Hayden Paddon was the big winner when the curtain came down on a thrilling 2024 FIA European Rally Championship during an action-packed Rally Silesia on Sunday.
While Andrea Mabellini scored a breakthrough victory alongside co-driver Virginia Lenzi, Paddon made it back-to-back ERC titles in third place with John Kennard co-driving his Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Paddon's entrant, BRC Racing Team, clinched the FIA European Rally Championship for Teams with Michelin taking the inaugural FIA European Rally Championship for Tyre Suppliers.
"I wasn't going to risk the title by being drawn into a fight today, I just wanted to bring the car home," said the 37-year-old New Zealander. "I knew what I was here to do and the title is hugely important. We've worked all year to achieve it. We've had our backs up against the wall for the best part of the season with a performance deficit, but the team has been working hard to bring that back."
Paddon arrived in southern Poland with a commanding points advantage over Frenchman Mathieu Franceschi, meaning a top-eight finish would be enough for championship number two. But the Pirelli-equipped driver's eventual third place left the outcome of the 2024 ERC title race in no doubt.
A one-time WRC event winner, Paddon joins an exclusive club of drivers to have successfully defended the ERC crown that also includes Bernard Darniche, Luca Rossetti and Polish hero Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
Paddon's victory however, did not come without some late heart-in-the-mouth moments with the defending champion making not one but two uncharacteristic errors on the penultimate stage.
"We had an adventure in the stage," he revealed at stage end. "[On the] second corner, [we] went off the line into a bank and pretty much got bellied. I was just sitting there on full throttle trying to get out, had to reverse, going again and we dropped out 15 [seconds] there.
Then a couple of [kilometres] later at a junction I just went straight through the barriers, had to go down the road, loop around, come back. I don't think I've had so many adventures in one stage so we probably dropped a good 20-plus seconds. Tricky conditions, we're here but at the time I was thinking 'not now'."
The errors from Paddon took the pressure off Mabellini, who was emotional following his breakthrough European victory.
"It feels great," said 25-year-old, whose eventual win came by 18.3sec to become the eighth different winner of the season. "The last 11 kilometres were the longest kilometres of my life. I want to thank everybody. It was an incredible journey. We started from Rally5, then Rally4, Rally2 last year, we're really, really happy."
With two stage wins on Friday and five on Sunday, including the Power Stage, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy-supported Jon Armstrong claimed his first ERC podium in second after he demoted the ultra-cautious Paddon on SS14 having fought his way through from seventh position starting day two. At the wheel of a Pirelli-shod Ford Fiesta Rally2, Armstrong beat Paddon by 1.5sec with home hero Miko Marcyk 5.8sec further back.
The M-Sport driver could have been even closer to the front had it not been for a time-consuming technical issue on SS2 and a half-spin on SS3.
For Michelin-equipped Marczyk, meanwhile, fourth place was enough to secure third in the final ERC drivers' standings.
Mathieu Franceschi took the runner-up spot behind Paddon after finishing fifth on Rally Silesia as Yoann Bonato completed his comeback from serious injury in sixth position.
Category newcomer Mille Johansson took victory in FIA ERC3 driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3 on Hankook tyres. Calle Carlberg scored a maiden FIA ERC4 and FIA Junior ERC win driving a Hankook-equipped Opel Corsa Rally4.
*All results are subject to final FIA confirmation.
Final Standings:
1. A Mabellini / V Lenzi ITA Škoda Fabia RS 1hr 45 min 28.9s
2. J Armstrong / E Tracey IRL Ford Fiesta Mk II +18.3s
3. H Paddon / J Kennard NZL Hyundai i20 N +19.8s
4. M Marczyk / S Gospodarczyk POL Škoda Fabia RS 24.1s
5. M Franceschi / A Malfoy FRA Škoda Fabia RS +53.1s
6. Y Bonato / B Boulloud FRA Citroën C3 Rally2 1min 29.1s ...
