The 2025 Shannons Adelaide Rally delivered a spectacular weekend of motorsport, with Kiwi star Hayden Paddon continuing his dominant year by adding another triumph to his record.
Coming off a massive victory in the 2025 Australian Rally Championship, where he dominated the series to claim the title, Paddon carried his winning momentum onto the South Australian roads.
Over three action-packed days, the rally drew huge crowds and a full-capacity entry list, cementing its status as the world’s largest closed-road rally.
Partnered with navigator Jared Hudson in their Hyundai i20N Rally2, Paddon controlled the event from start to finish, securing a decisive win by more than two minutes over fellow Hyundai i20N competitors Alex Rullo and Ben Searcy.
Fellow Kiwi Bella Haggarty, co-driving for Stewart Reid in their 2019 Mitsubishi Mirage APR, delivered an impressive performance to finish fourth overall in the Rally Pro class, demonstrating strong pace and consistency throughout the weekend.
Rounding out the overall podium was local driver Oscar Matthews, who also claimed the Competition Modern category behind the wheel of his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI.
In the Competition Classic class, Irish rallying legend Frank Kelly took victory in his Ford Escort Mk2, while the Heritage Trophy went to Lachlan Cox, piloting a Ford Escort Mk1 to success.
The event also featured former Supercars stars, with Scott Pye among the notable entrants in a Lamborghini Urus, alongside Greg Murphy and Alex Rullo.
As always, the Gouger Street Party was a highlight, bringing communities together from Adelaide’s CBD through the Hills and down to the Fleurieu Peninsula.
With Paddon’s continued success and the rally’s record-breaking turnout, Adelaide is now perfectly primed for the next motorsport spectacle—the bp Adelaide Grand Final Supercars event.
Header Image: Paddon Racing Group
