Fresh from his breakthrough win at the Forest Rally, Hayden Paddon and long-time co-driver John Kennard have picked up right where they left off, returning to Australian Rally Championship (ARC) action this weekend for Round 3 at Rally Queensland, and delivering another fierce day-long duel with arch-rival Harry Bates.
Coming into the Gympie-based event riding high after becoming the first Kiwi crew to win an ARC round in over two decades, Paddon and Kennard were determined to keep their title campaign rolling on Queensland’s fast, flowing gravel roads.
The pair were also looking to rebound from a demanding international stint that saw Paddon contest the Donegal International Rally in Ireland, where a crash ended their charge early, followed by a strong second-place finish at Rally Ypres in Belgium alongside fellow Kiwi co-driver Jared Hudson.
Back with Kennard in the passenger seat and back in the Hyundai i20N Rally2, Paddon was drawn first on the road, setting the pace on a Queensland route known for its blend of tight forest runs and high-speed tree-lined straights.
Right behind him on the road order: Harry Bates and Coral Taylor in their Toyota GR Yaris, with Scott Pedder and Glen Macneall running third in a Skoda Fabia RS.
Paddon wasted no time getting stuck in, winning the opening stage (SS1 Muster 1) with a time of 4:07.1, edging Bates by just 0.6 seconds. The top five were covered by only seven seconds, a sign of the tight racing to come.
Bates responded immediately on SS2 (Amamoor25 1), clocking 7:31.1 to beat Paddon by 3.3 seconds. Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin followed 11 seconds further back.
The Toyota crew kept their foot down, winning both SS3 (Kandanga 1) and SS4 (Imbil25 1) with stage times of 9:05.5 and 9:35.4, respectively. While Paddon wasn’t far off, just 5 seconds adrift on SS3 and 1.7 seconds on SS4, the consistent pressure allowed Bates/Taylor to hold a 9.4-second advantage at the halfway point of the day.
Alex Rullo and Steve Glenney slotted into third overall but trailed the lead duo by over a minute.
With the service break behind them, Paddon and Kennard came out swinging in the afternoon loop. They blitzed SS5 (Muster 2), shaving over seven seconds off their morning run to post a 4:00.0 and take the stage win by 1.7 seconds over Bates.
Momentum was now swinging Paddon’s way. On SS6 (Amamoor25 2), the Hyundai duo went 14.8 seconds faster than their morning time and beat Bates by 2.7 seconds, cutting the overall deficit to just 5.0 seconds.
The battle remained razor-thin in SS7 (Kandanga 2), where Bates fought back with an 8:50.9, a 1.2-second edge over Paddon, who still managed to improve his own earlier run by a massive 18.4 seconds.
But Paddon ensured the final word of the day was his. On the last stage, SS8 (Imbil25 2), he stormed to a stage-winning time of 9:17.0, a full 20.1 seconds faster than his morning run.
He beat Bates by 2.5 seconds and closed the day just 3.7 seconds shy of the overall rally lead, a net gain of 5.7 seconds in the afternoon loop.
“Tough but rewarding day at the office during day 1 of Rally Queensland. Today we finished in P2, just 3sec shy of Harry Bates in an enjoyable battle. Unfortunately a couple of small issues in the morning loop cost us a little time, and despite 3 stage wins this afternoon, just fell short.” said Paddon
“Still strong points for the championship when some fellow rivals had a tough day. Well done to Harry for the great drive! Tomorrow we start from scratch but some tricky stages lay ahead.”
Behind them, Rullo/Glenney ended the day in a distant third, more than two and a half minutes adrift of the front-running pair.
It was another difficult rally for Bella Haggarty and co-driver Stewart Reid, who had been hoping to bounce back from a frustrating Forest Rally. Unfortunately, a crash in SS2 forced an early retirement on the first day. Their return for Day 2 remains uncertain.
With five stages and a crucial ARC Power Stage still to run, Rally Queensland is far from decided. Just 3.7 seconds separate the two title contenders heading into Sunday, and if Saturday’s battles are any indication, Day 2 promises another thrilling instalment in what’s shaping up to be a classic ARC rivalry.
Will Paddon and Kennard complete the comeback and take back-to-back wins, or can Bates and Taylor hold their ground and strike a counterblow in the championship fight?
Header Image: Tayler Burke / Shots By Tay B
