Motorsport: Challenging start for Paddon in Rally Sweden

Hayden Paddon shakedown in Sweden. Photo / Supplied

Kiwi rally driver Hayden Paddon endured a frustrating start to Rally Sweden overnight and lies sixth among the the Super 2000 World Rally Championship contenders and 27th overall.

It is Paddon and co-driver John Kennard's first event in their new Skoda Fabia S2000 car and also Paddon's first event on snow.

It's clearly a learning experience for the pair, who are now based in Montgat, Spain, and they lost nearly eight minutes on special stage three after hitting a snow bank. They then punctured in one of the afternoon stages.

"It's been trying, but more frustrating that anything," Paddon said. "Losing nearly eight minutes stuck in a snow bank and then a puncture this afternoon didn't help.

"I'm struggling to feel at one with the car on what is a new surface, but this is getting better with each stage. Things just haven't quite gelled yet. Of course we keep learning with every passing stage and look to climb the SWRC leaderboard over the next two days."

Paddon showed encouraging speed as the day wore on and set the second- and third-fastest SWRC times on each of the four afternoon stages.

He faced temperatures of -10 degree Celcius at the start of the day - cold enough to guarantee full winter conditions, but not cold enough to make the roads solid ice.

Seven of the day's nine stages were across the border in Norway, the first stage taking competitors past the farm owned by Norwegian former world rally champion Petter Solberg.

Tonight's eight stages are largely north of the rally headquarters in the Swedish city of Karlstad and include the classic Vargasen stage, which features the famous Colin's Crest, named in memory of the late Colin McRae.