Hayden Paddon's ongoing hopes of a return to the World Rally Championship have received a boost in the form of a homegrown New Zealand team.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2020
The one-time WRC event winner was set to take the wheel as the Hyundai New Zealand Rally team entered the second-tier WRC2 championship later this year.
Paddon and longtime co-driver John Kennard would contest three events in 2022 in the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car, before embarking on a full campaign in 2023.
The team's 2022 schedule would start in Estonia in July, before moving on to Finland in August and then concluding with the WRC's return to New Zealand in late September.
Paddon, who spent five seasons driving for Hyundai in the WRC before losing his contract at the end of 2018, said he was looking forward to rallying in Europe again.
"We have been trying so hard over the past two years to get back to the WRC. It's been tough with everything going on in the world.
"Together with Hyundai New Zealand we decided to take matters into our own hands, and launch a Kiwi team to take on the WRC2.
"This year we have planned a campaign which allows us to get up to speed with the awesome i20N Rally2 car, the car's development and team development, before undertaking a full seven-round campaign in 2023 with the sole goal of winning that championship title."
Despite several attempts to do so, the 34-year-old had not competed overseas in two years.
And while happy to race offshore again, Paddon said he was also excited by the prospect of the WRC's return to his home roads.
"I can't wait to compete on the awesome roads of Rally New Zealand again and show what the Rally2 car is capable of."
Every round of the WRC season featured WRC2.
To be eligible for the Rally2 category, manufacturers must have made at least 2500 examples of the road-going version of their nominated vehicle model in the previous 12 months.