Hayden Paddon continues his progress

Hayden Paddon was lined up in third Hyundai i20 WRC in the second team of the Korean team on the occasion of the Rally from Finland. Starting cautiously, the young 26-year-old New Zealander gradually increased the pace, and took advantage of the setbacks of Thierry Neuville (bar damaged on the second day and forced to retire) and Juho Hänninen, who also rolled over on the second day, to prove himself the best representative of the brand.

But at the very end of the rally, Paddon had to deal with recalcitrant power steering, causing him to lose his advantage over Hänninen during the last three stages of the 4th stage. Finally 8th behind the Ford Fiesta RS of Elfyn Evans, he preferred to improve his progress throughout the event. “It wasn't the end to the rally we were hoping for but overall I think we did a good job this weekend. We encountered some power steering issues from the 1st SS on Sunday, which is precisely what you don't need when tackling the fast stages in Finland. I quickly felt it in my arms at the end of SS25! We took no risks and just brought the car back to the finish. I think I learned a lot this weekend. I felt totally comfortable in the car and it was without a doubt our best rally yet – even with today's problems. We have shown what we are capable of, but there is still a lot to come with our next rally in Australia. » Paddon said.

It is the Frenchman Bryan Bouffier who will join the Hyundai team in the third i20 lined up from August 22 on the first special stages of the Rally Germany.

Find the report of the Rally Finland, produced by our special correspondents in Jyväskylä, in issue 1972 of AUTOhebdo, already available in digital version, and on newsstands tomorrow.