PADDON FEARS WRC COULD BE “LEFT IN THE DARK AGES”
Former Hyundai driver says the proposed hybrid rules are too far behind the motoring industry
World Rally Championship event winner Hayden Paddon has raised fears that the WRC could be “left in the dark ages” without a rethink to the hybrid regulations that are set to be introduced in 2022.
Paddon and his Rallysport team have created an all-electric Hyundai Kona rally car from scratch, which will begin development running this year in sprints and hillclimbs before hitting the rally stages in his New Zealand homeland in 2022. Following that, Paddon has plans to campaign the car on the international stage. That means Paddon is significantly ahead of the FIA in development, and the 2016 Rally Argentina winner told MN the new rules are “a step but it’s a very small step”.
He said: “If I’m brutally honest I think it’s a tick-the-box exercise, I don’t think it’s actually meeting the requirements of where the automotive industry is going.
Motorsport has always been the leading edge of technology that’s where manufacturers test or develop new tech.
“But now, a road car you can buy off the showroom floor, a full EV, is more sophisticated with the electronics and systems than what WRC cars have. If that continues, especially if these rules for hybrid come in and they’re frozen for five years, the sport’s going to be in the dark ages by the time it comes out in 2027-2028.”
Paddon believes his own squad has proved what’s achievable, despite limited resources. “We’re a small team of seven on the other side of the world, and if we think it’s possible and we can find some options, I don’t know why the big teams and big manufacturers can’t,” he said.
“Obviously I first-hand know it’s not simple, but motorsport is also about trying to find solutions to problems and to show that the product, the cars and EV formula is cool, so I think there’s a bit of a missed opportunity there at the moment.”