IN THE KNOW —
Kiwi return to world rallying Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon returns to global competition this year with the recent news that he and long-time co-driver John Kennard will drive a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car in selected European events of the WRC2 category of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship. WRC2 is the home for all Rally2 cars, the sport’s second tier behind the new hybrid-powered Rally1 cars. In WRC2, drivers and co-drivers nominate seven scoring rounds and their best six results count towards the world championship. After Europe, they’ll bring the Rally2 car home to contest Rally New Zealand, running 29 September to 2 October, when our iconic roads once again feature in the WRC – the first time since 2012. Mitre 10 Trade continues its support for Paddon this year, following a highly successful debut partnership in 2021. “Our first year working together brought some awesome experiences for our Trade customers,” says Mitre 10’s Head of Trade and Commercial, Lance Spalding. “Even with our events calendar disrupted, the partnership enabled our customers to get behind the scenes with Hayden and his team. Hayden joined us at customer events, Trade BBQ breakfasts, a major Trade store opening, and our national conference. “It’s fair to say our Trade teams and co-op members are now fully onboard, and our entire network of Trade stores from Kerikeri to Invercargill are right behind Hayden’s 2022 campaign. He and his Paddon Rallysport crew of talented young Kiwis have gained a lot of new fans here at Mitre 10 Trade and we’re backing him all the way to the top in 2022.”
I am really excited about doing this WRC2 campaign with our own Kiwi team. Paddon, who counts Mitre 10 Trade among his key partners, is using this year’s WRC2 rallies in the 212kW Hyundai to prepare for a full seven-event campaign next year with the aim of winning the 2023 WRC2 Championship. Kiwi star Hayden Paddon will compete in Europe and New Zealand this year. He’ll use this Hyundai AP4 car to target his sixth New Zealand rally championship title.
In an exciting twist, the New Zealand pair are taking their Kiwi engineers and technicians with them to Europe to create a 100% New Zealand rally team. “I’m really looking forward to rallying in Europe again!” Hayden says, having not competed outside New Zealand for more than two years, with several possibilities to return to WRC competition interrupted by Covid restrictions. “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. So together with our commercial partners, we
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