New Zealand rally aces Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have etched their names into the history books, securing their first-ever EROAD Australian Rally Championship (ARC) victory with a commanding performance at the Forest Rally in Western Australia.
After an exciting Heat 1 triumph on Saturday, the duo backed it up by claiming victory in Sunday’s six-stage battle, narrowly edging out Harry Bates and Coral Taylor by just five seconds.
Their consistent pace across the weekend earned them the overall win, making them the first Kiwi crew to stand atop an ARC event podium in 23 years.
Bates and Taylor settled for second place overall after their solid Sunday effort, while Swedish ARC rookies Tom Kristensson and Andreas Johansson completed the podium with third place in Heat 2.
Kristensson and Johansson ended the rally weekend tied on points with current ARC leader Lewis Bates but took the final podium spot via countback, thanks to their faster overall time.
The fight for Heat 2 honours came down to the wire, culminating in a thrilling Power Stage showdown. Paddon edged out both Bates and Kristensson to clinch the stage and seal not only the Heat win but the outright rally victory. Bates narrowly pipped Kristensson on that stage to confirm his second place overall.
Although Paddon’s win was well-earned, it came after a significant shift in the rally’s momentum early on Sunday. Scott Pedder and Glenn Macneall, who had finished second in Heat 1, suffered a costly crash on Stage 9 while running second overall.
Though they managed to rejoin for the remaining stages, their hopes of rally glory and a potential championship lead were over.
Paddon made a strong statement late in the day with a dominant drive in the penultimate stage, then closed out the event in style by winning the Power Stage.
“This weekend probably hasn’t gone quite well our way today,” Paddon admitted.
“The morning loops both yesterday and today we struggled on, but both afternoons felt really good. To be honest, I am loving the battle right now. I had to push right down to the last stage, both yesterday with Scott and today with Harry, and we love that part of the rally and are enjoying that aspect.
“When you’ve got to fight for a win, it is always a bit more satisfying. Similar to the feeling we had doing the European Championship, where we had to be pushed on every stage.
“This morning, we dropped too much time. Scott probably had it in the bag, but unfortunately for him, he had that crash, which didn’t open up a three-way battle. As for this afternoon, it was just a different rally for us. The car worked in these conditions, which made it easy to push.”
Elsewhere among the Kiwi contingent, Bella Haggarty and co-driver Stewart Reid endured another eventful weekend in their ARC campaign. Despite facing technical gremlins and dropping valuable time, the pair made it to the finish line in 23rd place out of 27 entries.
“Round 2 of the Australian Rally Championship, Forest Rally came with its challenges, but we made it to the end with a smile on our face, and that’s all that matters!” Haggarty said.
“A few small issues cost us time and took away a possible top 10 finish, but the Paddon Racing Group team were always on to it right away; we couldn’t be more grateful! It’s only up from here.”
Also representing New Zealand, Graeme Ferguson and Ross Moody made their international debut in the ARC Classic 2WD Cup behind the wheel of a 1972 Ford Capri. Unfortunately, their rally ended prematurely after crashing out on the third stage of the opening day.
The 2025 EROAD Australian Rally Championship resumes with Round 3, the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland — in Ipswich from July 4 to 6.
Header Image: Tayler Burke / Shots By TayB
