The championship is not in the bag for the Kiwis just yet.
Having won four of the five rallies so far in their Hyundai i20 Rally2, Paddon and Kennard lead their respective drivers and co-drivers championships with 470 points, 85 points ahead of closest rivals Lewis Bates and Anthony Mcloughlin.
With 100 points available to the winner of Rally Tasmania, plus a potential ten-point bonus for the fastest through the power stage, the Kiwis were keeping their focus on doing what needed to be done to win the championship, Paddon said.
"The rally result is irrelevant, and we are not even aiming to win the rally," he said.
"While on paper, it looks that we just have to finish 12th or better, this being an endurance event, means we must finish both days of the rally.
"This shifts the focus from performance to reliability and safety. To be honest, as a driver, that’s makes it harder."
Rally Tasmania takes place inland of the northern town of Burnie and comprises 14 special stages and 217.02 competitive kilometres including the championship’s single, longest stage, a monster 44km run twice on Sunday.
Like the previous five rounds of the six-round ARC, Paddon and Kennard have not contested this rally before.
They will be using their tried and true pace-noting skills during the pre-event reconnaissance runs through each stage to learn all they can about the roads.
The Paddon Rallysport Group team also welcome a tour group travelling with them to Rally Tasmania and Paddon is looking forward to sharing the event with many Kiwi supporters. — Allied Media
