Paddon is committed to contesting all six rounds of the highly-competitive Australian championship in his Hyundai i20N Rally2.
The championship starts in Canberra next month, and continues in Western Australia in May, Queensland in July, Victoria in August, South Australia in October and Tasmania in November.
It was a while since Paddon competed in Australia, as his past two years have been focused on Europe.
His last win there was the 2022 Asia Pacific Rally Championship event in Coffs Harbour.
"I’m really excited to finally put together a campaign for the Australian Rally Championship, something we have been trying to make happen for a couple of years. It’s a championship that we have not yet tried our hand at, and I’ve been following closely the level of competition and calibre of the events, watching from the other side of the Tasman.
"We are under no illusion that it will be a tough challenge, going up against some very fast competition on unfamiliar events and terrain but we will treat it like any other rally or championship that we compete in and know we have the best team with [Paddon Racing Group] and a strong package with the Hyundai i20N Rally2 to give it our best shot."
As a longtime fan of fellow Kiwi rally star Possum Bourne, who won the Australian championship seven times from 1996 to 2002, Paddon remembered the intense competition between Bourne and four-time Australian title winner Neal Bates.
Bates’ sons, Harry and Lewis, are now stars of the championship, Harry winning the title, and the Possum Bourne Memorial Trophy, three times in 2019, 2023 and 2024, and Lewis winning in 2022.
"It will be special to compete in Australia this year, especially after the many years of success that Possum Bourne had there and watching that as a kid. To now take our own Kiwi team across the ditch and rejuvenate that transTasman rivalry is going to be an exciting and fun challenge. We know from previous times we have competed in Australia that everyone is very welcoming, which adds to the experience."
The championship will be live streamed on the Australian Rally Championship’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
— APL
