Background
Hayden Paddon was introduced into motorsport at an early age, his father Chris being a rally driver.Hayden Paddonl began his career competing in karting.
Hayden Paddon was introduced into motorsport at an early age, his father Chris being a rally driver.Hayden Paddonl began his career competing in karting.
He also finished 13th overall and fourth in PWRC on his home round of the WRC.
He competed in his first rally in 2002, at the age of 15. In 2006 he began competing in the New Zealand Rally Championship in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, winning both the Junior and Rookie titles. In 2007 he made his World Rally Championship debut competing in the Production World Rally Championship category at his home event in New Zealand as a wildcard entry, and then in the Team Jordan entry for Rally Great Britain. In the New Zealand championship he retained his Junior title and came within a point of winning the championship outright.
In 2008 he competed in a new Mitsubishi Evo IX, winning the New Zealand title.
Paddon"s event got even better when he finished ninth overall, ahead of all of the PWRC regulars. He then finished third and second in PWRC on Rally Finland and Rallye Deutschland in the Pirelli Star Driver Evo X.
In 2011, Paddon contested a full PWRC Season, consisting of 6 Rounds.
Portugal, Argentina, Finland, Australia, Spain and Great Britain. He competed under his newly formed team New Zealand World Rally Team and in a surprising move, Paddon switched to a Subaru for the 2011 Season, as he had usually run in a Mitsubishi. Paddon drove a STR11 Subaru Impreza N4 run by Belgian Team Symtech Racing.
The 2012 season saw Paddon move to the South-WRC championship in a Škoda Fabia S2000.
In 2015, Paddon took his first ever lead of a WRC event in the Rally d"Italia. Paddon was the first New Zealander to lead a World Rally Championship event since Possum Bourne held the lead in the 1999 Rally New Zealand and the first one to do so outside of his country. He finished second overall, behind Sébastien Ogier, after a careful performance and many stage wins.
WRC results
* Season still in progress.
PWRC results
SWRC results
WRC-2 results
European Rally Championship results.