Copyright © 2022 DirtFish, LLC. All rights reserved.
Did the itinerary for WRC’s New Zealand return seem underwhelming? Its local hero has the solution
Photography by Hyundai
Words by Alasdair Lindsay
There was an element of disappointment about Rally New Zealand. Not in the spectacle it put on: the World Rally Championship had dearly missed its pilgrimage to the southern hemisphere. Not in the action the stages delivered: there was plenty.
Disappointment grew as the rally wore on. We’d been teased by a cracking first day of stages, only for the mileage to decrease rapidly as the itinerary wore on.
Why bring the WRC circus all this way for such a short event? Surely the organizers should have pushed the boat out further?
“Yeah, but they know that,” Hayden Paddon tells DirtFish. “So I’ll help them out a little bit as well.”
It’s no surprise Paddon wants to get stuck in. He’s the flag carrier for his nation. The cheers from spectators as Paddon’s i20 N Rally2 zoomed past were far louder than for any of the global superstars in the top-line Rally1 machines. And it’s Hyundai’s New Zealand importer that’s backed him through thick and thin. He and country have a symbiotic relationship.
Paddon wants Rally New Zealand to be bigger and better if it returns. The question is how much bigger and where it goes. He’s a team owner and manager, not just a driver: he knows fanciful dreaming is not productive. He’s focused on how the itinerary can be expanded while retaining some financial sensibility.
“It’s difficult because it’s commercial as well,” Paddon highlights. “It depends where the money comes from.
“At the moment there’s good support from Auckland, so because of that the rally has to stay in the Auckland region.”
He’s a pragmatist, yes. But he’s also an optimist. Putting an expanded route together than still takes in some of New Zealand’s best roads, while remaining true to the crushing realities of commercial viability, is doable. And Paddon’s already got a new itinerary sketched out.
“In my mind, the perfect scenario is what we had in 2012, where you go south on day one: so Raglan, Te Ākau stages. There’s a lot of other stages down there as well,” he says.
“And then day two you go north to south Whangarei which is the really nice cambered stuff. For me that’s the really, really nice stages. And then Sunday you have this with the Puhoi, Kaipara Hills stages.
“It makes it a big Sunday because you’re going from one side of Auckland to another, but a Sunday where traffic is better and things.
“You can make this a 400-kilometer rally very easily. But it depends on the commercial aspect. From a sporting side it’s easy to say ‘that’d be perfect’.
“The other downside to that is probably remote services on Friday and Saturday but if the teams come knowing there’s remote services, then it’s fine.”
DirtFish 
https://www-dirtfish.imgix.net/2022/10/2022NZ_AUS_1623.jpg?fit=scale&fm=pjpg&h=520&ixlib=php-1.2.1&q=70&w=780&wpsize=entry-main October 9, 2022
Up Next
Sign up today and be the first to know about special offers, exclusive products and more!
Careers Legal
Copyright © 2022 DirtFish, LLC. All rights reserved.
Subaru Impreza STI Sedan & Hatchback Features
Roll Cage:
Every rally car requires a welded-in safety cage. The roll cages in our cars are built in-house from scratch.
Racing Seats:
Driver and co-driver need to be firmly mounted to the structure of the vehicle. The use of hinged-back seats in rally vehicles is prohibited in rally and most forms of racing.
Racing Harnesses:
Safety first. A minimum of a 5-point harness is required by all American rally sanctioning bodies. The 5 points consist of 2 shoulder harness, 2 lap belts and a single anti-submarine belt (not shown).
Handbrake:
Most rally cars use a hydraulic handbrake. The purpose of the handbrake maneuver is to turn a car around a very tight corner by locking up the rear wheels aiding in the rotation of the car around the corner.
Engine:
Our Subaru STi’s use a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder Turbo-charged Boxer engine.
Drive train:
The Subaru STi is equipped with an advanced all-wheel-drive system with an active center differential.
Gravel Rally Tires:
Being a rally school, we spend most of our time on gravel roads. To maximize the learning experience, we outfit all of our cars with the latest gravel rally tires for maximum traction.
Method Rally Wheels:
It is very important to have a durably strong, yet lightweight rally wheel that can hold up to constant abuse, rocks, rough roads and punctures. At DirtFish, we use and trust Method Race Wheels.
Suspension:
Rally is rarely on a perfectly smooth roads, because of that rally cars require suspension that can take the abuse. We choose to use Reiger rally suspension on our cars.
Brakes:
Rally cars commonly use a 15″ rally wheel. In order for the wheels to fit on our Subaru STi’s, we had to convert them to a Group N brake setup.
Underbody Protection:
Driving at high speeds over variable surfaces can easily damage parts. With the constant spray of gravel that gets thrown at them, skid plates and urethane underbody protection help with the longevity of the underbody of the cars.
Subaru BRZ Features
Roll Cage:
Every rally car requires a welded-in safety cage. The roll cages in our cars are built in-house from scratch.
Racing Seats:
Driver and co-driver need to be firmly mounted to the structure of the vehicle. The use of hinged-back seats in rally vehicles is prohibited in rally and most forms of racing.
Racing Harnesses:
Safety first. A minimum of a 5-point harness is required by all American rally sanctioning bodies. The 5 points consist of 2 shoulder harness, 2 lap belts and a single anti-submarine belt (not shown).
Handbrake:
Most rally cars use a hydraulic handbrake. The purpose of the handbrake maneuver is to turn a car around a very tight corner by locking up the rear wheels to aid the rotation of the car around the corner.
Engine:
The Subary BRZ is powered by a 2.0 liter naturally aspirated Boxer engine.
Drive train:
The Subaru BRZ is rear-wheel-drive and equipped with a limited slip differential.
Gravel Rally Tires:
Being a rally school, we spend most of our time on gravel roads. To maximize the learning experience, we outfit all of our cars with the latest gravel rally tires for maximum traction.
Method Rally Wheels:
It is very important to have a durably strong, yet lightweight rally wheel that can hold up to constant abuse, rocks, rough roads and punctures. At DirtFish, we use and trust Method Race Wheels.
Suspension:
Rally is rarely on a perfectly smooth roads, because of that rally cars require suspension that can take the abuse. We choose to use Reiger rally suspension on our cars.
Brakes:
Rally cars commonly use a 15″ rally wheel. Luckily with the Subaru BRZ’s, the stock brake system is more than adequate for our programs.
Underbody Protection:
Driving at high speeds over variable surfaces can easily damage parts. With the constant spray of gravel that gets thrown at them, skid plates and urethane underbody protection help with the longevity of the underbody of the cars.
Below you will find an aerial view of the DirtFish property. Go through and check out the courses you’ll be driving on during your driving program! View everything from The Slalom all the way up to our longest course, the Advanced Mill Run!