Six years after he was initially scheduled to compete at the ENEOS Otago International Classic Rally, Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen will finally suit up for the world-famous rally next April. 

Hirvonen was set to compete in the 2016 and 2020 events, but due to a late schedule conflict and COVID-19, his desire to compete on the Dunedin roads could not be fulfilled. 

In 2023, though, the time has come for the 15-time World Rally Championship round winner to get behind the wheel for the April 1-2 event. 

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to come to Dunedin. Being able to compete at the Otago Rally is something I’ve had on my list for a while now, and until now, we’ve failed to make it happen,” the Finn explained.  “It will be great to get to grips with the famous Ford Escort RS1800 that so many have driven and to experience all that the event has to offer.” 

Hirvonen has competed on seven occasions in New Zealand, with four podiums to his name at Rally New Zealand, mainly behind the wheel of a Ford Focus World Rally Car. 

He has never ventured onto the South Island to compete, though, and it’s something he’s looking forward to given the history of the event. 

“I’ve seen plenty of videos from the rally and the roads are amazing, and I’m looking forward to getting down there. I am excited to also visit this beautiful area and mixing with the local competitors.” 

“For sure, I will be aiming to win, but I’ll be making the most of the experience and having fun at the same time!”

The flying Finn competed with Ford for the majority of his WRC career, but also had stints with Citroen, Subaru and Skoda. 

For event organisers, the chance to have yet another international rally star on the entry list is great reward for their hard work through the COVID-19 pandemic and restarts what has been a long-standing tradition of the event. 

“It will be great to have a world-class international back on our beautiful Otago roads,” event spokesperson Roger Oakley said. 

“Mikko’s entry is a welcome one, and we’re glad we can finally welcome him to Dunedin. 

“The fans that gather in the Otago region for the rally will get to witness a world-class driver and a man who is popular the world over. 

"There have been almost 100 teams that have already registered their interest in the event, so we're looking forward to another large field competing." 

The Otago Rally has a history of attracting WRC stars to the event, including World Champions Bjorn Waldegard, Hannu Mikkola, Juha Kankkunen, Ari Vatanen, Miki Biasion and Didier Auriol, while legends such as Michele Mouton and father and son, Jimmy and Alister McRae, have also competed in the event. 

Most recently, the likes of Markko Martin and Mads Ostberg have won the famed Otago International Classic Rally. 

The 2023 Otago Rally will be held from March 31 to April 2 next year. 

For more information on the Otago Rally, visit the event website at www.otagorally.com  

The new five-round 2023 Winmax Brake Pads North Island Rally Series announced this week will be aimed at club and regional level rally crews and will fill a gap in the competition ladder that has existed for several years.

Series coordinator Marty Roestenburg says the series is aimed at the lower and middle levels of cost and time commitments for both rally competitors and organisers.

“The northern and central region rallysprint series continue to be very successful as an entry level to rallying and there are well established NZ Rally Championship (NZRC) events in the North Island,” says Roestenburg.

“What has been missing in recent years has been the regional level of competition that had been provided by the former Top Half Rally Series and the Central Region Rally Series. The support shown for the Mainland Rally Championship in the South Island has encouraged us to create something similar for North Island crews.

“We’ve got keen and talented rally competitors who want to progress from what the rallysprint events are offering. However, the step up in the cost and time demands of an NZRC campaign is beyond the resources for many of these competitors.

“The Winmax Brake Pads NIRS will provide exciting competition on a variety of road surfaces. And we will look to recognise the best young and rookie competitors, the best of our master’s competitors and the leading co-drivers.

“We’ve already had commitments for help with sponsorship, administration and generating media coverage. There is an experienced team behind this initiative, and I am confident the series will be successful.”

Roestenburg believes a successful North Island rally series is critical for the sport.

“We are not only looking to encourage the next generation of drivers and co-drivers. It’s about creating the platform that will bring the next generation of rally organisers, administrators and marshals into the sport.”

The series has a three-year plan to restore clubmans and regional rally competition to the North Island.

“Our objective for the first year is to have five rounds which are successful for the competitors, and also the clubs which partner with the series to organise those events,” Roestenburg says.

“We will listen to the feedback from clubs and competitors and then move the NIRS in the direction which has the strongest support for years two and three.”

The 2023 Winmax Brake Pads NIRS will start with one of the most popular rallysprint events on the calendar – the Pukekohe Car Club’s Bothwell Loop event near Te Akau on Sunday March 19.

Round two is the Rally of the Far North based at Paihia on Saturday May 27 followed by the long awaited return of the Taranaki Tarmac Rally on Saturday June 24.

Another venue returning to the rally scene will be the Maramarua Forest Rally set for Saturday September 23 with the series finale being the Hamilton Car Club Waitomo Rally on Sunday October 29.

“Our calendar gives competitors a taste of everything – classic gravel public roads, the best tarmac stages in New Zealand and some fast forest roads,” Roestenburg says.

Further variety in the competition will be provided by a mixture of events contested with, and without safety notes.            

Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard are the 2022 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Champions, having secured the title at the winner-takes-all APRC final at the Coffs Coast Rally in northern New South Wales over the weekend of 25 to 27 November.  

In winning the APRC title in his three-time New Zealand Rally Championship winning Hyundai i20 AP4, Paddon follows in the footsteps of his rally hero and fellow Kiwi Possum Bourne who won the ARPC title three times between 1993 and 2000.  

The New Zealanders were up against five Australian crews in the APRC category in the Coffs Coast Rally which was also the final of the Australian Rally Championship.

Other Kiwi drivers qualified for the APRC final, but Paddon Rallysport were the only ones to commit to shipping their car to Australia.  

The rally ran on similar roads to those used during earlier World Rally Championship events in the region with Paddon describing the conditions as rough, dusty and tougher than previously.  

It wasn’t an easy win for Paddon and his all-Kiwi crew with the Hyundai i20 AP4’s performance hampered by a blown turbo hose and driveshaft issues during Saturday’s eight stages.

By the end of stage three where the turbo hose blew, Paddon held a 20.8 second lead over Australian Harry Bates. Then stage four was cancelled due to an incident with a back runner when the same road was used for stages two and four.

This saw the field head back for the midday service. Thanks to a big effort from the whole team, the Hyundai’s turbo hose was repaired.

Then a front axle broke in the fifth stage, but after roadside running repairs they were 3 minutes late into the next time control point, incurring a 30 second penalty. Three stages remained so they pushed on in three-wheel-drive. Overall, it was a fine effort from Paddon and Kennard to end the day still 2.3 seconds in the rally lead over the stages, but with the 30 second Penalty only 27.7 seconds down on Bates.    

Describing their situation as being somewhat on the back foot, Paddon went into Sunday’s six special stages determined to fight back. And fight back he did, winning five stages and taking the lead back from Harry Bates by the 11th stage.

Bates then crashed out on the next stage, giving Paddon a little space to take care of the car over the remaining bumpy stages to ensure they made it to the finish. In the end, Paddon and Kennard finished with a margin of over four minutes to second-placed Lewis Bates and secured their first FIA APRC Rally Championship title.  

Paddon says: “It was a big commitment for the team to take the car to Coffs Harbour. We had one goal, to win the championship and it’s great to have achieved that after a very trying and rewarding rally. It was a big team effort that wasn’t without its challenges, but in the spirit of rallying, we dug deep.

“The APRC Rally Championship has so much history and with Possum Bourne winning it several times, it’s an honour to have our names on the same silverware.  

“We have had some good successes in the past here at Coffs Harbour, and it’s a rally we have enjoyed. The stages, most of which were in a different configuration to earlier events, were particularly tough this year with rough and dusty conditions.  

“This presented us with several challenges such as turbo hose and driveshaft problems on the first day. While making repairs, we also had a time penalty for lateness, so it certainly put us on the back foot going into second day. So, we dug deep and were able to make good ground to get back in the hunt while enjoying some close battles with Harry Bates and third-placed Nathan Quinn.  

“All in all, it was a massive team effort from our guys, so this one’s for them.”  

Paddon and Hyundai New Zealand Rally appreciate the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Makita, Bailey Caravans, Ben Nevis Station, Winmax Brakes, Gravity Internet, Pak N’ Save, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Mike Greer Homes, Bartercard, Accessman, Sign It Signs, Carters Tyre Service, ETCO, MITO and Provident Insurance.  

Hayden Paddon is aiming to add another major victory to his collection this weekend when he contests the Grand Final of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship.

He and co-driver, John Kennard, have shipped their Hyundai New Zealand-backed i20 AP4 to Australia for the Coffs Coast Rally after another dominant season.

Paddon has already won the New Zealand Rally Championship this year, and took a convincing victory in the WRC2 category at Rally New Zealand.

Now, he’s hoping to add his name to the illustrious list of APRC winners that includes Possum Bourne, Ross Dunkerton, Carlos Sainz, Kenneth Eriksson, Cody Crocker and Alister McRae.

Disappointingly though, only six drivers will contest the final on the New South Wales coast, with Paddon the only non-Australian.

No other New Zealand drivers took up MotorSport New Zealand’s assistance package to head to the final, meaning that Paddon’s competition will come from Australian brothers Harry and Lewis Bates in their factory Toyota GR Yaris AP4s.

The Bates’ have their own battles to fight, however, with the Australian title up for grabs in Coffs Harbour as well.

That won’t phase Paddon who has a good record on the roads that were used for Rally Australia from 2011 to 2018.

“We’ve got a lot of good history there. The last couple of times we were on the podium in the WRC and it was a rally we always enjoyed,” he said.

“While it’s a different format this year it will be equally enjoyable.

“We will be starting first on the road so will have to adapt to the conditions – as the weather can change it quickly. We’ve seen how it can turn to mud or if it’s dry, be very dusty.”

The other drivers in with a chance of winning the APRC are Richie Dalton (Toyota Yaris AP4), WRC regular Luke Anear (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Daniel Gonzalez (Skoda Fabia R5).

Harry Bates needs to win the ARC component of the rally, win the final Power Stage and hope that his brother, Lewis, finishes lower than second.

If Lewis finishes the rally lower than second overall, Harry, the 2019 champion, will need to be at the top of the field to take his second Australian title this weekend.

It won’t be easy.

The older Bates had a strong lead in the series midway through the year, but retirements due to mechanical problems on the past two rallies have put him well behind the eight ball.

Lewis won both those rallies and needs to bring his car home in Coffs Harbour in a strong position to take what would be an unexpected championship win.

“After Tassie I was hoping to have ARC wrapped up by now, but if anything I’ve learned a very good lesson, don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” Harry Bates said. “Now, the objective is pretty basic when you’re the hunter rather than the hunted – drive flat out.”

Family harmony will need to be put aside for 14 stages this weekend when the brothers put on the gloves and battle it out like never before.

One would imagine that their father Neal – a four-time Australian champion himself – is already wishing it was Sunday afternoon!

May the best Bates win.

The Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship will return to Coromandel and Bay of Plenty in 2023 with the calendar now confirmed.

After a couple of seasons disrupted by COVID-19 and a 2022 season that featured a double-round at Repco Rally New Zealand, the championship returns to an individual six-round schedule next year.

The traditional events are preserved, albeit providing some new challenges, while a fresh finish to the year will provide something new to look forward to.

The season will open as usual with the Otago Rally on April 1-2 – a little earlier than usual. It will feature a day north of Dunedin, using roads that haven’t been part of the route for a few years.

Round 2 will be the only other two-day event – International Rally of Whangarei from 12-14 May.

As they were in 2022, rounds 3 and 4 will be one-day events in the form of Rally South Canterbury (based out of Timaru) on June 17 and Rally Hawke’s Bay (based out of Napier) on July 22.

Coromandel returns for the first time since 2019 and will act as Round 5 of the championship on September 2.

Bay of Plenty will finally get a chance to be a round of the national championship again in 2023, having stepped up to fill a gap late in 2021 when COVID impacted the schedule, only to be forced into cancellation when the lockdowns ran longer than initially expected.

The one-day event will take place on October 14 and be based out of Whakatane.

“It is great to be able to finally confirm the 2023 calendar,” NZRC coordinator Blair Bartels said.

“We are delighted to see the return of an old favourite in Coromandel after missing the past few years while it is very exciting to welcome Bay of Plenty to the fold.

“Bay of Plenty was good enough to step up and help us last year and we are delighted to be able to reward them with a place on the 2023 calendar.

“Every event presents a unique challenge to our competitors and each rally has its own flavour that will add something different to our championship.

“We hope all competitors have an enjoyable summer and we look forward to seeing everyone at Otago in April.

”Motorsport New Zealand chief executive Elton Goonan was thrilled to see the championship take in the length and breadth of the country, reflecting the strong health of the sport at present.

“It’s great to see rallying going from strength to strength in New Zealand,” Goonan said.

“The 2023 calendar builds on this strength and preserves the country’s most traditional rally events. It’s also great to see Rally Bay of Plenty finally back on the calendar for next year.”

NZRC 2023 calendar

Round 1: Otago - Saturday/Sunday April 1-2

Round 2: Whangarei - Friday-Sunday May 12-14

Round 3: South Canterbury - Saturday June 17

Round 4: Hawke's Bay - Saturday July 22

Round 5: Coromandel - Saturday September 2

Round 6: Bay of Plenty - Saturday October 14

The 2022 New Zealand Rally Championship is proudly supported by Brian Green Property Group, Dunlop New Zealand, HELLA New Zealand, and Omega Car Rentals.      

Fresh from securing his sixth Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship title and the FIA WRC2 category win at Repco Rally New Zealand earlier this month, Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon also wrapped up a second rally title over the weekend of 8 and 9 October in Europe.  

Paddon, with young Christchurch co-driver Jared Hudson alongside, won the all-tarmac Rally Terra Sarda on the island of Sardinia, winning seven of the eleven special stages and placing second on the other four.

The rally victory was his third in the seven-round Tour European Rally (TER) series, earning him maximum points and the series title by six points from two-time Swiss rally champion Ivan Ballinari.  

Having co-driven for Paddon on two of the three TER events, Hudson also earned maximum points in the co-drivers’  standings to be presented with the TER Co-Driver trophy.  

Paddon says: “The TER series has been a lot of fun and exposed us to a lot more tarmac rallying which we don’t get in New Zealand. To win a European championship was certainly the goal and is quite a nice achievement for the year alongside everything else we have going on. Jared has been doing a great job, growing with every rally and certainly learning a lot while literally jumping in the deep end with some challenging rallies in Italy and Wales.”  

More information about the TER series is available on the website https://terseries.com/en/

On the eve of the Repco Rally New Zealand’s return to the FIA World Rally Championships, organisers are keen to press claims for the event to have a regular place on the calendar in Auckland.

Rally chairman Peter Johnston confirmed today that Rally New Zealand will not be included on the 2023 world calendar although active discussions are underway with WRC Promoter and stakeholders regarding the world championship event returning to Auckland in 2024.  

Johnston said that this week’s Repco Rally New Zealand will deliver a significant return on investment for local and central Governments and sponsors.

“The event will bring much need support to the accommodation sector. We believe visitation will be around 34,000 bed nights and potential economic benefit of many millions for Auckland,” said Johnston.

“The WRC television broadcast will be seen by more than 70 million viewers globally, including pictures of our beautiful landscapes and some great feature pieces with the drivers who have been seeing the best of Auckland this week.”

Johnston said his organisation are focused on Rally New Zealand taking a biennial place on the WRC calendar.

“We believe that the future is strong for this event in New Zealand. WRC has deep roots in New Zealand and the fan interest this week shows how special this event is for our country.

“This week is the first FIA World Championship motorsport event to be held in New Zealand featuring hybrid electric vehicles and fully sustainable fuel which represents a new age of motorsport.”

Johnston said that the global calendar for World Rally Championship is extremely competitive and that Rally New Zealand has looked to host the event for several years. He said that his organisation believes that this would not be practicable annually, but every two to three years.

“We are confident that after a successful event this week that our team will be in a strong position to be included on the 2024 WRC calendar.”   

WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel said his organisation is delighted to return to New Zealand. “The whole WRC community has been very much looking forward to our return to New Zealand, given the event was first included on the 2020 season calendar,” said Siebel.  

“Here we are two years later and the excitement remains. With the amount of work that PJ and his team have done, along with the great support of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and the other sponsors and partners, we want to find a way to make sure this effort can be capitalised on with a strategy for a future return.  

“This will require a clear commitment from central government as well as Auckland Unlimited, and we’re very much in the mix with these negotiations now.  

“Rally New Zealand has a great heritage in the WRC, and as we’ve seen with the recent return of Safari Rally Kenya and Acropolis Rally Greece, it is a key ambition of WRC Promoter to maintain such events where possible.”  

Chris Simpson, Head of Major Events at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited says: “The World Rally Championship is one of the pinnacle events on the global motorsport calendar and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is proud to host the New Zealand leg of the event this year.

“We acknowledge that there is great demand for hosting events of this nature, which is reflective of how competitive the global events market is right now.

“It is fantastic to see the way WRC has embraced the need for motorsport to evolve to meet the challenges of being more environmentally responsible, which fits well with Auckland and New Zealand’s priority on responding to climate change and the need to reduce emissions globally.

“The Rally of New Zealand leg of the WRC is ground-breaking in terms of environmental developments, with the new generation of hybrid technology and sustainable fuels.

“We are hopeful that discussions involving the WRC, the Government and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited will continue in a positive way, and the event will return again in the years to come.”

Repco Rally New Zealand gets underway with the with the Opening Ceremony and Super Special Stage in Auckland Domain on Thursday from 5.30pm.

All cars and equipment have arrived in Auckland, and the service park in Silo Park and Wynyard Quarter opens to the public on Thursday.  Before then teams are undertaking reconnaissance on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, with shakedown on Thursday ahead of the official opening and Super Special Stage in Auckland Domain which is free to the public.

Day one proper of the rally is in Raglan and Te Akau regions, with day two in the Nor-West and Hibiscus Coast region ahead of the final day with a double stage at the unique Jack’s Ridge stage in Whitford.

On the back of significant ticket sales, organisers advise fans to purchase general admission tickets for the Jack’s Ridge stages, with park and ride with admission at $59.

Shakedown Run 2:

Hayden Paddon 1:35.3

Harry Bates 1:37.1

Bertelli 1:37.7

Shane van Gisbergen 1:38.6

Ben Hunt 1:39.7

Raana Horan 1:40.9

Run 1: Bertelli 1:42.3 Kajetanowicz 1:47.1 Todd Bawden 1:47.6

Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard are looking forward to next week’s Repco Rally New Zealand, the first time the FIA World Rally Championship event has been run in New Zealand for ten years.  

The pair compete in their Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car under the Hyundai New Zealand Rally team banner in the Rally2 category against five international drivers and six other New Zealanders. The team purchased the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 this season and ran it in three European events while investing time and resources in its preparation and development which earned them a very pleasing third place at Rally Finland in August. Then the car was airfreighted down-under to contest Rally New Zealand.  

Paddon’s goal is to win the WRC2 (or Rally2) category, where he’s expecting a good battle with fellow Kiwis V8 Supercars champ Shane van Gisbergen and Ben Hunt, as well as leading Australian rally driver Harry Bates. A Rally2 category win would make Paddon the top-placed New Zealander, an honour he’s earned four times previously at two non-WRC and two WRC editions of Rally New Zealand. Rally New Zealand also counts as two rounds of the New Zealand Rally Championship, which Paddon leads following three wins at the first three NZRC events of the season, so he’ll also be aiming to secure his sixth NZRC title.  

Paddon is fresh from two recent wins, albeit in different Hyundais to the Rally2-spec i20 N which he’ll be driving next week. Earlier in September Paddon piloted the all-electric Hyundai Kona rally car to victory at the Ashley Forest Rallysprint, the second win in just two events for the EV and a significant milestone for the team who designed and developed 80 percent of the EV rally car in-house. He also won a Welsh rally, part of the Tour European Rally championship in a Hyundai i20 R5, his first ever win on tarmac.  

The team has also been busy preparing the Rally2 car for three days of intense competition on some of the best rallying roads New Zealand has to offer. They’ve been able to run a small development test with the car and have a final test run this Sunday on a closed road near Tauranga before Paddon and Kennard spend two and a half day doing reconnaissance of the rally stages. On Thursday evening, the rally gets underway with the ceremonial start and a super special stage around the Pukekawa Auckland Domain.  

The rally route involves 275 km of competition across 17 special stages from 29 September to 2 October. It takes competitors from the rally base on Auckland’s waterfront southwest to Whaanga Coast near Raglan, northwest to the Kaipara Hills and wraps up near Whitford on a purpose-built rally stage.  

Paddon says: “It was good to get a good result on the board in Finland to conclude this year’s European tour and we made some big gains with the new Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car. We’re happy with where we’re at for Rally New Zealand but have more development to do to with the car to continue improving longer term.  

“The events in Wales and Ashley Forest offered different conditions to what’s coming at Rally New Zealand, but seat time is seat time, and it all helps.  

“Seeing the WRC back in New Zealand is something I’m very proud of for the New Zealand rally community. I’m grateful for the work done by a great team of people to make this happen. I’m excited to tackle these awesome rallying roads again in our Hyundai Rally2 car with our own homegrown team.  

“With the Rally2 and R5 cars competing in the same category, there’s going to be some great competition. Between Ben, Shane and Harry, I’m expecting there to be close competition which I’m looking forward to.  

“Rally fans are in for a real treat as Rally New Zealand once again features on the world stage. The hybrid Rally1 cars and drivers are going to be a sight to behold on some of the most spectacular stages in the world. The Auckland Domain stage, with free public access on Thursday night, will be an amazing way to start the event.  

“Our goal is simple, to win WRC2. There have been a lot of questions about the overall result, but the gap is now too big between Rally1 and Rally2 cars for us to even consider competing with them, but we will give it everything we’ve got!”   Hyundai New Zealand CEO Andy Sinclair says: “We couldn’t be more excited to watch Hayden and John compete on home soil and contest the Rally New Zealand WRC2 title on our terms with an i20 N Rally2 car and all-Kiwi team. We’re proud of all that we’ve achieved together since 2014 and will simply enjoy this historical moment for Hyundai New Zealand Rally.  

“We encourage fans to show their support for Hayden out on the stages by grabbing a Hyundai New Zealand Rally flag from the Rally Village in Wynyard Quarter or any of our Auckland and Waikato dealerships.”  

Paddon and Hyundai New Zealand Rally appreciate the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Makita, Bailey Caravans, Ben Nevis Station, Winmax Brakes, Gravity Internet, Pak N’ Save, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Mike Greer Homes, Bartercard, Accessman, Sign It Signs, Carters Tyre Service, ETCO, MITO and Provident Insurance.