Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard will return to the setting of their greatest success when they take to the stages in Argentina. Despite a mixed start to 2017, the Kiwi crew are confident in their abilities on gravel and are keen to get their season back on track.
Paddon said: “When you go back to a rally where you’ve got good memories, it’s very easy to be in a positive frame of mind. I would love to repeat that result again, although I’m obviously under no illusions as to how difficult that it will be. However, once you’ve won it once, you have to go back with the target of trying to win it again and that’s exactly what we are aiming to do. We have a good run of gravel rallies ahead of us and we should have a decent road position, so I’m determined that Argentina will be the real start of my season.”
Hayden Paddon: “Once you’ve won it once, you have to go back with the target of trying to win it again”
Meanwhile Dani Sordo and co-driver Marc Martí picked up their first top-three finish of the season in Corsica, ma
king it their fourth podium-scoring season in a row with Hyundai Motorsport. The Spaniards have been impressively consistent in their performances this season, across different terrains, so will be confident in their chances for another strong result in Argentina.
Sordo said: “The rallies in the Americas are always special events for me personally. The roads are really rough and there are always so many spectators. The atmosphere is fantastic, and we can really feel that support when we are on the stages. It gives us a boost. However, Argentina is an incredibly demanding rally for both car and crew, so we know that we will have to be at our absolute best to secure a good result. We always like to drive in Rally Argentina, so we are excited about our chances. It was great to score our first podium of the season in Corsica, despite it being a difficult weekend. I hope we can make a more confident mark on the next rally and aim for another top-three performance.”
Arrived in Argentina – seems im a bit headless from the travel ? @rallyargentina @HyundaiARG pic.twitter.com/EyongQMlAu
— Hayden Paddon (@HaydenPaddon) 24 April 2017
