Hayden Paddon will tick a bucket list item and give rally fans an incredible show during the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally this April.

After finishing the event in the Classic section, he will return to the start of the final stage, the famous Kuri Bush, to complete a second run in his famous Hyundai i20 World Rally Car – the car in which Paddon outdrove Sebastien Ogier on the final stage to win the 2016 Rally of Argentina.

It will be the first time a World Rally Car will run down the famous 15-kilometres, and it’s sure to be a huge delight for spectators lining the stage.

“Firstly, a big thank you to the Otago Rally organisers for allowing this opportunity,” Paddon said.

“It’s always been a bucket list thing for me to drive a WRC car on Kuri Bush, one of New Zealand’s most famous and hair raising stages.

“We hope to put on a good show for the spectators and see what sort of time the car can do, but at the same time, we’ll drive with a degree of caution to not take risks and look after this unique and special car.”

Paddon imported his WRC-winning Hyundai to New Zealand in 2024 and plans to use it sparingly at events in the future, with the famous Kuri Bush stage being just the second of such instances.

Whether the car overhauls his existing stage record of 7m12.8s, set in 2023 (Hyundai i20 N Rally2), remains to be seen, however, he’s wary of keeping the car neat and tidy, given its historical significance and value.

“We hope to put on a good show for the spectators and see what sort of time the car can do, however, at the same time driving with a degree of caution to not take risks and look after the car.”

The itinerary for this much-anticipated run will be communicated prior to the event to ensure fans don’t miss out on their chance to witness history.

The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is grateful to the Dunedin City Council for Premier Event funding.