Kiwi rally driver Hayden Paddon has finished this year’s fast and hot Rally Finland in a very strong fourth place, With co-driver Seb Marshall, Paddon piloted his Hyundai i20 world rally car through the final four stages of the event on Sunday (EEST) netting three top four stage times on his way to his best-ever finish on the rally dubbed the Finnish Grand Prix.
Paddon’s pre-event goal was to in the top five early on so he could fight for a podium finish. He delivered a consistent performance with 16 top five stage times in the event’s 23 special stages. With Hyundai team-mates Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen out of contention, Paddon drove to team orders to secure the best possible manufacturers’ championship points for the team, which remains in the lead of the manufacturers’ World Rally Championship standings.
Paddon said: “On the whole, I’m really happy with the weekend. We have been able to keep pace with some of the event favourites, maintaining a consistent performance. Naturally, we would have preferred to score a podium, of course, but we took a measured approach to secure important points for the manufacturers’ championship. The final morning was all about taking it easy to bring the car home with a comfortable gap behind us. I’ve really enjoyed the stages this weekend, the car has been a joy to drive and it has given me the confidence I need. We are back on the right track.”
Paddon’s fourth place was the best result by a non-European driver in a decade, with Australian Chris Atkinson taking third in 2008.
Paddon’s next rally with the team is the new-to-the-WRC Rally Turkey in September, while the next WRC round is Germany in August.
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