Hayden Paddon: Podium Result at Rally Finland

It is always a great feeling to finish on the podium in the spiritual home of rallying – Finland. Finishing 3rd today has got our WRC campaign off to a great start. It is also a relief to get back on the podium in the WRC and to be the fastest S2000 over the course of the rally was also pleasing.

Today was a trouble free day for us. We went at a steady pace on the morning loop when the stages were not too damaged and then took it easy on the afternoons rougher stages. It was also important to make sure we completed all the stages, as they are stages that we have not previously done, so great experience for next year. The famous Ouninpohja stage (one of the most famous and fastest stages in the WRC)… was awesome. I love the fast stages, and we spent a lot of time in the stage jumping. It will be great to return to it again next year with revised notes and commit 110% as that will be better than a rollercoaster.

We are happy with the result and considering how long it has been since we were last in the Skoda on gravel, it is also good. There is still more speed to come as we are not at 100%, as that last 5% will come with more seat time and experience. Our next event in Germany (in just 3 weeks time) will be an event where we hope to lift things another notch and climb further up the podium.

A huge thanks to our BRR team who done a fantastic job all weekend and were really tested with keeping the car going in the rough conditions. Also a huge thanks to John who did a great job especially on an event where there is no room for error. Also to Katie who done a fantastic job throughout the weekend keeping you all up to date. It was also great to have Dad here helping and supporting us along with Tony from Stadium Cars and many Kiwi supporters. Finally a huge thanks to all our partners and in particular VINZ, Stadium Cars, PlaceMakers, Giltrap Group, Z Energy and Telecom. You can check out all our videos and updates on our facebook page www.facebook.com/haydenpaddonwrc. Thanks again for all your support and now the work begins for Germany!