Dunedin, April 2 New Zealand's Hayden Paddon took every stage win on his way to a commanding victory at the Winmax Brakes Otago Rally, the third round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship qualifier, the Pacific Rally Cup, here on Sunday.
The rally did not have the presence of Indian Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill, the three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion, who won the second round at the South India Rally in Chennai but the stage is set for a grand finale in Indonesia among all the winners of Asia Cup and Pacific Cup.
The Indian presence was also felt remotely with a generous backing by Vamcy Merla, a passionate rally enthusiast and motorsports promoter from India, who supported the organisers with prize money and trophies for the winners of FIA APRC Pacific Cup, a media release said.
Driving their Hyundai New Zealand i20 N Rally2 for the first time in 2023, nobody was able to get close to the former WRC event winner, as he extended his overnight lead on each stage to conclude the rally with a winning margin of over four minutes.
''It was a good win and I really want to thank the promoter Vamcy Merla for his support to the rally. It is great news that a motorsport enthusiast like him has come on board and will promote other rounds of the APRC as well. I really thank him and wish to meet him in person someday,'' Haydon said after the round.
The Pacific Rally Cup saw 20 international drivers from Australia, Japan, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and the Philippines competing for points and glory on the scenic and challenging roads of Otago.
Vicky Chandhok, working group president of the FIA APRC, thanked Merla for his involvement and support.
''We are grateful to Vamcy Merla for his generosity and passion for rallying. We look forward to seeing him at the final round in Indonesia later this year,'' he said.
In the day's stages south of Dunedin, he and co-driver John Kennard were again untouchable, continuing to show why he is New Zealand's greatest rally driver. Behind him was the Holden Barina AP4 of Ari Pettigrew, who was the 'best of the rest' for most of the weekend. He took second place by over 30 seconds from multiple NZRC champion Ben Hunt.
Hunt's day two goal was to catch Pettigrew after a few driving mistakes on Day 1 but Pettigrew showed class beyond his years to hold off the fast charging Skoda driver.
After another Pacific round in May at Whangarei in New Zealand and two more rounds of Asia Cup in Indonesia and China, the Danau Toba Rally in Indonesia from Nov 24 to 26 will serve as the grand finale where the Asia Pacific Champion will emerge.
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