{"id":405210,"date":"2026-01-11T01:03:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T01:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/405210\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T01:03:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T01:03:12","slug":"how-one-email-put-hayden-paddon-back-in-the-wrc-with-hyundai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/405210\/","title":{"rendered":"How one email put Hayden Paddon back in the WRC with Hyundai"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"How
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHayden Paddon, pictured in 2018 at Rally Australia, next to then-Toyota driver Ott Tanak.<\/p>\n

Paddon thought \u2013 why not me?<\/p>\n

On a whim, he sent an email to Hyundai offering his services to the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was lying in bed one night and thought, bugger it,\u201d Paddon told Speedcafe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat have I got to lose? Just to send an email off to a couple of the people there and say, look, I\u2019m pretty realistic when it comes to things, I know that we\u2019re a long shot and we\u2019ve been out of the game for a long time, but I\u2019d also regret it if I sat there and did nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt did no harm. I just flicked a message off to a couple of people that we know well and just said, we\u2019re still motivated, we\u2019re still keen, I still believe we can offer value to the team from, an experience, and maybe a testing development point of view.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just started from there and then it happened pretty quickly, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the reply came \u2014 \u201cYou\u2019re in\u201d \u2014 and confirmation that Paddon would be competing<\/a> in arguably one of the most gruelling rallies, Monte Carlo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess when it comes back and says that you\u2019re in and you\u2019re doing Monte, there are probably a lot of nerves, shall we say,\u201d Paddon chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cMonte was not really the rally I would probably expect for myself. But in saying that, the reasoning behind it and talking with the team gives us confidence of what we need to go there and do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is there are not many drivers that are comfortable with Monte, because it is one of the most challenging events.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just have to go on with a steady head and lean on our experience over recent years and a lot of tarmac rallies and a lot of tricky conditions and back ourselves to do that job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hayden<\/p>\n

Hayden Paddon during the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship Rally Australia.<\/p>\n

Eight years on from his last start with the Korean manufacturer, Paddon will reunite with Hyundai to contest a series of events as a part-timer.<\/p>\n

Paddon will share his car with WRC veteran Dani Sordo of Spain and Esapekka Lappi of Finland.<\/p>\n

While Paddon is soon to achieve his dream of a WRC return, he is well aware of his role in the team\u2019s third car alongside full-timers Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very different to what it was when we were there last time when you\u2019re young and ambitious and trying to prove a point,\u201d Paddon explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time it\u2019s about going with a mature head on the shoulders if you like. It\u2019s about playing a team game. We\u2019ve been given pretty realistic expectations to begin with.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just going to get in there and be the backup really \u2013 more so that if Thierry or Adrien, who are going to be pushing for wins and who are capable of it, have any issues, that we\u2019re able to still be able to secure some strong enough manufacturer points.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinishing, and being reliable, and being consistent are probably the key factors. For me, the big picture with all this is potentially being involved with testing and development work across all the cars and ultimately trying to help the team in all areas that we can add value.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FIA World Rally Championship season opener takes place at Monte Carlo on January 22-25.<\/p>\n


\"\"\/
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