Rallying in conditions similar to those on his native South Canterbury roads, Hayden Paddon is well prepared to slog it out in the rain and mud at the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship's final round in Wales this weekend.
Paddon and co-driver John Kennard plan to push for a strong performance and will be taking the same approach as usual in their Hyundai i20 WRC car when tackling the traditionally wet and muddy Welsh rally roads.
His objective is to contribute a good points haul, alongside team-mate Dani Sordo, to assist the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team in its quest to regain second place in the WRC manufacturers' championship.
''We'll seek to prepare well and then push as hard as we can on the rally. Realistically, the best thing we can try and do for the team is score big points, and to do that we have to push. It won't be enough to just cruise and take points for the lower positions,'' Paddon, who confirmed a three-year contract with the Hyundai Motorsport team just two weeks ago, said.
Like all WRC competitors, New Zealand's leading rally driver had just a half-day test before this rally, which offered a chance to make small changes and confirm the gravel settings for his car.
''Fun in the mud. Good test today for Wales Rally GB. Were able to confirm settings for the wet muddy conditions and adapt the feeling to very fast and sometimes slippery Welsh forests,'' Paddon posted on social media earlier this week.
Many of the responses compared the photos of the drenched, mucky roads to those surrounding Geraldine, where Paddon hails from.
Paddon will be contesting the Welsh event for the sixth time - Kennard for his eighth - and even though he is familiar with the route, he says it is still challenging.
''Yes, it's a rally we have good experience of but that doesn't make it any easier. The early-winter conditions make for wet, muddy roads and very changeable grip levels. While I enjoy the fast nature of the stages, it's reading the grip levels which proves the most difficult,'' Paddon said.
Saturday, the longest day of the rally, features two night stages and Paddon said there was no experience like rallying at night.
''It's like tunnel vision and everything seems faster. John and I back ourselves that we write and commit to pace notes well, which works when visibility is low. So not only at night, but we enjoy the foggy stages too - which can also be part of this rally, as can snow, in wintry Wales.''
With 312 competitive kilometres and a huge 1145km of touring stages, the rally covers a large portion of mid and north Wales.
It begins on Friday but Saturday is the longest leg.
The first cars get under way before the sun rises and the two night stages mean competitors do not return to the service park until after 9pm.
Sunday's four-stage itinerary wraps up the rally and this year's WRC season.
After he slips and slides his way through this final round, Paddon's three-year Hyundai contract means he can then plan more for the future.
''For the time being, we keep doing what we've been doing, but we are also now planning more long term so we can keep moving forward.
''We'll be refining this year's systems in terms of training, preparation and pace notes so we can hit the ground running in Monte Carlo next year,'' he said.
