Last year Hayden Paddon received a huge WRC confidence boost after winning the Otago Rally in a 2WD Escort - so what will winning it by a record-breaking margin in 2016 do for his driving?
Paddon and co-driver John Kennard head to Rally Argentina from Friday to Sunday fresh off finishing more than nine minutes ahead of their nearest New Zealand Rally Championship rival earlier this month.
In 2015, after Otago, they went on to a top 10 finish at Rally Portugal then scored Paddon's first WRC podium a few weeks later at Rally Italy. Certainly his mind-set will be positive leading into this year's only South American WRC event in the new-generation i20 WRC car.
‘‘I have always said Rally Otago is one of my favourites and to win it for the fifth time is a nice bonus. But the priority of the weekend was never about the result, it was about enjoying ourselves on some amazing roads and developing this car for the future,'' he said.
‘‘Of course we had to have a go at some of the stage records [he broke 16 out of 17], including the final stage, Kuri Bush, which was one incredible roller coaster.''
Up and down is perhaps the best way to describe Paddon and Kennard's Argentina results. In 2011 they won the Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) category there but last year they had a tough WRC car debut on the challenging roads.
While they managed to set some top-five times, two car-breaking incidents left them in 16th place overall. It was also an emotionally fraught rally, after their car collided with and injured six spectators who had disobeyed race regulations and were watching the event from a prohibited spot.
Based in Villa Carlos Paz, 700km out of Buenos Aires, this week's rally combines soft, sandy roads that become heavily rutted for the second pass, rocky, narrow mountain roads, many river crossings in the valleys and the potential for fog and even ice in the mountains.
The sheer number of fans out watching the action made this event extraordinary as a competitor, Paddon said.
‘‘The thing that always stands out about this rally is the atmosphere and the hundreds of thousands of spectators that line the stages - that makes it special. In terms of the roads, it's not really my favourite rally, but we will put that behind us and try and bring home another top-five result.''
After Argentina, Paddon, who is fifth in the WRC points standings, will return home to contest the International Rally of Whangarei from April 30 to May 1.
