WRC opportunity knocks

Hayden Paddon’s super-fast times deliver WRC drive.

The blistering pace set by Hayden Paddon and John Kennard in the WRC2 this season has won them their first-ever drive at the top tier of world rallying.

The pair step up a level to compete with the WRC big boys at Rally de Espana in late October, having caught the attention of Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team.

A string of super-fast times in their S2000 Skoda Fabia has left not just dust and dirt in the Kiwi duo’s wake, but also big names on the WRC circuit such as Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala, who drive more powerful turbocharged cars.

” I don’t want to be in a WRC car just for a one-off event; this is what I want to make my career out of

Now the Qatar M-Sport team has handed Paddon and Kennard the chance to dish it up on the same terms, behind the wheel of a WRC Ford Fiesta RS. They are the first Kiwis to compete in the new-generation WRC car.

“To say I’m excited is an understatement,” said Paddon, “but I’m also focused on ensuring we make the most of this opportunity. I don’t want to be ina WRC car just for a one-off event; this is what I want to make my career out of.”

He and Kennard aren’t strangers to the Spanish rally, which mixes two days of tarmac with a day of gravel stages, and will have the benefit of a test run with M-Sport before the event.

“Naturally we want to be competitive and will be giving it our utmost to set some good times,” he said. “However, it’s also important to make sure we finish the rally to gain as much experience behind the wheel of a WRC car as we can.”