Oh for me it’s always going to be the Aussie V8s – or should that be the Kiwi-dominated V8s? We have excelled at unsettling the Australians for a while now, and I loved watching Scott McLaughlin once more humble the mighty Aussies in 2019.
The repeated attempts to slow the Mustangs – whether altruistic attempts to hold a parity line or a craven attempt to nobble DJR – missed the point.
It was the combination of Scott with that car and in that team that produced the Bathurst win and the championship title. Even Roland ‘Red Bull’ Dane, watching his title hopes go up in smoke, eventually admitting as much. Other Mustangs were occasionally on his pace but none were ever consistently as quick.
Somehow this almost makes up for Jim Richards being booed on the podium at Bathurst at the end of the Godzilla era. Almost.
The worst of times
On the back of his TRS win, and proudly wearing his Red Bull colours, Liam Lawson should have torn up the Euroformula Open Championship and finished much higher than he did in FIA Formula Three. Shows what a difference a savvy engineer and a decent team makes.
Others differ, but I’m convinced his jump into these categories – prompted at a late point in the build-up to the season and at the behest of Red Bull – was ill-advised. Far better to go do –and win – a ‘proper’ F4 championship like ADAC and season that with a win or top finish in the French or Italian F4.
In any case, the good result in Euroformula offsets the less dramatic end to his FIA F3 campaign – and 2020 becomes the year when Liam can – and must – demonstrate his resilience. the results will surely flow in 2020.
Our best performing world rally star ever got ‘Possumed’ in 2018 and suffered through an excruciating 2019, casting about for ‘next things’ that may include rallycross, e-rallycross or even circuit racing. The way Hyundai Motorsport treated Hayden Paddon at the end of the 2018 season as undoubtedly due to the embarrassment of riches in the driver market, but it immediately put me in mind of Possum Bourne’s summary excision from the Prodrive Subaru team.
In Possum’s case he had an excellent relationship with Subaru locally and with the HQ in Japan that enabled him to get access to late model works cars or ‘customer’ cars; Hayden retains an excellent relationship with Hyundai NZ and the dealer network but the motorsport operation doesn’t seem resourced or inclined to get him into a customer car even for a one-off at the newly resurrected Rally NZ.A huge shame, this guy still has the goods and has his best results ahead of him – in the right car. Increasingly, it does not seem that car will have ‘i20’ on it.
Crystal ball-gazing
Some pure blue-skies musings here.
1/ Hayden Paddon will contest Rally NZ – but not in a Hyundai. The current situation is terribly sad for Hayden and for rallysport in this country but the way forward for him right now wears a blue oval. I’m still impressed by the passion among the Hyundai dealer network, whose willing contribution to the ‘Paddon Tax’ got him his drive in the first place – but I don’t think Hyundai (WRT) can or will offer him even a one-off drive at Rally NZ.
In addition, while buying a top-level ‘Sebastien’ (Loeb or Ogier) has been an pathway to the title for a long time, the Fiesta does seem to have an edge, just a smidge more stable in corners with big bumps or small jumps in them.
Hayden currently shows little interest in competing at WRC level, but it’s hard to believe the passion and determination that drove him to this point can simply be extinguished. Stay visible Hayden. Everything happens for a reason. Even the ‘postponement’ of TCR NZ’s inaugural championship, which shuts the door on a top level circuit debut, may well turn out to have helped focus attention on our rally star.
With the best will in the world, I will also say that a one-off drive is the worst of hospital passes for Hayden. It takes more than one event to get into the groove and to get to grips with the foibles of a particular car. Would Hyundai even be interested? Hard to say. I almost get the impression the current line-up is a last-gasp push to take the title and that there might be a funding review at the end of the year if that doesn’t happen.
Even worse would be to try to use the AP4+ car. Though that car is very, very quick when seen up against New Zealand rivals, it’s not on WRC pace. The frustration of being almost there but not quite would lead any driver to over-reach and that would end in disaster. The AP4 has been fragile at times, especially in terms of its transmission. But such a DNF would put an end to his top-level rallying aspirations (if that has not already become the status quo).
As Hayden himself has noted, 2019 cost him more than $650k and delivered little.
Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport operation does have the capacity to run customer cars and is well experienced in doing so. So it’s up to whether the 32 year old is keen, whether customer car funding can be found, and whether he can bring his car home in a position that attracts the attention of team managers once more. That’s drawing a long bow, and there are many other factors affecting such an opportunity including the exit of Citroen from the WRC.
2/ Who else should be there, could be there, might be there if financial stars align? I interviewed Emma Gilmour mid-year and am firmly Team Emma, though like Hayden she’s a bit stuck at the moment due to her day job owning and running Gilmour Suzuki. I would note that Emma has done the yards at WRC level in a Ford, and is known and liked at M-Sport. A little like Hayden really.
3/ NZ/Aussie V8s: Scott McLaughlin will overcome the efforts to nobble his car with the new Mustang coming on-stream and win the championship again in a flying farewell that drives Roland Dane into a froth-flecked frenzy of protests. Having successfully tested and made the adjustment people like Marcos Ambrose could not, he will then leave to begin a new career with Penske in Indycars.
4/ No shock revelations, this is as obvious as his intention to come home and race: Liam Lawson wins Castrol Toyota Racing Series 2020. This time without the interference of the judiciary. Second is Renault F1 Junior Caio Collet, narrowly edging out Yuki Tsunoda.
Chelsea Herbert finishes in top ten, achieving her goal of getting to grips with single-seaters. Carries her big sponsor MTF with her into NZ endurance racing, ignoring the more costly and delayed TCR NZ. Mid-term prediction: goes on to secure ALMS GT class drive and/or contest the Porsche Carrera Cup.
5/ Nick Cassidy makes the perfect double that eluded him this year, taking both Super GT and Super Formula titles in Japan. This further cements his position with both Toyota and Lexus and earns him a Toyota Gazoo team WEC season in 2021.
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