Hayden Paddon:
Fighting for a
world rally
future

After taking his maiden P-WRC win on home soil in New Zealand back in May, Paddon reckons he’s worthy of financial support, a view shared by several WRC insiders following a strong showing this season by the young Kiwi.

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“Competing away from New Zealand took me out of my comfort zone but I was happy with my performances in what was really a learning year,” said Paddon. “I’m fully committed to this sport, it’s what I want to do. No New Zealander has competed at the top level on a full-time basis before and I want to be the first.”

He continued: “I was very grateful for the opportunity the Pirelli drive gave me but the regulations meant we weren’t able to change the set-up of the car and tune it into my style,” said Paddon. “We’ll get a higher-spec car for next year and continuing with Ralliart will be very good for me. They know what they’re doing having won the last two championships.”

With P-WRC registrations closing on January 4, time is not on Paddon’s side in his bid to raise the backing. “Even if we don’t have all the funds then we might have to bite the bullet and put the entry in, otherwise we’ll miss out. The next two weeks are going to be pivotal to my future in the sport.”

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