The Škoda driver had seen his series lead get whittled away over the season as Paddon, the seven-time champ, raced to make up for missing the opening round in Otago due to a clash with his European Rally Championship campaign.

Unsurprisingly, there was no stopping Paddon in Rally Whangarei; in typically dominant form, New Zealand’s greatest Rally Driver beat Hunt home by four minutes and 42 seconds, a mammoth margin. Hunt, however, kept his cool and protected his margin. That isn’t to say he nursed his Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo home; he finished a decisive 2’25” ahead of the third-placed Dylan Thompson.

Hunt went into the Northland event with a 12-point buffer over a charging Paddon, who had been unbeatable in every round he had contested this season. That margin was enough if Hunt could secure second-place finishes on both legs and the power stage.

Hunt held his nerve, focusing on the challengers behind, and after a dramatic opening day, in which the leading drivers that could threaten Hunt’s chances of the second-place finish that would secure him a third national title fell by the wayside.

Paddon was typically unstoppable on the opening leg, winning all ten stages. Hunt, meanwhile, had built a solid buffer to the drivers who threatened his position. He held second after the third stage and never relinquished the spot. In what was a drama-filled day, Zeal Jones slid off the road, Robbie Stokes Crashed, and both Jack Hawkeswood and Mike Young were stopped by mechanical issues.

The result was a long-awaited third NZRC title for Hunt and for Paddon the consolation of a second FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship.