![\"Paddon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Hayden-Paddon-pre-Monte-Carlo-media-day_1.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWRC driver Hayden Paddon.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWRC driver Hayden Paddon.<\/p>\n
Paddon was a surprise call-up for FIA World Rally Championship powerhouse Hyundai this year to contest a part-time program.<\/p>\n
Even more surprisingly was putting Paddon in for Monte Carlo, a notoriously tough rally and one with bad memories for the New Zealander.<\/p>\n
During the opening stage of the 2017 Monte Carlo Rally, Paddon hit black ice and slid off the road. His car rolled, and a spectator was killed.<\/p>\n
Until this year, Paddon had not competed at Monte Carlo since that fatal accident.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I\u2019ve dreaded coming back to this event over the last six weeks since I got the call,\u201d said Paddon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never wanted to come back to this place, but it was obviously an amazing opportunity and I\u2019ve loved it.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom this, I think I can move forward now, it\u2019s like a weight off my shoulders. To be fair, I probably should have come back here eight years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I moved on but when I got told I was coming back. This has been the most challenging six weeks of my life, but I\u2019m a professional and I knew what my job was to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Hayden](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Hayden-Paddon-John-Kennard-WRC-Monte-Carlo-Saturday.jpg\")
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Hayden Paddon during Rally Monte Carlo.<\/p>\n
In tough conditions, Paddon and Kennard finished the 2026 Monte Carlo Rally just outside of the top 10 in 11th.<\/p>\n
They had run as high as seventh before going off the road and into a snowy paddock on SS12. Spectators helped push Paddon back onto the road to resume the rally.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got to the finish which was obviously the first objective,\u201d said Paddon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it was going to be a big learning process, and the conditions made that learning process a lot harder than it should have been.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes we had some good splits, less than a second a kilometre off the times of our teammates, so there were a few positives but we didn\u2019t put it together consistently enough over the weekend. Conditions were very hard to be learning the car as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monte Carlo represented the first competitive outing for Paddon in a current Rally1-spec car.<\/p>\n
The last time he competed in the WRC at the top level was 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe conditions were tougher than what everyone expected and it didn\u2019t get any easier as the rally went on,\u201d Paddon explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe margin for error was very small, knowing our job was to finish the rally.<\/p>\n
\u201cDriving was a balancing act which I struggled to get right. But it\u2019s Monte Carlo and you\u2019ve got to remind yourself you\u2019ve very lucky to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall, the rally was won by Toyota\u2019s Oliver Solberg. Second went to teammate Elfyn Evans, who wound up 51.8s behind while Sebastien Ogier made it a Toyota podium lock-out in third.<\/p>\n
Paddon\u2019s full program for the remainder of the year is still to be announced.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/285249.gif\")