WRC2 Rally New Zealand: Paddon sets the pace in opening stage
29th September 2022Home grown hero, and Hyundai’s Privateer, Hayden Paddon set the opening pace of the first stage in Rally New Zealand despite a run in damp conditions.
How the opening stage unfolded…
Paddon was the first driver to venture out onto the damp, asphalt stage. Despite poor track conditions, the Kiwi still managed to put in a very competitive lap time of 1:52.4 which was impossible to beat from the remaining WRC2 drivers.
Skoda’s privateer, Kajetan Kajetanowicz was the second driver to circulate the stage but he snagged a bit of trouble in his second loop.
The Polish driver went a bit too hot into the second round of the roundabouts and damaged the front driveshaft of his Skoda.
As a result, the Polish driver was subjected to rear-wheel drive for the remainder of the stage. By the end, Kajetanowicz was over 6.5 behind Paddon who set the opening time.
Despite no injuries for his Skoda, Ben Hunt wasn’t able to beat Either Paddon and Kajetanowicz in his opening stage run and finished over 10 seconds behind Paddon and sat, temporarily, in third.
Skoda’s Privateer Australian, Shane Van Gisbergen, was the only driver, after Kajetanowicz and Hunt, to put in a fairly competitive time to go second in the timing board. 1.8 seconds behind Paddon.
Harry Bates, another privateer for Skoda in the opening stage, had a fast run without any issues as the stage began to dry out. However, the Australian found himself 5.1 seconds behind the pace of Paddon, and placed himself third on the timing board.
The final privateer of the session, before the Rally1 cars hit the stage, Australia’s Raana Horan showcased how not to enter the roundabout section. The privateer locked up on the run down into the first roundabout and lost all momentum in the donut section.
As a result, the privateer’s Skoda briefly stopped on the stage before he got going again. Horan attempted to regain momentum, as he tapped the center obstacle, and managed to swing his Skoda around for the required donuts.
Despite the poor entry to the first donut section, the New Zealander still managed to put in a fairly good time and placed himself in fifth, 9.7 seconds behind Paddon.
Top five:
- Hayden Paddon, Privateer
- Ben Hunt, Privateer
- Shane Van Gisbergen, Privateer
- Harry Bates, Privateer
- Raana Horan, Privateer
That’s all for the article: WRC2 Rally New Zealand: Paddon sets the pace in opening stage! Who is your early contender to win WRC2’s Rally New Zealand? Let us know in the comments!
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- Rally Belgium: Tanak leads after Neuville crashes
- Craig Breen crashes out of Rally Belgium
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
