Hayden Paddon returns with M-Sport… with the Ford Fiesta R5

He announced it, he kept his word. Hayden Paddon had indicated in the wake of his return with M-Sport in Finland after an exit from the road during preparatory tests, that he would do everything possible to return with Malcolm Wilson's structure before the end of the year.

The New Zealander will perform well with a Dovenby Hall creation at Wales Rally GB (October 3-6) and at the season finale in Australia (November 14-17), but not in the Ford Fiesta WRC as expected. L’ancien pilote officiel Hyundai se verra en effet confier une Fiesta R5 MKII for the occasion.

“After the disappointment in Finland, we absolutely could not let it end like this, and together with M-Sport we worked hard to find solutions, describes Paddon. I’m really looking forward to driving the new R5 in an event we know well and demonstrating its capabilities.

It’s also good to get more track time which, combined with testing both the R5 and the WRC, we were missing this year. But getting back in the car Rally of Australia will be the highlight. »

Close to his native New Zealand, Paddon hopes to put his best foot forward in the hope of securing a more complete program in 2020, while the transfer market has still not accelerated in the WRC.

“We do not treat these rallies as “the last chance”, nuance however Paddon. We want to relax and enjoy the whole experience that will allow the results to happen naturally.

We know these two rallies well and I feel like I’m at a good level. There's no reason why we can't get good results, but it's important not to chase them. You have to let them come naturally. »

Paddon had also recently revealed its project to develop an electric rally car, another area of ​​work for the Kiwi driver in his desire to secure a future in rallying.