Hayden Paddon and John Kennard returned to Australia in style, claiming a commanding victory in Round 4 of the Australian Rally Championship (ARC) at the Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally in Victoria over the weekend.
The Kiwi pairing, driving their Paddon Racing Group Hyundai i20 N, were untouchable across the 18-stage event, ultimately finishing more than a minute clear of Harry Bates and Coral Taylor.
The win marked their third consecutive ARC triumph in 2025, following earlier successes in Western Australia and Queensland, further strengthening their grip on the championship.
It wasn’t just Paddon and Kennard flying the New Zealand flag. Fellow Kiwi Bella Haggarty returned to the co-driver’s seat alongside Australian Stewart Reid in their Mitsubishi Mirage.
The duo impressed with a consistent performance to secure seventh overall, their strongest finish of the season so far.
“Stewart and I are thrilled to finally have a faultless run after a hard start to the season,” Haggarty said.
“We were running 5th overall before a tree stump left us with a puncture and some lost time. After resetting for day 2 and having a very clean run we wrapped up the weekend with 7th overall.”
Round 4 marked a shift back to a traditional two-day rally format, with only the overall result counting, a departure from earlier rounds where points were awarded at the end of each day.
Paddon and Kennard made their intentions clear from the outset, sweeping the first three stages on Saturday. By the end of Day 1, they had taken nine of the ten tests, only missing out on SS10 when Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin edged them by less than a second.
Paddon and Kennard ended the opening leg with a 1:07.3 lead over H.Bates/Taylor, with L.Bates/McLoughlin a further 10 seconds behind in third.
Haggarty and Reid were equally steady on the first day, running inside the top 10 across most stages before ending Saturday in seventh overall despite losing time when they clipped a tree stump in SS9.
With eight stages remaining on Sunday, Paddon and Kennard continued to manage the rally from the front. They added five more stage wins to their tally, including the decisive Power Stage (SS18 Eziup 2), where they finished 4.3 seconds ahead of H.Bates/ Taylor.
Despite Harry Bates claiming three stages on Sunday, the overall margin remained comfortably in Paddon’s favour. At the finish, the New Zealanders sealed victory by 1:06.8 over H.Bates/Taylor, with L.Bates/McLoughlin completing the podium a further 35 seconds back.
“It’s probably the best of the three wins this year in terms of performance, feeling more like our normal standard,” Paddon said.
“The result is very good for the title, but with the points structure, the championship won’t be decided until the last rally. We just have to keep pushing.”
Behind them, Alex Rullo/Steve Glenney brought their Hyundai i20 N Rally2 home fourth, while Bodie Reading/Brad Jones completed the top five in their Subaru WRX STI.
Final Top 10 Standings:
- 1st: Hayden Paddon / John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N)
- 2nd: Harry Bates / Coral Taylor (Toyota GR Yaris) +1:06.8
- 3rd: Lewis Bates / Anthony McLoughlin (Toyota GR Yaris) +1:41.3
- 4th: Alex Rullo / Steve Glenney (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) +4:47.0
- 5th: Bodie Reading / Brad Jones (Subaru WRX STI) +12:41.7
- 6th: Troy Dowel / Bernie Webb (Mitsubishi Mirage) +12.55.4
- 7th: Stewart Reid / Bella Haggarty (Mitsubishi Mirage) +13.42.7
- 8th: Danny Traverso / Anthony Carr (Mitsubishi Evo 9) + 14.23.3
- 9th: Anthony Sullens / Kaylie Newell (Citroen DS3) + 18.46.7
- 10th: Jackson Long / Damien Long (Subaru Impreza RS) +19:35.9
Six crews retired over the course of the rally, with 16 classified finishers.
Paddon and Kennard’s emphatic win strengthens their grip on the ARC title chase, sitting atop the standings with 366 points and healthy margins over Lewis Bates (-71) and Harry Bates (-88). The battle resumes October 4–6 at the Adelaide Hills Rally.
Header Image: Shots By TayB / Tayler Burke
