Hayden Paddon is bringing out his Hyundai Kona EV for its second-ever competitive rally this weekend at the Ashley Forest Rallysprint.
The Otago-based driver previously won the 1.7km hillclimb when it was last run in 2019 in his petrol-powered Hyundai i20 AP4 rally car, setting a time of 52.77 seconds.
However, Paddon is now resorting to his fully electric Kona to set the bar even higher.
If you don’t already know, about 80 per cent of the Kona EV rally car was designed in-house by the team at Paddon Rallysport including the chassis, aero, suspension, steering, cooling, and electrics.
In terms of power output, the car makes 400+ kW from its all-wheel drive electric motor arrangement which has already shown its competitiveness after it won the Waimate 50 Motorsport Festival in October, 2021.
A third electric motor has recently been added to give the car even more power.
Paddon also plans to give back to the communities him and his team have visited during their rallying endeavors through an initiative called Paddon’s Project.
As part of the project this weekend, North Canterbury locals are being offered the opportunity to spend a day with Paddon Rallysport at the Ashley Forest event which includes riding shotgun in the Kona EV’s passenger seat during one of Paddon’s timed runs.
More information about Paddon’s Project can be found here.
“I’m very excited for this event, particularly after we tested the Kona EV in its new configuration two weeks ago,” Paddon said.
“There is a big unknown in terms of what the car is capable of, but I think that is also why the whole team is excited to see what can be achieved.
“I’m looking forward to surprise our Paddon’s Project winner with a unique opportunity to spend the day with our team and enjoy a ride in the EV with us.”
The Ashley Forest Rallyspring will run over the weekend of September 17 to 18.
Paddon will also compete in Repco Rally New Zealand WRC2 category with his Hyundai i20 Rally2 car later this month from September 29 to October 2.
