The Team

Driver
Hayden Paddon
At the age of only twenty-one, Hayden is the youngest ever New Zealand Rally Champion. Having started motorsport at the tender age of six, he has progressed through the ranks to be a succesful New Zealand Rally Driver and move forward to achieving his ultimate goal. (See HERE for Hayden's Motorsport history)

Co-Driver
John Kennard
From Blenheim, John first got involved in rallying in 1979. Since then he hasn’t look back co-driving and managing top rally teams all over the world. John initially started driving, but soon found co-driving and the management side of the sport was just as much fun. From 1990-1999 John was the team co-ordinator for both Mitsubishi Ralliart, and the Subaru World rally team. John has 27 years competition experience, including extensive WRC, APRC, ERC and National experience. John is a great addition to the team, and his knowledge and experience will be of a huge help to both the team and Hayden. Like Hayden, John is as motivated and driven for success, not just at a national level but also international.

 

Team Manager
Chris Paddon
Hayden’s father Chris can nearly be called a veteran of the sport, having been involved in New Zealand rallying for over 20 years. The majority of that was as a driver, but now he has swapped to the manager’s seat to help Hayden to achieve his goals. Probably Chris’s 2 biggest results as a driver were the 1999 2WD Mainland champion, and runner up in the 1996 New Zealand 2WD championship. Hayden would not be where he is now with out the huge amount of help and support his father has given him over the years.

Chief Mechanic
Robin Matherson
Robin has been involved in Motorsport since he was at school. Robin has done a lot of driving in the past, and has also built a lot of classic and competition cars. Robin co-drove Team manager Chris to the 1999 Mainland titles. He has been involved in our team since day one, and is a key figure in keeping the car going during and between events. Now the owner and operator of In-Tune automotive in Timaru.

 

Service Crew
Allan Metheven
Neil Hetherington
These guys, along with Chris and Robin are the people that work their miracles when the car is brought back battered and bruised. They all know what their jobs are, and quickly and efficiently get the job done. Without these guys working their magic we would not make it to the end of events, and the car also would not look as spectacular as it does pre-event. They also spend alot of their own time helping prepare the cars between events and are as passionate about the sport and their roles within the team as Hayden and John.