It’s been a few months since the public last saw the Hyundai Kona EV rally car built by Hayden Paddon and Paddon Rallysport at Jack’s Ridge in Auckland. But this Saturday the full electric rally car will make its first South Island debut at the New Zealand Hillclimb Championships final in Lawrence.
Spawned from a Hyundai Kona EV chassis, this car was designed and built in Central Otago by a small team of young engineers and technicians alike.
The car, unlike anything in the world, features an aggressive aero package, a spaceship style interior and of course the STARD industries produced EV package.
“It’s our chance to show the world what little New Zealand can do. We have a fantastic team down here in Cromwell who have worked relentlessly to get to this point,” Paddon said.
“We did some testing at the end of last week and released a taster of how fast the car can go, but to get some public out and view it in person will definitely leave an impression. It’s fast, it’s aggressive and it’s unique. Three things that I believe make a great rally car.”
Paddon’s electric-powered Kona won’t be the only thing to look out for this weekend, as the title fight will be intense. Auckland’s Jack Hawkeswood has brought his Mazda 2 AP4 south to take on the Island’s best for 4WD honours.
Meanwhile, Thomas Good and his beautiful MK1 Ford Escort has also made a long journey to take on the likes of Chris Hey in his Toyota MR2 in the 2WD’s.
But likely the most competitive entrants are the Crosskart class, new to the series after Paddon Rallysport began importing them. The line-up includes some very fast drivers with plenty of seat time to match.
Hayden will be doing two demonstration runs on gravel over the first day in the Hyundai, while the rest of the field will have three runs each day on both gravel and tarmac.
The day’s action will be livestreamed on Paddon Rallysport’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.