Back to back wins! Paddon secures European rally title

Paddon, with young Christchurch co-driver Jared Hudson alongside, won the all-tarmac Rally Terra Sarda on the island of Sardinia, winning eight of the eleven special stages. 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.”