Hayden Paddon: WRC Rally Finland

Everything is going according to plan here in Finland in preparation for this weekends rally. This is one of my favourite events and the fast nature of the roads suits me, so we are hoping for a good result.

Last week we completed a small test in Austria with our BRR team, and this was the first time back in the Skoda on gravel for almost 12 months. The car felt great though and despite some good changes, the purpose of the test was to really get myself accustomed to the car again. If you have not already seen it, you can check out our cool video from the test at:

Now in Finland, the weather has been a bit cooler than previous year and there could be some patchy rain throughout the rest of the week. This isn't expected to cause any problems other than keeping the dust down.

Today we completed the first day of recce. Although some stages are in different directions or configurations, it feels second nature returning to roads I know well or know the nature of. As I say I enjoy fast flowing roads, which is exactly what these are, with a few jumps thrown in for good measure. The roads look in there usual good condition but we will expect some areas to get a little soft and cut up.

The rally kicks off on Wednesday evening (Finnish time, NZ is 9 hours ahead) with shakedown, then the rally itself getting underway Thursday afternoon. There will be some very strong competition here including the R5 cars, but come Saturday evening we hope to be standing on the podium. We will be pushing hard.

You can keep up to date with us throughout the rally via our Facebook or Twitter pages which will also include some up-to-the-minute video and audio updates along with all the news. Overall rally results can be found on www.irallylive.com or www.wrc.com.

I am determined for a good result - it has been far too long, so now is the time to get it right. Look forward to keeping you posted.