Paddon and John Kennard sealed third place at the Croatian round of the World Rally Championship after Hyundai Motorsport team-mate Thierry Neuville crashed out of the rally lead on the final stage.
It was the first time the New Zealanders had contested this rally, only their second start for Hyundai this year, and Paddon’s second WRC start in eight years.
Paddon’s last podium finish in a WRC event was in Australia in 2018 with British co-driver Seb Marshall.
“It is hard to comprehend that we’re back on the WRC podium,’’ Paddon said.
‘‘A bit surreal to do this again with John and it’s been a journey together over the last 20-plus years.’’
Croatia’s narrow tarmac roads took their toll, with stones and dirt being pulled on to the road creating challenging conditions and causing punctures for several competitors.
Paddon and Kennard stuck to their plan of driving to the conditions, and while it looked like fourth would be their reward, Neuville’s misfortune bumped them up to the podium.
“It’s a bittersweet way to be on the podium. That wasn’t our expectation at the start, but we stuck to our plan all weekend.
‘‘It turned out to be one of those rallies that you had to survive. I had thought it wasn’t going to be an attrition rally, but I couldn’t have been more wrong on that.
‘‘I’m gutted for the team when I know how much is going on behind the scenes and the hard work everyone puts in. They deserved the victory, Thierry as well.
‘‘It’s going to take a bit for this podium finish to sink in after seeing Thierry crash out on the final stage.”
The New Zealanders kept it clean on the tricky opening stages and finished the first day in fourth position.
They went into day two knowing the roads were slippery with debris, and while they had a puncture on the day’s longest stage, they stayed fourth.
“It was an afternoon of survival, especially with the variable grip levels and a puncture on the long stage,’’ Paddon said.
‘‘Knowing we had to bring the car home . . . to make no mistakes adds to the stress levels.
‘‘From my side, it’s finding that happy middle ground with enough pace and still bringing the car home to get points for the team.”
Going into the final day’s four stages with Hyundai team-mate Neuville in the lead, Paddon’s plan was to stay focused and secure fourth place.
Neuville’s unexpected and sudden crash on SS20, the final stage, put Paddon in the perfect position to finish as the top Hyundai competitor.
The result puts Paddon and Kennard into 11th place in their respective drivers and co-drivers championship standings.
Takamoto Katsuta won the Croatia rally for Toyota and became the first Japanese driver to lead the world championship.
The win in the asphalt event was the second in a row for the 33-year-old after his career first in Kenya last month.
Katsuta now has 84 points, with team-mates Elfyn Evans and Oliver Solberg on 74 and 68 respectively.
- Allied Media
