Hayden Paddon x MotorSport New Zealand

Your motorsport
starts here.

Timed runs. Tight courses. Real competition. Ignite puts young Kiwi drivers behind the wheel at autocross and motorkhana days, coached by WRC winner Hayden Paddon and the Paddon Racing Group crew. It is free, it is fast, and it is exactly how the legends started.

Enter an event See the next rounds
  • Free entryno cost to compete
  • Against the clockin your own road car
  • WRC coachingfrom Hayden Paddon and PRG

Next rounds

The 2026-27 season

Ignite heads south for back-to-back rounds in December, then returns to the North Island in March 2027. Entries are limited at every round, so lock in your spot early.

What's involved

Race day, Ignite style

01

Against the clock

Timed motorkhana and autocross runs through slaloms, hairpins and tight gates. Every run counts, every cone costs, and there is silverware on the line.

02

Coached by the pros

Learn lines, braking and car control from Hayden Paddon, the Paddon Racing Group crew and quick local club drivers, then put it straight into practice on your next run.

03

Your first start line

Meet your local MotorSport New Zealand car club and find your next step, from club autocross and motorkhana to rally and racing.

A young driver in a blue hatchback rounding a cone at an Ignite autocross

What is an autocross?

An autocross is a flat-out timed run around a tight course marked out with cones. The quickest clean time wins, so precision and car control beat raw horsepower. It is where Hayden Paddon, Possum Bourne and Shane van Gisbergen all cut their teeth, and it could be where you start too.

What do I need?

  • A roadworthy road car. Your daily driver is all it takes, no race car needed.
  • That's it. Helmets and overalls are provided on the day.

Full requirements for each event are listed on the registration form.

Why Ignite

Speed belongs on the track

If you love cars and speed, you belong in motorsport. Ignite gives that passion a proper home: a closed course, a stopwatch, marshals, and some of the best drivers in the country showing you how it is done.

Every run sharpens the skills racers live by: car control, reading grip, staying calm and reacting fast. That is a motorsport mindset, not a hooning one, and it makes you a better driver everywhere. Young drivers are the most at risk on our roads. Ignite is how we change that.

7,000 young people aged 16 to 24 killed or seriously injured on NZ roads over the past 10 years
13% of licence holders are young drivers, yet they account for 30% of serious injuries
1 in 4 road deaths in NZ involve drivers aged 16 to 24
39% of young driver crashes are single vehicle, loss of control
We all know young people love cars and speed, and that won't change. What we can change is where and how they experience that.
Hayden Paddon NZ rally champion and Ignite founder

Join the crew

Every team needs a pit crew

Not every motorsport career starts in the driver's seat. Teams and events run on volunteers, logistics, media, engineers, mechanics and team players. Join Ignite and you join a paddock of like-minded people, with friendships that last well beyond the finish line.

By reaching young drivers early, we can give them the skills and environment to learn properly, safely, and not on New Zealand's public roads.
Deborah Day President, MotorSport New Zealand

Your start line is waiting

Enter now

Contact

Questions? Get in touch

MotorSport New Zealand

Event entries, licensing and finding your local club.

Paddon Racing Group

Hayden Paddon's team, coaching at every Ignite round.

Instagram @paddonracinggroup