class 1 Mitsubishi Lancer. Ari Pettigrew rounded out the top five in a Crosscar with a time of 2m, 25.1s.
Following the third run, Paddon and Penrose comfortably held the top two spots with their best times of the day, 2m, 8.2s and 2m, 19.2s respectively. Pettigrew moved into third with 2m, 20.6s, Wellington held fourth with 2m, 21.8s and Blenheim’s Neil Webb moved into fifth with 2m, 22.2s in his Class 1 Mitsubishi Mirage.
The final placings won’t be decided until Sunday’s final timed run with overall and class placings being determined by the accumulation of a competitor’s fastest run on Saturday added together with their final run on Sunday.
The event is being run under MotorSport New Zealand’s Back in Motion guidelines for the red traffic light Covid setting which include protocols such as keeping competitors grouped into designated areas of less than 100 people, keeping these groups separate and limiting interaction with officials and marshals. Vaccine passes are mandatory for all attendees aged over 12 years.
There are no spectators at this year’s Golden 1200 with Paddon Rallysport enlisting the support of sponsors to ensure motorsport fans can enjoy the action via livestream covering the final timed runs on Saturday and Sunday. https://fb.watch/bywiYbR-ed/ or https://youtu.be/pM4qGd6Fa1M.
Follow the results online https://www.chrissport.nz/.
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