Paddon gets a lift
The WRC has pledged to help Hayden Paddon bring his new Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car to New Zealand.
Paddon told Stuff last week he might not be able to bring the car to New Zealand after next month’s Rally Finland because of the skyrocketing international transportation costs.
Prices have tripled over the past 12 months and with Paddon having to run his team on a tight budget he said he may not be able to get the car transported from Europe to make improvements and use it in Rally NZ, which starts late September.
Paddon’s backup plan was to drive his AP4, which he first used in 2016. However, WRC Promoter event director Simon Larkin says they’ll help Paddon get his car to New Zealand, because they know how important it will be for him to be competitive in the WRC2 category.
‘‘I’m very confident that his i20 Rally2 will be in New Zealand and he’ll be competing in it at Rally NZ,’’ Larkin said. ‘‘We are doing everything we can to support Hayden, logistically and a bit of other support.
‘‘We helped him try to get a Rally1 car and it’s no secret that Hyundai were a little behind everyone else in terms of developing the Rally1 car to start with and then they had a testing accident, which put them back again, because they had to build a new test car.
‘‘They don’t have additional chassis, so that’s unfortunate, but I know there are already conversations about next year, with Hayden and that’s great. ‘‘But I remain extremely confident that Hayden’s Rally2 car will be in New Zealand.’’
As well some of the leading international drivers who’ll be at Rally NZ, like Kalle Rovanpera, Ott Tanak and Elfyn Evans, Paddon will be the face of the event for many who don’t follow motorsport closely. So it’s crucial for WRC Promoter, the organisation which runs the WRC, that Paddon has a good car.
‘‘It’s very important for us from a marketing and sporting point of view to have local heroes,’’ Larkin said.
‘‘There are a number of programmes we run to help not only develop younger drivers, but also to help those who are competing in our championship, to compete in their home events. There are different initiatives we have in place.’’
Along with Paddon, there will also be local interest in how two-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen goes, with the Kiwi being given a Race Torque-run Skoda Fabia R5 to drive.
‘‘Shane is going to not only bring a lot of Kiwi fans out, but I’m very certain it will encourage a number of fans to come over from Australia as well,’’ Larkin said.
‘‘He is the biggest name in motorsport in Australia. He’s done a couple of test rallies so far and his performances were very impressive.’’
Meanwhile, Larkin says preparations are going well from his end for Rally NZ and said it will start with a bang, with the Super Special Stage on Thursday evening, September 29, at Auckland Domain.