Paddon’s career enters the fast lane

Hayden Paddon and John Kennard are one step closer to achieving their goal of winning a WRC championship, after signing a three-year deal with Hyundai

The Kiwi rallying duo could be forgiven for thinking that Christmas has come two months early. In October, their three-year, full-championship contract with Hyundai was sandwiched between a fifth-place finish in France and sixth in Spain – taking them to eight top-ten finishes this season. 

“It’s amazing to have the security of the next few years, in which time we aim to be at the top,” he said.

Spanish shake up

The only mixed-surface event on the WRC calendar, Spain offered a new test for Hayden and John, but they tackled it with confidence and shook up the field by winning the pre-event shakedown. They carried that form into the opening  stages, posting several top-five times, including a joint fastest with Citroen’s Mads Ostberg (Norway) on Stage 2.

With no chance for a gravel test, the pair used their set-up from Rally Australia and achieved mixed results in the afternoon.

They finished the day in seventh, and went into the next morning’s day tarmac stages keen to continue learning following their success in Corsica.

Frustratingly, two separate punctures cost them more than 20 seconds and hindered their push for a spot in the top five. They maintained their position in seventh, tying with Belgian teammate Thierry Neuville at the end of the day.   

“We had an okay day in places. Had it not been for the punctures, things might have looked very different on the classification,” Hayden said. “We set some good times and, other than those issues, have shown decent improvement compared to last year.”

The Kiwis finished strong, edging clear of Neuville to strengthen their hold on seventh. They were promoted into sixth after championship-winner, Sebastien Ogier (France), crashed out on the power stage.

“All in all, it’s not been a bad weekend,” said Hayden. “We made a good start on the mixed surface, and we have certainly shown improvement on tarmac compared to this time last year.” (They finished ninth at last year’s event.)

Follow the leader

The final round of the year, Wales Rally GB, starting 12 November, presents Hayden with a big opportunity, as he’ll take Thierry Neuville’s spot as Hyundai’s lead driver.

The team made the decision to promote Hayden to help them overhaul Citroen for second in the WRC Manufacturers’ Championship. Currently they are third, four points adrift of the French team.

“It’s a rally we have good experience of and one that reminds me of rallying at home, in the middle of winter in the southern forests,” Hayden said.