Kiwi crew Hayden Paddon and John Kennard completed the successful defence of their FIA European Rally Championship title with a typically tough performance at Rally Silesia.
The duo completed the final event of the 2024 season in third place, securing back-to-back drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles and a first FIA European Rally Championship Teams’ title for BRC Racing Team.
Just as in 2023, Paddon and Kennard relied on consistency to take the title. The pair claimed only a single victory in their i20 N Rally2 – a dominant win at Rali Ceredigion, the penultimate round of the championship – and one other podium before the final round. However, top six finishes in four of the other five rounds paved the way to their celebrations in Poland.
Paddon and Kennard’s path to the championship was far from smooth. A charge towards victory on Rally Hungary to start the season was thwarted by a puncture on the Power Stage which dropped the pair off the podium. There was another final stage puncture for the i20 N Rally2 crew on June’s Royal Rally of Scandinavia, which pushed them from second to third over the course of the final test. However, the podium finish was enough to bring them level on points at the top of the standings, as the crew who would emerge as their biggest rivals for the title crashed out on the Power Stage.
At Rally Estonia, Paddon and Kennard had to recover from a Qualifying Stage run blighted by the worst of the day’s wet weather, and damage from a heavy landing on SS2. However, excellent pace, despite their problematic road position, allowed them to climb back from as low as 17th to finish fifth and take the championship lead for the first time.
They held the position through the summer’s tarmac events in Italy and Czechia, before a stunning performance in Wales strengthened their hold over the title. Paddon and Kennard were dominant – fastest on the Qualifying Stage and 11 of the 14 stages as they won by nearly two minutes. The victory gave them a 27-point advantage heading into the final round.
Though he claimed to be taking a cautious approach, Paddon took the lead overall on SS2 and held the position until the final morning of the season. Faced with changing weather conditions and unpredictable grip levels on the stages, Paddon and Kennard focused on bringing their i20 N Rally2 to the end of the rally without incident. Though they dropped to third overall, it was still more than enough for them to claim a second FIA European Rally Championship title with a 21-point margin over their closest rival.
Hayden Paddon said: “It’s obviously great to be FIA European Rally Champion again. I’m very pleased for the team. They put so much effort in, along with Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing to give us a competitive package with the i20 N Rally2. It’s been a season of two halves. The first half was looking pretty challenging and then the second half were able to turn it around a little bit with a bit more consistency. Hopefully it’s where a bit of age and wisdom comes in. Sometimes you’ve got to bide your time when it’s not going well. It’s easy to be too emotional about it, and that’s when you do something stupid and throw it in the trees. This year we’ve really had to go ‘OK, let’s just take the points that are on offer at each rally. We came to the Rally Silesia to win the title and drive accordingly, so to wrap it up a great feeling. Definitely a big relief.”
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoit Nogier said: “The FIA European Rally Championship is one of the most competitive series for the Rally2 category, so for Hayden Paddon, BRC Racing Team and the i20 N Rally2 to have now won the title twice is a huge achievement. Success in the series is only possible with a good driver and team, and a fast, reliable car. Paddon showed great pace on both gravel – with his podium in Sweden and pace in Hungary and Estonia – and on tarmac in his dominant victory at Rali Ceredigion and performance in Poland to clinch the title. Hayden and John obviously have a strong connection with Hyundai, as a part of our FIA World Rally Championship team and through their work with Hyundai New Zealand. I am very happy that their success with Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing and the i20 N Rally2 is now a big part of their story with the manufacturer.”
