Hayden Paddon’s quest to defend his European Rally Championship (ERC) title took a significant hit during the Barum Czech Rally Zlín. The New Zealander was forced to stop and change a wheel during what became the final stage on Saturday, derailing his rally and dropping him out of the points.
Paddon was running seventh overall and only two positions behind his main title rival, Mathieu Franceschi, as the rally reached the midpoint of the first full leg. However, a sudden storm in the afternoon turned the notoriously slippery Zlín asphalt into a treacherous challenge, especially for those who hadn’t opted for wet tires.
The Rajnochovice stage, initially planned as the penultimate test, was forced to close out the day’s action after flooding led to the cancellation of the second pass through Bunč. It was here that Paddon’s misfortune struck; he had to pull over to change a wheel, costing him over three minutes and plummeting him to 18th place. The setback hands Franceschi a golden opportunity in the title race, as the Frenchman is poised to take the championship lead by eight points, having started the rally seven points behind Paddon.
Meanwhile, Jan Kopecký’s incredible streak of 12 consecutive ERC wins at the Barum Rally appears to be ending. Kopecký encountered his own challenges, suffering a puncture in the morning that cost him two minutes. His woes continued with a trip off-road during the Rajnochovice stage, which damaged a wheel and nearly ended his rally. Despite the setbacks, Kopecký managed to finish the day but admitted he was “f***ing lucky” to have done so.
Dominik Stříteský currently leads the rally, having taken over from Kopecký after his puncture on Bunč. However, Erik Cais had been closing in on Stříteský’s lead before the storm hit Rajnochovice. Without wet tires, Cais lost over 40 seconds, dropping him to fourth and promoting Simon Wagner and Adam Březík to second and third, respectively.
The top 10 is rounded out by ERC regulars Efrén Llarena, Miko Marczyk, Hermann Neubauer, and Kopecký, who now faces an uphill battle to continue his dominance at his home event.
Photo from Hayden Paddon Instagram
