Kiwi rally legends Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have capped off their 20th season together with a historic victory, claiming the 2025 Australian Rally Championship and the prestigious Possum Bourne Trophy at the season finale in Tasmania on November 8-9.
The pair, driving a Hyundai i20 Rally2, became only the second all-New Zealand duo to win the Australian Championship, following in the footsteps of Possum Bourne and co-driver Craig Vincent, who secured the title five times between 1996 and 2001.
Bourne also won twice more with Mark Stacey. At 66, Kennard may now hold the distinction of being the oldest co-driver to win a national rally championship anywhere in the world.
Paddon and Kennard entered the Burnie-based final round with an impressive 85-point lead, having dominated four of the five preceding events.
On paper, finishing 12th or higher would have been enough to secure the title, but the Kiwis ended the rally in third place overall. While the result might appear straightforward, the Tasmanian stages presented their share of challenges.
Saturday’s eight stages ran relatively smoothly for the duo, who held second place overnight, just 7.4 seconds behind rally leaders Harry Bates and Coral Taylor.
Sunday, however, brought more drama. A broken damper on the second run through the rally’s single longest stage, a gruelling 44-kilometre test, forced Paddon and Kennard to nurse the Hyundai carefully to the finish.
Despite the mechanical setback, they maintained their composure and completed the stage without further incident, securing the Championship.
“We’re thrilled to have brought the result home,” Paddon said.
“There was a lot of pressure this weekend just to finish. We didn’t need to push for performance, which made it a little more nerve-wracking. Things outside your control can happen, like the broken damper, but we managed to nurse the car home. In the end, third place may be almost irrelevant; what matters is winning the Championship.”
For Paddon, the achievement carries a personal resonance.
“To have our names alongside our hero Possum Bourne feels surreal. He was a huge inspiration for us to come to Australia and take on the best competition here. This is a very special moment for our whole team.”
The pair’s legacy together is remarkable. Over 20 years, Paddon and Kennard have amassed more than 30 New Zealand rally victories, six national championships, a World Rally Championship win in Argentina in 2016, the only Kiwis to do so, and two European Rally Championship titles, a unique feat for non-Europeans.
Paddon highlighted the support from Kiwi fans and the special presence of his grandmother, Esther Paddon, at the Tasmanian finale.
“This is a proud moment for us and everyone who has supported the team along the way,” Paddon said.
“We’ve loved our time in the Australian Championship, the camaraderie, the competition, and the warm welcome we’ve received. Finishing the season like this, especially on what’s basically a shoestring budget, is very rewarding.”
With their names etched on the Possum Bourne Trophy, Paddon and Kennard’s 20-year partnership continues to stand as one of New Zealand rallying’s most iconic duos, now celebrated not just at home but across Australia.
Header Image: Tayler Burke / Shots By TayB
