WRC driver Hayden Paddon reviews his dominant win at Rally Otago in the weekend ……..
We have just arrived in the North Island after the long drive back following the weekends Rally Otago. It was a perfect start to our domestic season, with 17 wins from 17 stages and the overall rally win. It was a huge team effort not only during the event, but also during the preseason. They all richly deserved this result.
I have made no secret that Otago is one of my favourite events in the world. Why? The roads, the atmosphere and the history we have with the event. We have now won the rally 7 times, and winning it outright in a classic rally car back in 2015 is a career highlight. Not only is it my favourite rally, but as a team it is also our most successful rally. 7 wins, 1 second, 1 4th and 2 DNF.
Some people have asked do we enjoy it when the winning margin is so big? Yes is the simple answer. Firstly, I love driving, and doing it in a relaxed atmosphere with a small team of friends and family it really brings me back to my roots. Also in the car, John and I have our own personal goals of targeting stage records and fine-tuning the driving.
No matter what the stopwatch says, I can judge myself on how I completed the stage, how the car felt, how the pacenotes worked and what mental state I am in. It is all information I can collate to improve myself and fine tune. As a competitive sports person, you know if you have done a good job or not before you even see the results and in rallying, it is no different. It’s all in the ‘feeling’.
The feeling during Rally Otago was really good and felt very much like my old self – letting the driving happen naturally, enjoying it and even had the strong post rally blues back again (which must mean I had enjoyed it and missed it come Sunday night). It’s all positive signs for the future and things I will continue to build on at the next NZRC round in Whangarei in less than 3 weeks.
It was great to bring Hyundai New Zealand their third consecutive win of Rally Otago and to interact with customers before and during the event. It is humbling to have Hyundai owners feeling part of the experience with us.
Now it’s time to start again, with a 10 day window to reprep the car. I am really enjoying driving the truck around the country, getting my hands dirty in the workshop with the team and generally getting involved in all aspects – that’s the Kiwi way and that’s what I love. Keep an eye out for an opportunity to join me at the Hyundai New Zealand pre-rally Whangarei event. After Rally Whangarei, it will finally be time to get back on the plane and head back to Europe for our next WRC event in Portugal – mid May.
Thanks for all your support and see some of you in a few weeks in Whangarei.
Regards,
Hayden
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