Paddon takes Hyundai fans for a ride
Chances of a rugby fan packing down in the scrum machine at an All Blacks training session? Not high. How about a doubles hit-out with Rafael Nadal or teeing off alongside Rory McIlroy? Expensive but not impossible.
Opportunities to strap in and watch an elite rally driver at work from the co-driver’s seat? Not out of the question, if you’re a Hyundai NZ customer or staff member. And exactly what 25 guests enjoyed at a Hayden Paddon rally rideday experience near Tauranga on Saturday.
After back-toback weekends of competition, preevent reconnaissance work and sponsor appearances, Kiwi WRC driver Paddon spent last weekend unwinding a little — by putting in another 100km or so of flat-chat driving.
Not that he thinks of it as work. For Paddon, a chance to share his passion for the sport, introducing it to people from all walks of life, is one of the upsides of life as a professional rally driver.
“One of the benefits of motorsport is you can take people for hot seat rides,” says Paddon.
“Particularly with rallying, what you see on the side of the stage can look impressive but in our sport a big part of it is the feel. By feeling the grip and the movement in the car, it gives people a whole new appreciation for the sport and an understanding of what we do.”
Though the emphasis is on spreading the rally excitement there’s always work to be done.
“I always enjoy driving — and when you are in an environment with no pressure and no competition, you really do just enjoy the driving.
“But you can use days like this to gather more information about the car. In the world of motorsport, things are always developing so you use every opportunity you get.”
The hot seat ride in the Hyundai i20 AP4 is three minutes of latebraking commitment and turbocharged acceleration.
I try to split my attention between the scenery rushing towards us and watching the critically timed inputs Paddon is making. Like any sportsman operating at a world class level, he makes his chosen discipline look controlled — even easy — with things happening at rapid pace but with no sense of being rushed.
Paddon reads the grip limit to apply maximum throttle or braking and there is less steering wheel angle used than you might imagine. His left hand is continuously moving from the wheel to the next sequential gear change and back again with an occasional grab at the specially placed hand brake lever, as well.
The core skill in covering the ground so quickly comes from precision car placement — repeated corner-after-corner — searching the limits of grip, the most efficient line and getting the car to change direction while losing as little speed as possible.
The Hyundai’s long travel suspension and high-tech damping soaks up bumps and rutted corners that would bounce any ordinary car offline and into the pine trees while the chunky Pirelli Scorpions bite into the pumice and gravel under braking, acceleration and lateral loads.
“It’s always a thrill. I’ve never had anyone in the car who didn’t get a real buzz from it. It’s great when you take someone who has never been in a rally car before because they have no idea what to expect,” says Paddon.
“We get a few screamers and those who laugh out of nervousness. And I’ve had a couple of people be sick, but luckily not in the car, just afterwards. Sometimes the more you scare people, the more compliments you get.
“It’s just a great way to bring the sport to the people. I’d say 100 per cent of people would get straight back in again if there was a chance for a second ride.
“The problem is we’re doing four or five kilometres per person and of course they all want more. It’s an addiction. Once you get a taste of it, you don’t want to stop.”
Among Hyundai’s guests on Saturday were owners of the Hayden Paddon special edition Santa Fe model.
“For Hyundai NZ, it’s about having a ‘ money can’t buy experience’ we can offer to our customers and also to our dealers and staff,” says Daniel Page, the sponsorship and events brand manager for Hyundai NZ.
“Hayden is so passionate about it and he loves the chance to share the excitement of the sport.”
The ride day also showcased the developing asset which is the 385-hectare Te Matai Motorsport area in the TECT All Terrain Park between Tauranga and Rotorua.
“TECT Park is a perfect venue,” says Paddon. “There’s a big pit area where people can park and socialise. It’s a nice loop, people can walk into the stage easily to see the car and they can hear the car in the forest. The stage has a little bit everything with some tight corners and fast sections, perfect for an event like this.”