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Otago Daily Times

Paddon after max points in WA

Hayden Paddon. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES New Zealand rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard head into new challenges in the second Australian Rally Championship, round which starts in Western Australia today. The Forest Rally runs around the towns of Busselton and Nannup, south of Perth near Margaret River. The two-day rally features a stacked entry list of 39 crews, including international stars such as 2020 FIA junior world rally champion Tom Kristensson and co-driver Andreas Johansson, of Sweden, and regular local top runners such as the Bates brothers. With the roads described as "unique, ball-bearing gravel", Paddon and Kennard are expecting plenty of fast, sideways-sliding action on the stages in their refreshed Hyundai i20 Rally 2 car. The New Zealand pair again have the support of their Cromwell-based PRG crew in Australia. Paddon is fresh from an outright win in Rally South Canterbury, in which Jared Hudson co-drove in the team's Hyundai i20 AP4. While the pair's first Australian outing this year did not go to plan in March — thanks to some local wildlife — they are looking for maximum points this coming weekend, and have been working through their pre-event preparation with their usual thoroughness. "This is our first time competing in Western Australia," Paddon who will be starting No4 four on the road, said. "We've heard a lot about the loose marbles here that make it slippery, but from what we have seen from our homework, the stages look generally smooth and flowing. "We've been working on a couple of small upgrades on the car, so we are looking forward to trying to get our championship bid back on track. ''That means we really need to target maximum points here, but we are also expecting a lot of fast teams here like the first ARC round in Canberra. ''Our goal is to focus on doing the best job we can from when recce starts on Thursday until the end of the rally on Sunday night." The Forest Rally gets under way today with a rally show in the evening (WA time) near the Busselton foreshore. Tomorrow's six special stages take competitors into the Nannup forest and comprise two repeated loops of three stages with a total competitive distance of 103.28 km. Sunday's six stages are also three tests repeated morning and afternoon, over a total 81.02km, before the rally finish and podium celebrations in Nannup later in the day. — APL