Motorsport: Paddon's keen to finish the business

Hayden Paddon says he's only young once and he's anxious to prove himself in the PWRC. Photo / Northern Advocate

Two-time New Zealand rally champion Hayden Paddon is about to become only the third Kiwi to contest a full FIA Production World Rally Championship (PWRC).

Nine of the 13 World Rally Championship events are specified as being PWRC rounds, and then competitors must complete six of those nine rallies in production-based Group N cars to be eligible for PWRC points.

The 22-year-old from Geraldine and his co-driver, John Kennard, won the Asia Pacific region's Pirelli Star Driver scholarship that has part helped fund the entire campaign.

"The PWRC teams run directly behind the WRC superstars like Sebastien Loeb, Mikko Hirvonen and WRC newcomer, ex Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen," said Paddon.

Four PWRC events - Finland, France, Germany and Britain - are also rallies Paddon contests as one of the Pirelli Star Drivers.

"With the Pirelli Star Driver campaign, we also contest Turkey and Portugal. But as these are not PWRC events, we will make up the six rounds needed to complete a PWRC campaign by adding our home event, Rally New Zealand, in early May and Rally Japan two months later."

Paddon was able to put together the additional programme and funding to compete in New Zealand and Japan after being named the inaugural recipient of the Rally New Zealand Rising Stars International Scholarship in November.

While in Europe, Paddon will drive a left-hand-drive Group N Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X. For the extra PWRC rounds in New Zealand and Japan, he'll be back in the Team Green Group N Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX, the car he used to win his place as a Pirelli Star Driver at Rally Australia last year.

The EVO X is the same car Mark Tapper used in his tilt at the PWRC championship as the first winner of the Pirelli Star Driver scholarship, but his foray into Europe was fraught with mechanical woes and dramas. Only one other Kiwi driver competed in a PWRC series - the late Possum Bourne

"It was a bit unfortunate Possum didn't get to complete it as obviously he got some good results and Mark had a horrid run last year. I think there's a bit of unfinished business for the Kiwis.

"We're using the exact same cars as last year and they've spent a lot of time in the off-season ironing out all the gremlins and I don't think we'll be having all the problems Mark had last year."

Even in tight economic times, if the passion is there and the drive to succeed is powerful enough anything is possible. And although it's been a hard road to get the package together to complete a full series, Paddon and his team are keen to get going.

"We sat down as a team and really thought that to get noticed overseas and compare ourselves with other international teams we had to put a full championship together. We're looking to the future and what's going to gain us the most attention," he said.

"I'm only young once and I've got to make the most of this opportunity."

The coming months will be busy ones for Paddon and his team as they continue to test and tweak their own New Zealand car before he heads off to Scotland in early March to begin training and testing with the other Pirelli Star Drivers.

He'll then travel to Italy for several days' testing on tarmac and gravel before coming home to New Zealand.

A few weeks later he'll be back on the plane to Turkey for the first Pirelli Star Driver race, April 14-18.

2010 FIA WRC
* (Hayden Paddon's events #; PSD is the Pirelli Star Driver)
* February 12-14, Sweden (PWRC)
* March 5-7, Mexico (PWRC)
* April 2-4, Jordan (PWRC)
* April 16-18, Turkey (PSD #)
* May 6-9, NZ (PWRC #)
* May 28-30, Portugal (PSD #)
* July 8-10, Bulgaria
* July 30- August 1, Finland (PSD, PWRC #)
* August 20-22, Germany (PSD, PWRC #)
* September 10-12, Japan (PWRC #)
* October 1-3, France (PSD, PWRC #)
* October 22-24, Spain
* November 12-14, Great Britain (PSD, PWRC #)