After second in Heat 1 of the EROAD Australian Rally Championship third round, they finished 42.5 seconds ahead of Lewis Bates and Andrew McLoughlin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2) in Heat 2.

“Probably got more out of this weekend than we expected, not the rally that was our strong point, lucky to come away with it today with commiserations to Harry [Bates],” said Paddon.

“Road conditions helped [our pace], the tyres overheated a lot, so we had to drive very carefully this afternoon and look after things and avoid punctures.”

The latter pair fought back from 10th on Saturday when they missed a stage. They were second on two stages and third on three others. However, they picked up vital points with the fastest time on the (final) Power Stage of the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland.

A further 22.2s back were third placed Alex Rullo and Steve Glenney in their Hyundai i20N Rally 2. Combined with fourth in Heat 1 meant they took second overall.

Chayton Hoy and Erin Kelly finished a plucky fourth in the heat and third overall aboard their Production class winning Mitsubishi Evo 6 as it laboured all day with engine dramas.

Heat 1 winners Harry Bates and Coral Taylor were second on the day’s opening stage, a mere 1.8s adrift of Paddon. But the rally was over when the Yaris fell into a ditch on the first stage of the afternoon loop.

“It didn’t feel much, but whatever was in the ditch was enough to damage the left rear to the extent that we couldn’t continue,” said a disappointed Bates who started the day just eight points behind championship leader Paddon.

Visiting Irishman Patrick O’Brien with Shane Farrell in the Luke Anear Ford Fiesta were fourth in Heat 2, despite losing six minutes with a flat tyre in one stage. Over combined heats they were fifth overall behind Lewis Bates.

Toby Price and Holly Kilbride (Subaru Impreza WRX) had their second sixth of the rally for sixth overall. They finished Heat 2 ahead of the Subaru Impreza RS crews of Jackson and Damien Long, and Jaidyn and Lucy Gluskie.

Rounding out the top 10 were Glenn Brinkman/Scott Beckwith (WRX) and Stewart Reid and Bella Haggarty (Mitsubishi Mirage) ahead of Brodie Reading and Brad Jones whose Subaru lost a wheel on Stage 10.

The next round of the EROAD Australian Rally Championship with night stages for the first time in 12 years, will be the Gippsland Rally, based out of Heyfield in Victoria on August 22-24.