Paddon's evolution into world rallying

Geraldine rally ace Hayden Paddon is set to have a hectic year after confirming his entry into eight rounds of the World Rally Championship.

The 22-year-old is set to test himself against the best in the world, a dream he has held for over a decade.

"I am excited to report that we have now confirmed our entry into the Production World Rally Championship.

"To be competing in such an extensive WRC programme is a dream come true for me and I cannot wait to get it underway," Paddon said.

Paddon's win in the Asia Pacific Pirelli Star Driver Scholarship allowed him and co-driver John Kennard to compete in Turkey, Portugal, Finland, Germany, France and Great Britain rounds, fully funded by the scholarship.

"Of these six WRC rounds, four are Production World Championship rounds, so to give us a full six round PWRC programme we have to compete in a further two events with our own team.

"These two events will be our home rally, New Zealand, and Rally Japan."

Paddon said the team was able to put these two events together thanks to the continued support from New Zealand partners and the Rising Stars scholarship it won late last year.

"It certainly all seems very surreal for now, but I am buzzing to go while also being realistic about the size of the challenge ahead."

Paddon will not be lost to the New Zealand Rally Championship, competing in selected events where there is no crossover with WRC events, including the International Rally of Whangarei.

"No doubt things will creep up very quickly over the coming weeks before John and I depart to the UK in early March for our pre-season training and testing with the Pirelli team."

Paddon said testing on his Evo9 would begin shortly, after a six-week rebuilding process.

"This cannot be hurried, as it is the time of year when every single nut, bolt and part gets dismantled and inspected to ensure we have a complete and reliable package to start the new season."

That car will be used in the rallies in New Zealand and Japan, and run by Team Green. Pirelli will supply the five scholarship winners with identical Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Xs for the six other rallies.

The Evolution X is a state-of-the-art turbocharged, four-wheel-drive car, built and maintained by Ralliart Italia.

The Pirelli initiative is really to search for the next generation of World Rally champions.

Paddon's 2010 World Rally Championship campaign: Rally Turkey April 12-18; Rally New Zealand May 3-9; Rally Portugal May 24-30; Rally Finland July 26-31; Rally Germany August 16-22; Rally Japan September 6-12; Rally France Oct 27-Nov 3; Rally GB November 8-14.

- © Fairfax NZ News