Paddon keen to shake off frustrations in Wales
Kiwi ace Hayden Paddon will be back in action for Hyundai at the Wales Rally GB this weekend.
The 30-year-old missed the Spanish leg of the World Rally Championship when the South Korean manufacturer decided to sign the Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen for the final three events of the season.
Paddon will also be part of Hyundai Motorsports’ three-car assault at Rally Australia next month.
Both rallies are on Paddon’s favoured gravel surface and he will want two good results after a frustrating year which sees him sitting in 10th in the drivers’ championships after finishing fourth in 2016.
A combination mechanical gremlins, driving mistakes and bad luck have plagued his 2017 campaign.
The arrival of Mikkelsen has also thrown a spanner in the works as to what exactly Paddon’s role will be in the team in 2018, but he has not commented on the situation.
Looking towards the weekend Paddon said he couldn’t wait to get back in the car as it has felt like a long time since he had driven.
‘‘Wales Rally GB is an iconic rally with plenty of challenges. The event has always been run late in the season, so we can expect some rain and potentially foggy conditions.
‘‘In many ways, it is like being back home in New Zealand. There are some very nice, fast stages, and it is a rally I enjoy.’’
Paddon said hopefully he and co-driver Seb Marshall can put together a good result and build up to a positive conclusion to a tough season.
He has taken top-five finishes in Wales in the past two seasons and will be aiming to fight for his second podium of 2017 after finishing second in Poland back in July.
Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen will line up in the Hyundai’s top team.
Paddon will drive an identical i20 World Rally Car for the secondtier ‘N’ team but will still be eligible to score manufacturers points.
Hyundai are are 83 points behind M-Sport World Rally Team in the race for the manufacturers to title.
A good result in Wales could also wrap the drivers title up for Sebastien Ogier, who has a 37-point lead over Ott Tanak, who will need to keep an eye in the rear vision mirror as he is only a point ahead of Neuville.
Hyundai team principal Michel Nandan said they were heading to Wales focused on securing a good all-round team result.
The rally comprises 21 special stages covering 304.36km