Hayden Paddon revisits his first WRC victory and explains what his expectations are for this year’s Rally Argentina.
What are your best memories of winning Rally Argentina?
“A lot of good of memories. Obviously, you never forget the first win, but to win it the way we did makes it more special. We have a lot of confidence going back there because once you’ve won it there’s only one way to go, so we obviously need to try to repeat the result again.”
How significant was it for your career?
“It was definitely a big relief – it wasn’t expected in that rally so it was a surprise. We’ve been trying to chase that result again, but since we won that rally things have gone wrong for us. But maybe Argentina is the reset we need to go back and put it right and go on from there.”
What are the biggest challenges of the event?
“It really depends on the weather. If it’s wet it can be very muddy, very rough, very slippery. If it’s dry the stages can become a bit rutted. The Sunday leg is probably one of the most challenging Sundays we have in the whole year with some stages that are very hard for the car.”
How confident are you of repeating your success?
“We have to take things step by step rather than trying to win straight away. We have to get back on the podium and put our year back on track.”
What are the strengths of the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC on gravel?
“In general, it’s a good balanced chassis and package. We have good suspension and a good engine. It’s just a matter of getting the set-up right for the different driving techniques we have in the team.”
How will you prepare for the event in terms of testing and specific fitness training?
“We’ve already done our pre-Argentina test. We did it in Portugal after Mexico. After Corsica, I went back to New Zealand and spent two weeks at home. It was a busy two weeks but we were trying to repeat the recipe of going back to New Zealand and then straight to Argentina for the rally and hopefully try to win.”
Argentina is famous for its steaks but as a professional rally driver what will you be eating before and during the event?
“Nothing wrong with a bit of steak – it’s good protein and it’s nice to try out a bit of local food. During the rally, we have our own catering team preparing defined meals we must stick to, but before and after the rally we try to have a few nice Argentinian meals.”
