1st Place | WRC2 Rally NZ 2022
Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard won the FIA World Rally2 Championship category at this weekend’s Repco Rally New Zealand in their Hyundai i20 N Rally2, setting themselves up nicely for next year’s aim of competing in and winning the global WRC2 Championship.
Paddon also wrapped up his sixth New Zealand Rally Championship title and was the first New Zealander in the overall standings for the rally, both honours that he says reflect the huge amount of work put in by the Hyundai New Zealand Rally team.
The hugely popular New Zealand pair were delighted to show their pace on home roads in a world-class event as the WRC ran in New Zealand for the first time in ten years.
Rally New Zealand 2022
Hyundai New Zealand is an elite sponsor of Repco Rally New Zealand which returns to the World Rally Championship for the 32nd time, to be staged in and around Auckland from 29 September to 2 October 2022. We are excited to see this event return to our shores.
We have been committed to rallying in New Zealand for many years, and are thrilled to have played a role in bringing this amazing world-class event to New Zealand. By entering a Hyundai New Zealand Rally team in the WRC2 programme this year, we are especially excited that Hyundai New Zealand ambassador Hayden Paddon will compete on his home turf.
This will be the first Rally New Zealand that Hyundai will compete in with not one, but two Hyundai teams – Hyundai Motorsport in WRC1 and Hyundai New Zealand Rally in WRC2.
Hayden Paddon
Hyundai New Zealand and Hayden Paddon have been a formidable pair since 2014.
Our Hyundai i20 AP4 has become the most successful car in the 50-year history of the NZRC. We developed the world’s first Kona Electric rally car. And we’ve taken control of our destiny with our i20 N Rally2 car and 100% Kiwi team in the World Rally Championship.
We’re extremely proud to help drive Hayden’s success, whether he’s racing at home or representing our country on the global stage.
