Hayden Paddon scored his first WRC victory at YPF Rally Argentina on Sunday afternoon after fighting off world champion Sébastien Ogier in a thrilling finale to a scintillating last day duel.
The pair were separated by just 2.6sec ahead of the final legendary El Condor speed test, but Paddon stunned the Frenchman to hurtle down the rock-strewn mountain almost 12sec faster and secure a 14.3sec winning margin in his Hyundai i20.
He became the first New Zealand driver to win a WRC round in the championship’s 43-year history and crushed Volkswagen’s ambitions of securing an unprecedented 13 consecutive victories.
“I can’t believe it, I really didn’t think I stood a chance before the last stage after losing time to Ogier this morning,” said Paddon, who celebrated his 29th birthday the day before the start. “I gave that last stage everything I had. Tight and twisty roads like El Condor aren’t my strength but I drove the stage of my life.”
Paddon started the final leg with a 29.8sec advantage after taking the lead yesterday when Jari-Matti Latvala crashed. Gearchange glitches cost valuable seconds in the opening speed test before Ogier threw caution to the wind in the penultimate stage, eating into Paddon’s lead to set up a dramatic ending.
“The last stage was incredibly rough,” said Volkswagen Polo R pilot Ogier. “I had a clean drive but I didn’t dare take the maximum risk because there were big ruts. Well done to him, he did a great job on the last stage.”
Team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen completed the podium a further 50.9sec behind after surviving a spin in the foggy first pass through El Condor. However, he dropped out of the top three in the championship standings as Paddon vaulted into second.
Dani Sordo finished 11.9sec further back in fourth in another i20 with Mads Østberg a distant fifth in a Ford Fiesta RS, despite going off the road this morning following a pace note mix-up.
The top six in the four-day rally, which covered 364.68km of rough road competition near Villa Carlos Paz, was completed by Thierry Neuville, who recovered well after losing several minutes on Friday with a faulty fuel connection.
The championship returns to Europe after consecutive rounds in the Americas when Matosinhos hosts Vodafone Rally de Portugal (19 - 22 May).
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Argentina 01. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (NZ/NZ), Hyundai, 3h 40m 52.9s02. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen, + 14.3s03. Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger (N/N), Volkswagen, + 1m 05.2s04. Dani Sordo/Marc Martí (E/E), Hyundai, + 1m 17.1s05. Mads Østberg/Ola Fløene (N/N), Ford, + 4m 56.7s06. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai, + 9m 29.5s07. Marcos Sebastián Ligato/Rubén García (RA/RA), Citroën, + 9m 39.2s08. Eric Camilli/Benjamin Veillas (F/F), Ford, + 10m 16.0s09. Henning Solberg/Ilka Minor (N/A), Ford, + 10m 48.5s10. Nicolás Fuchs/Fernando Mussano (PE/RA), Škoda, + 24m 42.8s
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Argentina – Power Stage Results01. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (NZ/NZ), Hyundai 13m 08.0s02. Dani Sordo/Marc Martí (E/E), Hyundai + 11.2s03. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen + 11.7s
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Overall Standings*
Drivers’ Championship1. Sébastien Ogier, 96 points; 2. Hayden Paddon, 57; 3. Mads Østberg, 52; 4. Andreas Mikkelsen, 48; 5. Dani Sordo, 44; 6. Jari-Matti Latvala, 27; 7. Ott Tänak, 24; 8. Thierry Neuville, 23; 9. Stéphane Lefebvre, 10; 10. Henning Solberg, 8
Co-drivers’ Championship1. Julien Ingrassia, 96 points; 2. John Kennard, 57; 3. Ola Fløene, 52; 4. Anders Jæger, 48; 5. Marc Martí, 44; 6. Miikka Anttila, 27; 7. Raigo Mõlder, 24; 8. Nicolas Gilsoul, 23; 9. Gabin Moreau, 10; 10. Ilka Minor, 8
