Kiwi rallies to fill gap for Paddon

New Zealand star likely to be seen a lot more on home turf after being left on outer over WRC drives next season

Rally star Hayden Paddon is set to contest only half the events on the WRC calendar next year but will make up a full programme by competing more back home in New Zealand.

The Hyundai factory driver finds himself in a car-sharing position with veteran Spaniard Dani Sordo with the team running championship runnerup Thierry Neuville and Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen fulltime.

Paddon was angry at the team’s decision to add Mikkelsen late in the season, which meant the team had more drivers than cars. With a contract that states a fulltime WRC drive, Paddon had an opportunity to challenge the Korean manufacturer in court or pursue an opportunity to drive at a rival team but the 30-yearold felt that option was too risky.

“The contract is pretty clear but at the same time you don’t want to end up with nothing,” Paddon said. “You do have to tread a bit carefully and respect the decision of the bosses and use it as fire to come back and prove them wrong and get things back on track again.”

Paddon is back home for Christmas but will head back to Europe in early January although he won’t compete at the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally in late January and will instead prepare for the second event.

“Sweden is our first rally,” Paddon said. “Beyond that we know we are not doing all the rallies. It might be seven or eight rallies. It might be a bit of a moving target so we just have to focus on each and every rally that we do.”

Seat time and competition are crucial to form at the elite level and Paddon knows a schedule with half as many events as his rivals will put him at a huge disadvantage.

So the plan will be to add extra events and make use of the obvious opportunities in New Zealand.

“Seven or eight rallies, if that’s what it is, plus some testing is not enough mileage to stay competitive with the guys at the front,” he said.

“We have a car and team here in New Zealand and we will make the most of that opportunity and do as many rallies as we can here.

“Ultimately at the end of the year we will still be doing just as much mileage as the others to keep us fresh and in that competitive fight.”

There is only one date clash between the WRC calendar and the New Zealand Rally Championship, Rally Germany and Rally Coromandel in mid-August. But Rally Germany is a tarmac event and it is almost certain Hyundai would prefer Sordo in the third car for that event.

That means Paddon could do all the domestic season next year.

“First and foremost we have to sit down with Hyundai New Zealand and discuss the plan there but they are 110 per cent behind us no matter what we are doing in WRC,” Paddon explained.

“For sure there will be a good programme here in New Zealand. We will do as many rallies as we can here where it fits with the calendar.”