New Zealand’s Hayden Paddon and John Kennard are leading the Śląsk Rally, the final round of the European Rally Championship (ERC), after a dominant performance on Saturday. The duo traveled nearly 18,000 kilometers to compete in the event and have made their efforts worthwhile, winning five out of the first eight special stages.
Saturday’s stage took the drivers to southern Silesia, where they tackled three challenging sections: Jastrzębie-Zdrój (17.04 km), Ochaby (10.8 km), and Gmina Jasienica (19.78 km), the longest in the rally. Paddon and Kennard, driving a Hyundai i20N Rally2, maintained their lead despite tough competition from Irish team Jon Armstrong and Eoin Tracy, who won the Gmina Jasienica stage.
Local Polish favorites Mikołaj Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk, who had led after winning the Katowice super special stage on Friday, encountered difficulties, sliding off the road on the Ochaby stage and finishing with a 10-second delay. They are now third overall, 18 seconds behind the leaders.
The rally also doubles as the final round of the Polish Rally Championship (RSMP), with brothers Jarek and Marcin Szeja edging closer to claiming the national title.
As the event heads into its final day, Paddon and Kennard are in a strong position to claim their second ERC title.