Hayden Paddon has been one of the biggest surprises at WRC Paraguay, even leading the rally at one point. But a tyre failure hampered his progress, dropping him to second. While many top drivers have heavily criticised tyre supplier Hankook's products, Paddon opted not to join the chorus of blame.
Paddon, competing in only his first gravel rally of the season, sits just over ten seconds behind rally leader Sami Pajari. A puncture on Friday evening cost him the lead, but the Kiwi remains unfazed.
“I haven't driven the tyre enough on other gravel rallies to know what's normal and what's not. Everyone's had this. At least it hasn't just been one person. It's not what we want to see in rallying, of course, but I'm sure there are many different circumstances to it as well,” Paddon noted.
With extremely high road temperatures and abrasive surfaces, the conditions are brutal. Yet Paddon is puzzled why similar issues didn't appear in Greece, which has comparable terrain. “I don't have enough experience with the tyre to really know,” he added.
Weather will add another layer of complexity on Saturday and especially Sunday, with heavy rain forecast. Paddon stressed the importance of a measured approach. “This rally ain't going to be over until the last stage. Even one or two minutes at the moment is not safe. So it's just day by day to get through. It's a bit like a Dakar Rally approach,” he said.
“We're just trying to play the long game, not looking into stage times and things like that, because ultimately that's not what's going to win the rally at the moment. Maybe on Sunday, but for now we've got to play the long game.”
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