Hayden Paddon enters the first full day of Rally di Roma Capitale in sixth, 1.2 seconds off the lead following this morning’s super special stage through central Rome.
With co-driver John Kennard at his side, the Kiwi completed the 1.3 km Colosseo ACI Roma test in 57.6 seconds in BRC Racing Team’s Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Local hope Andrea Crugnola topped the time sheets with a 56.4-second effort on the iconic stage, which takes place in front of the Colosseum.
Mathieu Franceschi, who sits second in the European Rally Championship standings behind the Kiwi leader, lost 1.7 seconds on his rival to begin the rally.
“[This stage] is right up there; it’s one of the coolest ones you do,” Paddon said after his run.
“The stage is irrelevant; it is all about the location. I’d like to open up Paddon’s tours. Five bucks, pretty building on the right, and you’re there!”
The start of Rally di Roma Capitale also marked the start of Paddon’s 200th career event, with his 22-year-long career beginning at Rally Hanmer in 2002.
“Far out, that’s a lot [of rallies], that’s a lot of recces, a lot of preparation, a lot of video watching, it’s pretty special,” he said.
“At the end of the day when I started I was just a kid driving my Mini, it was a passion and something I loved doing but I never thought I’d be doing 200 events all around the world.
“A lot of people have helped to make it possible, and it’s pretty special, so I guess I should try to mark it with a good result.”
The 37-year-old added, “It’s very humbling to look back and reflect on 200 events since my first event at Rally Hamner in 2002 driving dad’s Corolla and how many people have helped me along the way.”
Rally di Roma Capitale action resumes at 6.14 pm NZST with the 6.96 km pass on Alatri, which is followed by Saturday’s longest stage, Santopadre-Fontana Liri (28.74 km), and the 11.58 km Guarcino-Altipiani.
In the afternoon, a second pass on each stage followed, before competitors return on Sunday for 93.66 km of timed running across two passes over three special stages.
Rally di Roma Capitale can be watched live on rally.tv with a paid subscription or followed through live updates on the European Rally Championship website.
