Hayden Paddon
Hayden Paddon at the 2015 Rally Poland
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |
 New Zealander |
| Born |
20 April 1987 Geraldine, New Zealand |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 2007 – present |
| Co-driver |
John Kennard |
| Teams | Hyundai World Rally Team, M-Sport World Rally Team, Pirelli Star Driver |
| Rallies | 62 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Stage wins | 20 |
| Total points | 276 |
| First rally | 2007 Rally New Zealand |
| First win | 2016 Rally Argentina |
Hayden Paddon (born 20 April 1987) is a New Zealand rally driver. He was PWRC world champion in 2011 and won the New Zealand Rally Championship in 2008, 2009 and 2013.
Paddon was introduced into motorsport at an early age, his father Chris being a rally driver, beginning his career competing in karting. He competed in his first rally in 2002, at the age of 15. In 2005, he rolled and burnt his car in Rally Canterbury 2005. In 2006 he began competing in the New Zealand Rally Championship in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, winning both the Junior and Rookie titles. In 2007 he made his World Rally Championship debut competing in the Production World Rally Championship category at his home event in New Zealand as a wildcard entry, and then in the Team Jordan entry for Rally GB. In the New Zealand championship he retained his Junior title and came within a point of winning the championship outright. In 2008 he competed in a new Mitsubishi Evo IX, winning the New Zealand title. He also finished 13th overall and fourth in PWRC on his home round of the WRC.
In 2009 he retained his New Zealand title, won the Pacific Cup, and also qualified for the Pirelli Star Driver Asia-Pacific final at the 2009 Rally Australia. Paddon was the fastest of the drivers on the opening day's stages, meaning he won the Pirelli Star Driver scholarship, giving him a fully funded programme for six events of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. Paddon's event got even better when he finished ninth overall, ahead of all of the PWRC regulars. Paddon also won a $50,000 International Rising Stars Scholarship run by Rally of New Zealand, giving him the additional funding needed to complete a full 2010 PWRC campaign in addition to the PSD events.
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