Paddon dominated every special stage, steadily increasing his lead to ultimately win by 2 minutes and 43 seconds. Reflecting on the event, he remarked, “it was a great day, it was awesome fun. The car ran faultlessly. The stages were very fast in places. All around it is a big tick”.
This rally marked Paddon’s first in New Zealand for the year, following his participation in selected World Rally Championship events.
Jane Robinson, wife of the late Barry Robinson, awarded the Barry Robinson Memorial Trophy to Paddon. She expressed gratitude to the Eastern Southland Car Club for honoring Robinson’s name and legacy.
She noted, “Most of the roads were in our old backyard,” highlighting that stage 2 concluded just 1km from the entrance to their former farming property.
The rally served as the third round of the NZ Rally Championship. Jack Stokes from Waikuku secured second place in his Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo, with co-driver Hayden Graves from Gore. They arrived with a slim championship lead over Jack Hawkeswood from Miller’s Flat. Despite Hawkeswood’s initial advantage, Stokes overtook him in stage 4, finishing 24 seconds ahead of Hawkeswood and Jason Farmer in their GR Toyota Yaris Rally 2.
Both Stokes and Hawkeswood described the roads as “insane,” with Hawkeswood noting the challenges posed by the variable weather.
Robbie Stokes, also from Waikuku, achieved fourth place in his Skoda Fabia, reaching his goal to finish after a challenging start to the championship. Quentin Palmer from Taumarunui claimed fifth in his Skoda, followed by Ari Pettigrew from Ohoka, who took sixth in his Porsche 911 WRC as the top 2-wheel-drive car, admitting to “a few scary moments” during the rally.
Andrew Graves from Gore took seventh in his Mitsubishi Evo 3, competing in memory of his late co-driver, Jared Leebody. Graves introduced the Jared Leebody Memorial Trophy, awarded to the leading Class E co-driver at each ESCC rally, which fittingly went to his co-driver, Amy Hudson, on this occasion.
Completing the top ten were Australian Stew Reid, Thomas Paul from Cromwell, and Harri Silcock from Rangiora.
In class competitions, Paddon secured Class D, Pettigrew took Class C, Graves won Class E, and Thomas Paul emerged victorious in Class H. Other class winners included Rory Lawn from Christchurch in Class B with 15th overall, Paul Cross from Gore in Class F with 26th, Roger McKay from TaupĹŤ in Class G with 28th, and Mike Matheson from Auckland in Class A.
Tim Mackersy from Dunedin won the Glen Shirlaw Memorial Trophy for being the first Otago Sports Car Club driver to finish, securing 19th place. Thomas Paul and Bridget Airey claimed the Barry Robinson Memorial Challenge Trophy as the first Central Otago Motorsport Club crew to finish, presented by Robinson’s daughter, Anna Robinson, and Neil Whitford, a former neighbor of Robinson’s.
Maurite Balzarini received the Novice Driver Award, while Jaimee King took the Novice Co-Driver Award. The McIlwrick duo from Winton, Jeremy and Dayne, won the trophy for the first “blind” crew, finishing in 22nd place.
A new trophy from Ray Wilson for the rally’s youngest driver went to 16-year-old Ryan Howden from Invercargill. Thomas Paul also earned the H6 Cup’s Driver Of The Day and its cash prize.
Sixty-three crews started the rally, though last year’s Wyndham Rally winner Caleb Macdonald and 2010 National Rally Champion Dean Sumner withdrew before the event began.
The rally proved challenging for many competitors. Four-time National Champion Ben Hunt from Pukekohe went off the road early but rejoined later, as did Invercargill’s Adam Smith after mechanical issues. Mark McMillan, Josh Cooper, Hamish Garrick, Richard Ford, Alan Garrick, Murray Christofferson, and Craig Schumacher all faced mechanical difficulties. Other non-finishers included Josh Keighley and Richie Chadwick with electrical issues, and Phil Terry with suspension troubles.
