New Zealand driver Hayden Paddon has finished the season ending rally of Australia in fourth and fourth in the drivers championship.
Hayden Paddon in Australia, 2016. Photo: Timo Anis
A puncture this morning in Coffs coast knocked Paddon and his co-driver John Kennard back from third to finish one minute and 26 seconds behind the winner, Andreas Mikkelson of Norway.
Mikkeslon was third in the drivers championship just three points ahead of Paddon while Sebastien Ogier claimed his fourth title in a row.
"It's a hard pill to swallow, not coming home with a podium today," said Paddon.
"We sort of had it in the bag, and unfortunately made a bit of a mistake on the long stage.
"We were trying to maybe put a bit of pressure on the guys up front, but it sort of bit us back and we got a puncture," he said.
"I had to do 20 ks on a flat tyre and lost almost a minute so, hey, fourth is still okay.
"There are a lot of positives to take out of the weekend. We made some good improvements over last year and certainly going to come back stronger," Paddon said.
"I'm more determined than ever to make some improvements and get the results we should have had this year for next year."
