PADDON JUMPS CODES

The end of last year brought bad news for Kiwi rallying talent Hayden Paddon after his World Rally Championship ( WRC) team, Hyundai, essentially dropped him from their driver line-up for 2019. It wasn’t the result that we had all hoped for after a reduced 2018 season. Paddon, however, isn’t looking to let it dampen his driving on an international level, instead jumping ship to pedal full-time in a slightly different series.

He has announced that he will compete in the door-banging, dirt-hussing, tarmac-slaying, dog-fight that is the Global Rallycross (GRC) Europe series!

“I have been in rallying for a long time, so rallycross is not completely new to me, but I will have to adapt to cars racing alongside me,” said Paddon. “GRC Europe will be a new challenge, and I am looking forward to taking it on, joining the other drivers throughout the year, and trying to be competitive.”

Despite requiring a new skill set for the series, there are high hopes for the talented wheelman, and he made a point to note that the GRC Europe drive will only form part of his 2019 campaign, with plans in place for other local and international offerings.

He is set to pedal a 410kW pumping Hyundai i30 Pantera X6 in the top-tier Titans class against the likes of former Formula 1 pilot Alexander Wurz and rallycross stars Toomas Heikkinen and Tommy Hansen in the 11-round series.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on how that WRC experience pans out against a bit of door-todoor ruthlessness!