Paddon and Kennard Triumph at Rally Queensland Following Thrilling Super Sunday

Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have clinched their second consecutive outright victory in the EROAD Australian Rally Championship by triumphing in Heat 2 of the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland.

After finishing second in Heat 1 with five stage wins on Sunday, and a DNF from Saturday’s events, Harry Bates and Coral Taylor’s efforts significantly aided Paddon’s comfortable 42-second victory in Heat 2, allowing him to secure overall honours.

“We didn’t anticipate this result over the weekend. Our goal was simply to minimise our losses, so it’s great to extend our championship lead,” Paddon remarked.

“After Harry had a puncture in the second stage, my focus shifted to managing the car for the remainder of the day, which isn’t the most enjoyable way to compete. You’re constantly trying to avoid punctures or making mistakes, so it was a challenging day overall.

“It’s encouraging, but the situation remains unpredictable. As we move into endurance rounds, every point counts, so we must maintain our current form.”

Claiming second place in Heat 2 were Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin from Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia, while Alex Rullo and Steve Glenney from Interstelli Fleet Racing rounded off the day in third.

Rullo and Glenney’s top-three finish marked their inaugural outright podium of the season, with Clayton Hoy and Erin Kelly completing the event’s podium standings.

After a stellar performance, the Mitsubishi Evo 6 drivers not only finished on the outright podium but comfortably clinched the WOLF Production Cup for both Heat 2 and the overall event.

While Heat 2 of the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland was relatively less chaotic than Heat 1, it still presented its share of drama, with Bates and Taylor central to the action.

What began as a thrilling opening stage between Paddon’s Hyundai i20N Rally 2 and Bates’ Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2 set the scene for an exciting showdown throughout the day, but a puncture in the following stage cost Harry over a minute.

Paddon’s victory in the day’s third stage allowed him to establish a comfortable lead, and the New Zealander effectively secured the win when Bates and Taylor ran wide on the first stage post-service, damaging the car’s rear arm.

Paddon went on to dominate by winning two of the last three stages, extending his lead in the EROAD Australian Rally Championship standings.

“Our strategy was to win the next two rounds and recover the points deficit we incurred from the crash with the kangaroo. We achieved that and ended up with a lead that exceeded our expectations,” Paddon added.

“I believe the upcoming rallies may suit us better; however, it’s still uncharted territory, and we need to learn with each event we attend.”

A commendable second place on Sunday, along with victory in the Power Stage, enabled Lewis Bates and McLoughlin to bounce back from a 10th place finish on Saturday, ultimately securing fourth for the event. Meanwhile, Irish duo Patrick O’Brien and Shane Farrell steered their Ford Fiesta R5 to a fifth-place finish in Heat 2, completing the top five overall.

Finishing in sixth place for Heat 2 and overall in the event were Toby Price and Holly Kilbride, winners of the Subaru WRX Challenge, while Bates and Taylor’s disappointing performance on Sunday saw them finish seventh for the weekend.

Teenager Jackson Long continues to impress in his debut season, guiding his Subaru Impreza RS to sixth place in the Heat. Junior competitors Jaidyn and Lucy Gluskie came in ninth.

In the other categories, Tony Sullens and Kaylie Newell claimed the ARC 2WD Cup, while Molly Spalding and Matthew Dillon took top honours in the ARC 4WD Classic Cup.

Check out the full results via the Subaru Results Hub.

The EROAD Australian Rally Championship season carries on next month with The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally in Victoria from 22–24 August.