As the anticipation builds for the commencement of the new European Rally Championship (ERC) season, Hayden Paddon is preparing for the opening round, Rally Hungary. With the event marking a significant shift back to gravel, Paddon and co-driver John Kennard are excited to again be working with BRC Racing in their 2024 campaign.
The Hungarian round of the European Championship, which is now on the calendar for the fifth time, will be held on 12-14 April in and around Veszprém, on gravel stages. Competitors will be challenged with 192 kilometres of competition over 13 special stages.
“I’m looking forward to getting the new season underway, and obviously Rally Hungary is a brand-new rally for us,” said Paddon, setting the stage for his return to competition after a 5-month off-season. “It is for a lot of people as well, being that it’s back on the gravel, normally it is on the tarmac.”
Having 52 ERC competitors entered at Rally Hungary, Paddon emphasized the challenge ahead. “There are some local competitors that do have some knowledge, but nevertheless, we’re looking forward to getting the season started. We’re pretty comfortable with the car and gravel, so the goal is to put together a strong result.”
“If we can start the championship with a podium, then the target has a minimum. But obviously, we’ll be going there to put our best foot forward and be as competitive as we can,”.
Being a championship with depth in the competition, Paddon highlighted one key contender to watch out for. “We’re expecting probably tougher competition than last year, you know, everyone’s upping their game, particularly I think Mads Østberg will be the key person to watch. He’s competed in the Hungarian Championship quite a lot, so he knows the roads and he has a good package this year.”
“So yeah, really looking forward to it, as I say, it’s a long Championship, one foot in front of another, just get some points on the board for this first round, set ourselves up, and then we can continue developing as the season progresses.”
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