Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have started Rally de Portugal, the fifth round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship. The Portuguese rally officially got underway on Thursday evening (European time) with a super special stage on the mixed surface Lousada rallycross circuit where two cars at-a-time run alongside each other for two laps in front of around 35,000 fans.
Paddon described his seventh fastest stage time as a “clean, no fuss start to Rally de Portugal”.
Paddon and Kennard were also seventh fastest through the 4.61km shakedown stage run on Thursday morning.
Following the Thursday evening super special, Paddon said: “Time to get a good sleep and have a good go tomorrow morning.”
Friday’s first full day of rallying takes crews north from the host city of Matosinhos for 132km of competition broken into eight stage, including a new 1.85km street stage run twice on Friday evening in the centre of Porto.
Paddon and Kennard will be second on the road behind three-time WRC champion Sébastien Ogier courtesy of their second place in the drivers’ championship standings.
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