New Zealand’s leading rally drivers Hayden Paddon and John Kennard are feeling relaxed and prepared following the official shakedown run in their Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team-prepared Ford Fiesta RS WRC for Rally RACC/Rally de Espana which starts Friday evening (central European time).
Paddon says everything is going well as he and Kennard prepare for their first event in a full world rally car.
“We have done a few media activities and then had the shakedown stage this afternoon,” reports Paddon from the rally service park in the coastal city of Salou on Thursday evening.
“Consisting of one roundabout and four chicanes, the 2.5km tarmac shakedown stage didn’t represent the rally well, but it was good just to get some more time behind the wheel and continue the learning process of the Fiesta RS WRC,” he adds. “We were 10th fastest with a time of 1m 24.16s during shakedown which was not bad, with less than three seconds separating the top 10.”
Citroën driver Dani Sordo was fastest with a time of 1m 22.7s, 0.2s faster than Volkswagen Polo R driver Jari-Matti Latvala. Latvala’s team-mate Sebastien Ogier was third, one-tenth of a second further back.
Paddon adds: “The last two days of recce have gone well and our pace notes are working well. With the increased speed of a world rally car, we did contemplate having to re-write our pace notes pre-event, but after our test on Monday we have decided to keep developing our previous notes, which are now very good.
“Now we have a long wait for the start of the rally which officially starts on 6pm Friday in Barcelona. We then have three night special stages before finishing back at the service park at midnight.”
Rally de Espana continues with six stages per day on Saturday and Sunday including challenges such as Saturday’s two runs of the monster 42.04 km El Priorat stage which combines very fast tarmac and twisty, narrow sections, and Sunday’s twice-run 35.68 km test, Terra Alta, which throws up five surface changes from tarmac to gravel and back. The event finishes in Salou around 4.30pm on Sunday.
“I am really looking forward to get started and am feeling good in the car. However, it will be a matter of easing our way into it on Friday night stages, in readiness for more of a push on the Saturday daylight stages. John and I are both feeling relaxed and prepared, and enjoying working with the very professional M-Sport team, so let’s get the show on the road!”
Paddon’s debut WRC drive with the Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team came about largely due to Paddon’s performance at his most recent international event, WRC Rally Australia, where he was setting times faster than some WRC competitors while driving a less powerful, Super 2000-spec model. Between September’s Rally Australia and the 24 to 27 October running of this weekend’s WRC event in Spain, Paddon and Kennard also secured their third New Zealand Rally Championship title.
Rally de Espana is the penultimate round of the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship and Paddon joins Qatari team-mates drivers Mads Østberg, Evgeny Novikov, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Thierry Neuville.
Paddon and his team appreciate the support of Pak ‘N’ Save, VINZ, Giltrap Group, PlaceMakers, Z Energy, Stadium Cars, Telecom New Zealand, CP-Carrillo, Saddle Hill Quarries, Heartland Potato Chips, New Balance, Scott Sports, Total Automotive Timaru, Coxy’s Panel Repairs, Resene, All About Signs, Reaction Racing, In-Tune Automotive, Racetech, Chicane, Endless Brakes, Nichibo, Choice at Team Ralliart, Andar The Front Store, MCA Suspension, Tyre General, Dunlop, Pope Print, Bluebridge Ferry, ION, and 1Group.
