Hayden Paddon carries a big mission into his WRC gravel debut with the Hyundai Rally1 in Paraguay. The New Zealander heads to South America with high ambitions, not just to log miles but to push for a strong result.
“I’m very excited to finally be on gravel with the car, and to be doing it in South America makes it even more special. It feels like a full-circle moment,” said Hayden Paddon.
Paddon refers to his only WRC victory to date, achieved in Argentina ten years ago. However, his preparation has not been ideal—he has very limited gravel experience with the current car, so he will need to get up to speed quickly from the start of the rally weekend.
Yet the first kilometres have given him reason for optimism. “Our mileage on gravel is limited to just two short tests, but from the very first kilometre I felt at home in the car and on the surface,” he said.
“I know the car reasonably well now from our tarmac events, and gravel is my comfort zone, so it’s a matter of combining the two and getting up to speed as quickly as possible,” added Paddon.
To compensate for the limited testing, Paddon has relied on thorough preparation. He also gets a slight advantage from the fact that 40% of the route is new this year.
“We’ve spent a lot of time studying videos and data to prepare, and the fact that 40% of the route is new this year helps us a little,” explained the gravel specialist.
Paddon’s target in Paraguay is different from his previous tarmac events. “The target is different to our tarmac events – this time we want to drive flat out, give it everything we have and deliver the strongest result possible for the team,” he concluded.
Read Also
Takamoto Katsuta mengincar hasil manis di Rally Paraguay 2025, tapi waspada dengan permukaan jalan licin dan minim cengkeraman yang ia alami tahun lalu.
Nasib Hyundai di WRC 2026 masih belum jelas. Bos tim Andrew Wheatley buka suara soal regulasi baru, Rally2, dan kemungkinan mundurnya pabrikan Korea.
AI memprediksi sisa WRC 2026: Sami Pajari kandidat juara usai dua kemenangan beruntun, Ogier ancaman, dan Katsuta siap menggagalkan di Chile.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!