New Zealand rally driver Hayden Paddon and co-driver Jared Hudson have wrapped up a sensational second day at the 60th Ardeca Ypres Rally, securing P2 overall after a fierce duel with French-Belgian pairing Stéphane Lefebvre and Xavier Portier.
After leading throughout Saturday, the Kiwi duo eventually slipped to second following Stage 11. From there, they remained in striking distance, showcasing consistency, determination, and pace across the remainder of the day to finish just 10.3 seconds off the rally win
Day 1 Recap Click HERE
Day 2 Overview:
Saturday’s action saw crews contest another eight stages (SS9–SS16) across two and a half repeated loops, before closing with a third and final pass through Dikkebus and Watou.
With over 100 kilometres of competitive distance on tap, conditions remained warm and dry, ideal for high-speed tarmac rallying, but unforgiving on mistakes.
Stage 9 – Dikkebus 1 (13.65km)
Paddon and Hudson opened the day with a 3rd-place finish (7:30.3), just 1.1 seconds off the pace of stage winners Lefebvre/Portier in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, and narrowly behind Jos Verstappen in second.
Stage 10 – Watou 1 (13.57km)
A tricky stage saw the Kiwis clock 7:06.0 for 6th, 3.1 seconds down on the fastest time set by Dani Sordo in the Porsche 992 GT. This allowed Lefebvre to inch closer on the overall leaderboard.
Stage 11 – Kemmelberg 1 (12.42km)
Lefebvre’s charge continued with a dominant stage win, as Paddon placed 3rd (6:59.5), 5.9 seconds down, dropping the Kiwis to second overall, now 2.3 seconds behind.
Stage 12 – Zillebeke 1 (17.31km)
Paddon and Hudson responded strongly with a 2nd-place finish (9:26.2), just 1.9 seconds behind Lefebvre. However, the gap to the lead extended slightly to 4.2 seconds heading into service.
Afternoon Loop:
Stage 13 – Dikkebus 2 (13.65km)
A blistering run saw Paddon go fastest, clocking 7:24.4, 5.9 seconds quicker than his morning time, and reclaiming momentum in the overall standings, cutting Lefebvre’s lead to just 1.9 seconds.
Stage 14 – Watou 2 (13.57km)
Paddon improved to 7:03.6, 2.4 seconds quicker than SS10, but could only manage 5th. Lefebvre’s 4th-place finish nudged the margin out to 2.4 seconds with four stages remaining.
Stage 15 – Kemmelberg 2 (12.42km)
Despite shaving 4 seconds off their earlier time, Paddon and Hudson were 4th (6:55.5), with Lefebvre extending his advantage to 7.3 seconds.
Stage 16 – Zillebeke 2 (17.31km)
Paddon again improved his time (9:25.8), but with Lefebvre topping the stage, the gap widened slightly to 11.1 seconds. Still, the Kiwis remained a comfortable second overall, with a 21.9s buffer to Verstappen in third.
Stage 17 – Dikkebus 3 (13.65km)
A near-identical run to SS13 saw Paddon post 7:24.7 for 3rd, just 0.2 seconds behind Lefebvre. The margin grew marginally to 11.3 seconds heading into the finale.
Stage 18 – Watou 3 (13.57km)
In the last blast, Paddon stopped the clocks at 7:04.1, slightly slower than his earlier effort. Despite pulling back one second on Lefebvre, it wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit.
Final Standings:
Paddon and Hudson closed out the rally in second overall, 10.3 seconds behind the victorious Lefebvre/Portier duo, with Jos Verstappen and Jamoul Renaud completing the podium a further 13.6 seconds behind the Kiwis.
“It’s P2 in Ypres – very happy with the weekend,” Paddon reflected.
“While it’s not the win, it was an enjoyable and close-fought battle with Stéphane and the locals. Loved the rally and the roads! Big thanks to the BMA team for a faultless car and everyone that made the event possible for us. And a huge thanks to Jared, who did a brilliant job on the notes.”
Top 5 – Final Classification
| Position | Driver / Co-Driver | Car | Gap |
| 1st | Stéphane Lefebvre / Xavier Portier | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | 2:01:50.5 |
| 2nd | Hayden Paddon / Jared Hudson | Hyundai i20 N Rally2 | +10.3s |
| 3rd | Jos Verstappen / Jamoul Renaud | Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +23.9s |
| 4th | Dani Sordo / Patricia Saiz Ruiloba | Porsche 992 GT | +30.2s |
| 5th | Davy Vanneste / Squedin Denius | Citroën C3 Rally2 | +1:31.4s |
Paddon now returns to his Australian Rally Championship campaign with co-driver John Kennard for Rally Queensland on 4–6 July. The pair currently lead the championship by 7 points over Lewis Bates and 18 points over Harry Bates.
Header Image: Jerome Fiasse Photography
