Hayden Paddon Takes Sixth Ashley Forest Rallysprint 

New Zealand rally star Hayden Paddon has continued on his winning way at the Ashley Forest Rallysprint. The latest running is the sixth time he has won the event.  

The Hyundai i20 AP4++ once again proved its worth, with Paddon setting a winning time of 52.62 seconds in the final top-two shootout. That run placed him six-tenths of a second shy of the outright record, showing both his pace and determination to keep pushing the limits.

He lined up against Blenheim’s Neil Webb, and Paddon chose to run second in the head-to-head final. With over 900hp on tap, he unleashed everything up the hill and secured another Ashley Forest title.

Webb finished second for the third time in his Mitsubishi Mirage. Going first in the final, he set a time of 56.55 sec, which Paddon ultimately beat.

Dunedin driver Mike Wellington rounded out the podium with a time of 1:00.06. The car had been tuned by the Paddon Racing Group.

Paddon’s focus is to smash the record and he therefore signalled his intention to return in 2026 and have another crack.

Hankook New Zealand, an official sponsor, was quick to congratulate Paddon on another top performance.