MOTORSPORT - Paddon to the fore, thanks to late rally

Current New Zealand Rally Champion Hayden Paddon of Geraldine summed up his weekend simply - he had, along with co-driver John Kennard, pulled off an incredible feat by winning the 2009 Rally of Whangarei.
Not only did Paddon win overall, he also secured the lead in the Rally of New Zealand Championship and won the Pirelli Star Driver Series and NZ Rising Stars International in one fell swoop.
Heading into the second day yesterday , Paddon was trailing Masterton driver Richard Mason by 25.1 seconds, with No1 seed and three-time Asia Pacific champion Cody Crocker of Australia in third.
But it all went pear-shaped for Mason as the day got under way when his car suffered a blown turbocharger.
Good fortune had landed in Paddon's lap.
"It all worked out in the end," a jovial Paddon said when he arrived at Whangarei's Town Basin after completing the final stage.
"It was unfortunate what happened to Richard [Mason]. We were about a minute behind and looked like we would have to settle for second but then we heard he had mechanical problems."
Conditions were ideal, with light showers dampening the dust ever so slightly, Paddon said.
"There was plenty of gravel on the road, and the repeat runs were really quick for us because of the nicely swept lines.
"We were a second a kilometre quicker the second time around."
Paddon, who won this event in 2006, said it was a reasonably fast run through the course - and his Mitsubishi Evo IX didn't suffer any damage.
"The team did a great job setting up the car and we are back here without a scratch on it. There's not much more I could have asked for."
And with that Paddon sprinted off for the awards ceremony, where he and Kennard were congratulated on their outstanding efforts, and drowned in champagne as tradition dictates.
Crocker was second overall, while Australian Brendan Reeves was third.
It was another kick in the guts for Mason, who also failed to finish last year.
Mason had won the four longest of Saturday's eight stages and was on track for a good run this year until the problem with the turbocharger arose.
He was not the only competitor to experience problems. There was plenty of bother during the rally with seven starters, including 2008 winner Chris West, withdrawing from the event with damage.
At the end of round three of five rounds in the Rally NZ Championships, title holder Paddon leads with the Wairarapa and Nelson legs remaining.
Former leader Mason is now in second place ahead of Emma Gilmour.
The Rally of Whangarei was also the third round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championships which Crocker took the honours for, with Japan's Katsuhiko Tagushi second and Gilmour third.