Although life has become even busier for Hayden Paddon this year, since he signed with Hyundai Motorsport his head is clearer than it has ever been.
Paddon is back in New Zealand for the Otago Rally and preparing for the biggest year of his career.
In typical Paddon style, he is putting maximum effort into the pre-season.
The gym occupies three hours daily, then he sets aside an hour for mental conditioning, and the rest of his diary is dedicated to keeping his backers happy.
With three key funders and a factory drive, his schedule is full of promotional activities but they are a small price to pay for not having the financial worries that have plagued him over the years.
''It's always been very stressful, spending a lot of time trying to find funds for rallying.
"It's really nice not having that stress, of having the money side of things in the back of my mind.''
Under Paddon's deal with Hyundai, he will pilot its i20WRC car in seven rallies, beginning with Rally Italia Sardegna on June 5-8.
He is not resting on his laurels, just because he has secured the drive he has been working towards since he could first reach a steering wheel.
Being one of only 10 factory drivers in the world is not enough for the 27-year-old Geraldine driver.
''The next step is making the most of it. I want to make my mark,'' he said.
When Paddon looks into his crystal ball, he can see himself ''two or three years away from winning the WRC''.
He had his first drive in the i20 recently and was pleased.
It suited his driving style and was a nicely balanced car, similar to the Skoda Fabia S200 he drove last season.
''The car is still young, so every time I drive it, Hyundai are still developing new parts for it.
''Considering that, there is still a lot more to come.''
This weekend, Paddon is driving the BDA Escort he last drove at the Rally of Otago two years ago.
That is a comparative holiday compared with the pressure Paddon will be placing on himself in the WRC.
While he won the Otago Rally outright last year in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, his only classic outing here in 2012 ended with a puncture which cost him seven minutes while leading the classic field.
This weekend will break Paddon's seven-month rallying drought and he is itching to get some competitive kilometres under his belt along with ''having some fun and enjoying it''.
There is nothing riding on his result, except pride, making Otago a now rare but welcome outing.
''It's always quite nice and relaxing. I get to enjoy the pureness of the car, especially the two-wheel-drive.
''Despite the car being quite different to what we will drive in Rally Sardenga a month later, every kilometre behind the wheel provides a good warm-up for doing reconnaissance, writing pace notes, the timing and speed of an event overall.''
The International Classic Rally of Otago sports a star-studded entry list including 1994 world champion Didier Auriol, defending Otago champion Neil Bates (Australia), and many of New Zealand's best classic drivers such as Gore's Derek Ayson and Dean Buist, of Christchurch.
