CSB - Hayden Paddon - Kiwi Rally star

New Zealand driver Hayden Paddon has successfully defended his European Rally Championship title.

Paddon finished third in the inaugural Rally Silesia in Poland, the final round of the championship.

The former World Rally Championship competitor and his co-driver John Kennard led the asphalt event heading into the final day, but with a comfortable 27-point lead over his nearest rival he could afford to relax.

He did leave the road in the penultimate stage, but covered to finish third.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Talking rallying now the European Rally Championship and Hayden Padden
has made it back to back FIA European Rally Championship
titles by finishing second on Rally Celicia this afternoon in
I think southern Poland. He joins us on the show.
Now out of Poland, Hayden, good morning and congratulations.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Here thinks so much Brown.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
How did the rally go for the weekend? Because I
noticed at the end of the day too, you were
holding a very slender lead.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yes, a rally of our two halves. Yesterday we had
good drug conditions and everything was sort of just clicking.
The car felt great and to be leading was much
more than we expected because that was not what we've
come here to do. And then today the wheat muddy
conditions made it very, very slippery and difficult, and yes,
we lost a couple of spots today with a couple
of moments and some spins. But at the end of

(00:50):
the day we brought the cat home and that was
the main target to do that, to wrap up the championship.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Where were you running on the road for today's stages?

Speaker 2 (00:59):
So today the road orders reversed so we're running out
the back. So in weak conditions it's maybe not so great.
But nearest rivals were all around us as well, So yeah,
very very tricky conditions today when you're just trying to
bring a car home to get a result, it's not
the sort of conditions you want to be driving in.
It certainly makes it, certainly well makes the challenge greater

(01:21):
than what we would have liked. But then they say,
we knew what we had to do, so we just
had to do that.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
I guess you would have had sort of watching closely
your nearest rival. I think Matthew Franceski, were you.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yeah, at the end of the day in terms of
some of their strategy calls and tire decisions that we
were doing over the weekend, we were just trying to
cover off our nearest rivals. That was key, so you know,
when they took rain tires, would take brain tires, and
we're just making sure that, you know, if something turned
I guess, hay, why with the weather or something that
they couldn't take a big advantage out of y. So yeah,

(01:53):
so some things will compromise over the weekend, but yeah,
one eye was certainly on what our nearest rivals were doing.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Is it difficult flying all the way from New Zealand.
You competed in the Bay of Party rally, then you
were quickly on a plane straight into Poland getting in
a car that was just sitting there waiting for you.
Was there much adjustment to make.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Being back on time, mak, I guess was. You know,
the last month and the yeleandent was very busy, but
of course they're all on gravel. So adapting back to
Tarmik again. We actually had a little incident and testing
earlier in the week when we took a while off
the cars, so that was one way to remind ourselves
what timek driving was about. But yeah, it's obviously it's
obviously a privileged opportunity. We have to be driving in

(02:31):
Zeland one weekend and poll on the next weekend. So yes,
it's been a pretty cool a couple of weeks and.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Then back on a big bird and back to New
Zealand next for rally fung Array final round of the championship.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, back to New Zealand. We've got quite a few
pr events and things over the next coming weeks. But
of course, yeah, from a fall around his own Championship,
but also it's the one round shootout for the Asia
Pacific Championship as well, so there's a lot on that weekend.
So certainly looking forward to getting on some some pretty
cool railroads.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
Winning the European Rally Championship crown for a second year
in succession. What what Q dust does that mean? What
does it mean to you?

Speaker 2 (03:10):
I think this year particularly, it's been such a challenge
for us to try and win this championship. It's certainly
been a season two halfs. Like you know, at the
mid point of the season, we've sort of almost written
ourselveslves in terms of probably not having the tools in
our toolbox to try and compete for the championship. So
you know, mentally we had to be very patient as
the years progress and just sort of buy time a

(03:32):
little bit and you know, accept fourth and fourth and
fifths and things like that. But obviously the last couple
of rounds that the cars just clicked and come alive
and has put us with a good chance to the winning.
So yeah, it's just a huge credit to the team
and heyone involved, and yeah, the win too in a
row has certainly more than we would have asked for
or even expected when we started this campaign last year.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Could be a bit easy to ask you the question,
but will you go back for a three peat?

Speaker 2 (03:59):
I've been I said a couple time to say, actually
I've actually only been told it's never even been done
once before as well. So but hey, we sort of
recognized that this might be our last rally in Europe. Okay,
never say never, but we don't really have anything in
the plane at the stage to come over next year.
But there's still a lot to play up between now
and in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
And great having John Kennard as your co driver, the
old wiley, old fox besides you keeping you steady.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah, he's given me a steady still sow. No, he's
done an awesome drive all year round. And you know
it's been a big commitment by John as well as
with all the travel and the commitment on the other
side of the world. So yeah, nineteen years later, we're
still going strong. So we need to find a good
program next year anyway, because we were just joking about
the other day that you know, we need to at
least make it twenty years.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
Never give up, all right, Hayden again, congratulations, well done mate,
Great thanks so much,