NEW ZEALAND'S top rally driver Hayden Paddon showcased his class by winning the Bay of Plenty Rally held on roads throughout Rotorua, Whakatāne and Tauranga.

Paddon and co-driver Jared Hudson in their Hyundai i20 finished two seconds clear of Ōpōtiki driver Mike Young and co-driver Amy Hudson, who were driving a Toyota Yaris AP4, while Emma Gilmour and her co-driver Malcolm Read were third in their Citroen C3 R2.

Large parts of the rally are often held in the Eastern Bay, however, this year most of the rally was moved to Tauranga, although entrants did still make use of roads in Manawahe and Otamarakau as well as Matatā Rugby Club as their pit stop.

Young started conservatively, building his pace through the day and moving from 5th to 3rd, then finally into 2nd overall. The weather and road conditions were challenging with dry and dusty roads for most of the day, then turning to rain and mud for the final three stages.

It was Paddon that arrived at the Matatā service-park in first place, but behind him there was big fight for second and third place with former New Zealand Rally champion and Skoda driver Ben Hunt just 2 seconds off Young in his Yaris.

That all changed on the next section of stages when Young moved into second spot with a comfortable margin of 35 seconds ahead of Gilmour. Hunt had dropped to sixth place after a puncture on Stage 4.

The top three positions remained unchanged to the finish back in Mount Maunganui on Saturday afternoon, although Paddon did have a last stage scare when he had a slow puncture, but was able to drive continue and take the win.

Race director David Loughlin said overall the rally went incredibly well.

“The format changes were – start and finish moved to Tauranga with 12 competitive stages in the Western BOP, Whakatāne and Rotorua Districts.”

The route returned to pre cyclone Gabrielle roads. Tauranga Base was in response to competitor feedback on the 2023 event where start and finish were split between Whakatane and Tauranga, increasing logistical challenges and costs for crews and organisers. Also, to give more back to our committed Tauranga-based sponsors of which there are many.

The Eastern Bay is likely to see more of the rally next year, though.

“Expect 2025 to again return to the Eastern Bay with some new roads and format, enabling rotation of some of the roads used traditionally,” Loughlin said

Loughlin said it was a great result for Young with second outright and also fabulous to see New Zealand’s top female rally driver Emma Gilmour back on the podium.

Loughlin said the organisers are very grateful for the support of the residents affected by the event, many of whom were out spectating all around the stages. TECT Park spectator friendly stage again well supported with a crowd of around 800 on hand to see the action.

“The Manawahe stage was always one the drivers enjoyed.”

The rally featured a strong NZRC field with numerous South Island crews making the trip north for the first time, with 58 cars competing.

The BOP Rally was also the fifth round of the Brian Green New Zealand Rally Championship and fourth round of the North Island Series.

Overall, Young was pleased with how he performed and said he was looking forward to the next event in Whangarei.

“It was really cool; my first podium in New Zealand for a while. Great for the team and a real confidence booster as we head towards to the final of the APRC (FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship) in Whangarei next month.

“Everything came together today, the car worked, the tyres were fantastic, lots of grip and always there when I needed them’,” he said.

“I was a bit unsure how we would go with the limited rally kilometres of late, but everything seemed to click. The Dunlop tyres were amazing, it’s great to get a good result with the development we have been doing.”

Co-driver Hudson was equally happy: “An awesome day, the roads were great, Mike’s driving was awesome, the car worked, the notes worked, a great combo and everything flowed and worked well”.

The Mike Young Motorsport team will now prepare the Toyota Yaris for their next event, the International Rally of Whangarei that will run from November 8 to 10 and the 2024 finale for the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship.