BACK ON TRACK
Rally ace’s year of heartache
It [the emotional fallout from the fatal crash] is very private and I want to keep it to myself. Hayden Paddon
Kiwi rally driver Hayden Paddon has opened up on a horror 16 months that saw him involved in a fatal crash and his engagement to his partner of more than a decade end abruptly.
Paddon has had to settle for a parttime drive with factory Hyundai in the World Rally Championship this season after a disastrous 2017.
In January last year, the 31-yearold was driving in the Rally Monte Carlo when he lost control of his Hyundai i20 in treacherous conditions during the opening stage. His car slid off the icy road and rolled on to its roof, accidentally hitting a spectator. The man died later that day and Paddon withdrew from the race.
“When you are rallying in the mountains and in the countryside it’s difficult for the authorities to control every single person being responsible and making good decisions where they stand,” Paddon said.
“It was sad for everyone involved but rallying conditions overseas are a completely different kettle of fish. There are hundreds of thousands of spectators. It’s not like a race track where people are confined in a controlled environment.”
He is still deeply affected by the accident, he told the Herald on Sunday.
“Naturally when something like this happens it knocks your confidence but I have moved forward. The next two or three rallies were difficult, and last year was one of those years where if anything could go wrong it did go wrong for me — everything compounded,” Paddon said.
“We were chasing our tail from the start and unfortunately in this sport once the pressure starts it continues to build and things didn’t tend to improve.
“It’s very private and I want to keep it to myself. For me, it’s about trying to learn something from this so that the man’s life wasn’t lost in vain and we can prevent something like this happening again.”
After the crash Paddon ended his partnership with his long-time codriver John Kennard who had read pace notes for Paddon since his debut in the New Zealand Rally championship in 2006.
“It was a matter of finding the right time, but there was never a right time. John was struggling with his hip and needed an operation, so the time came for us to make some changes. But we talk to each other regularly and he gives me constant advice,” Paddon said.
Before Kennard’s retirement, he and Paddon had been working “behind the scenes” to get his new codriver, Sebastian Marshall on board.
But in May last year, the rally driver had a speed wobble of the heart — he parted ways with fiance´e Katie Lane after a 10-year relationship. The marketing manager from Napier had been Paddon’s co-driver in life — organising and promoting his career from their base in Frankfurt.
Lane married Thomas Villette, a PR manager for Hyundai in Europe, last month.
Paddon denied the crash took a toll on their relationship and was quick to “move forward”.
“Katie was there to help me and support me through that — the break up was completely separate,” he said. “Things happen in life and you have to learn to accept the unexpected. I’m not exactly heartless, but last year was a big life lesson for me. But because of that I’ve become a much stronger person.”
Paddon, too, has found love again — with Maddalena Mureddu, who he met at a rally “and clicked”.
He now commutes between New Zealand and Italy to spend time with Mureddu, a luxury furniture consultant from Sardinia.
For now, Paddon’s focus is on his “first love”.
He’s got his mojo back after securing fourth place in the Rally Finland two weeks ago. Next weekend Paddon and co-driver Malcolm Peden are competing in the Hyundai NZ Gold Rush Rally of Coromandel.
It’s been frustrating being a parttime driver this year, but Paddon has turned that frustration “into motivation”.
“I want to come back and prove some people wrong. I am really focused on trying to get back a fulltime seat,” he said.
“I was looking for many answers last year and nothing seemed to be working. But it comes down to the fact I have really high expectations of myself.
“I wasn’t meeting those so it forces you to look at yourself a bit more.
“Last year, the enjoyment factor was starting to disappear, whereas this year I’ve got that back again.”