Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have been offered the exciting opportunity to contest WRC Rally Paraguay with Hyundai Motorsport.
When WRC ueno Rally del Paraguay gets underway on 27 August, it will be 2839 days since Paddon’s last appearance on gravel in the top WRC class. That event was 2018 Rally Australia, where he finished second for Hyundai with co-driver Seb Marshall.
Making this event even more special is the opportunity to return to top-level rallying on the continent where Paddon and Kennard made history with their victory in the 2016 WRC Argentina Rally, becoming the first New Zealanders ever to win a round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Paddon is understandably excited to finally get a chance in the Hyundai i20 Rally1 car on gravel, just a week after he contests Rally Hawke’s Bay at home with Jared Hudson as his co-driver.
“It was never in the initial plan this year; the original contract was for the three tarmac rallies,” he explains.
“Obviously we’ve been pushing to have that opportunity on gravel. It’s where we feel comfortable and where I think things are going to happen and click a little bit easier.
“It’s a privilege to have this opportunity and to return to South America where there’s some pretty fond memories of ten years ago. Obviously it’s a different country, different stages, but similar kind of vibe.
“We’re going into the rally in a supporting role, as before, but with nothing to lose and under no illusion about how tough a rally it will be, because there’s no substitute for seat time at this level. Ten years ago we were driving these cars most weeks, now it’s four times a year with some short test days.”
Before the 27-30 August event, the Kiwis get one day of testing in the Hyundai i20 Rally 1 on gravel.
A large group of Kiwi rally fans will be travelling to Paraguay to support Paddon and Kennard.
Based in the city of Encarnación, near the Argentina border, the event promises a mix of smooth red-earth stages and trickier technical sections through dense vegetation. While the surface is mostly soft and fast, deep ruts and sudden changes in surface conditions are expected to keep drivers guessing throughout the weekend.
PRG appreciates the support of their partners including Hyundai New Zealand, Caltex Havoline Oil, Mitre 10 Trade, Winmax Brake Pads, Bar’s Bugs, EROAD, Ben Nevis Station, Wipertech, Design Windows, MITO, Repco, Machinery House, King Gee, KiwiFibre, TrialLite, Hankook, Z Energy, Blaster and Signbiz.
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Header Image: Hyundai Motorsport
