Paddon fired up for cold start

Hayden Paddon and John Kennard get their 2015 WRC campaign under way at Rally Sweden on February 12 – an event they placed fourth-in-class last time out

The Kiwi team will lead the newly minted Hyundai Mobis World Rally Team in 12 events this season – in parallel to the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team represented by Thierry Neuville of Germany and Spaniard Dani Sordo. For his first event of the year though, Paddon will join Neuville in Hyundai’s first team.

Sordo is unable to compete after injuring his ribs during training, but is expected back at Rally Mexico. Dutchman Kevin Abbring will represent the Mobis team in Paddon’s #20 car.

Paddon and Kennard last competed at the Swedish event in 2012, as part of the S-WRC (now WRC-2), finishing one place off their class podium. The pair will be hoping to draw on that experience, as they tackle the 21-stage rally in temperatures as low as -25°C.

To help provide traction in the icy conditions, tyres are fitted with around 380 tungsten-tipped steel studs. Each stud is 20mm, with just 7mm exposed to bite into the frozen roads and the rest inserted into the rubber to provide a strong anchor.

The extreme conditions traditionally favour local drivers; only two non-Scandinavians – Frenchmen Sebastien Loeb (2004) and Sebastien Ogier (2013) – have ever won in Sweden since its 1974 championship inauguration.

Paddon will also join the rest of the field in tackling ‘Colin’s Crest’ during Saturday’s Vargåsen stage. As a mark of respect for the late rally legend Colin McRae, an award is made for the longest jump at this point. The record is 37 metres, shared by America’s Ken Block and Norway’s Marius Aasen.