Hayden Paddon’s Australian Rally Championship debut was curtailed by hitting a kangaroo at 100mph.
But there was consolation for the Hyundai New Zealand driver who won Heat 1 of the Rally of Canberra.
Some events in Australia are split into heats, and Paddon topped the first day by almost 30 seconds over Lewis Bates’ Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Reigning Australian champion Harry Bates was only 16th after he lost a wheel.
“We drew number one in the road position ballot which put us slightly on the back foot from the outset,” Paddon said. “Having to sweep the roads, combined with me making the wrong choice of tires yesterday morning, meant we were struggling a bit for speed against local competitors who set a hot pace.
Paddon was able to win Heat 1 in Canberra, but Heat 2 was a disaster
“Once we corrected the tires for the afternoon loop, the car was much better and we were able to be back on stage winning pace. To win the day yesterday was a good bonus considering it wasn’t our best performance.
“We were pleased to get a solid result and start the championship banking some points by winning the first day.”
However the first stage of Sunday would mark the end of the road for Paddon, as he was powerless to avoid a kangaroo in a fast corner.
And because he had not completed 65% of the rally’s mileage as required by the regulations, he was not able to return for the powerstage.
Harry Bates beat his brother to the Heat 2 victory as well as the powerstage, although it was Lewis who won the event overall.
The next Australian event is in Perth in May
Paddon said: “We encountered a mob of kangaroos on Sunday morning’s first stage. At 160km/h over a crest, there was absolutely nothing we could do to avoid one of them in the middle of the road.
“We’re OK, the car is repairable, but we weren’t able to rejoin for later in the day to try and recoup some points on the final, double-points powerstage as the rules state you must compete 65% of the day to be classified as a finisher and claim any points.
“It’s just one of those unfortunate things that sometimes happens in motorsport. We have to take it on the chin, reset, and go again for the next round which is in Western Australia in May.”
Paddon is far from the first driver to see a result go begging due to the local Australian wildlife. Petter Solberg is perhaps the most famous example, as the Subaru driver lost a certain victory at the WRC event in 2005 when he also hit a kangaroo.
