Hayden Paddon has an opportunity to boost his tarmac time and will head to Europe next week to contest the Ypres Rally in Belgium on June 27-29.
A deal was struck recently with Symtech Racing, the team with which Paddon and co-driver John Kennard won the 2011 FIA Production World Rally Championship, and they will pilot a Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta S2000. Paddon will then stay on in Europe, returning to Austrian team BRR and Skoda for two WRC events, Rally Finland (August 1-3) and the asphalt Rally Germany (August 22-25).
Although Ypres and the Fiesta are firsts and he will be up against factory teams in a championship dominated by Super 2000 cars, Paddon relishes the chance to up his game.
''Ypres is one of the biggest events on the European Rally Championship calendar. The tarmac roads there will provide a real challenge, as they are unlike anything we have driven on. Likewise, driving the Fiesta for the first time will take a little adapting to. But this is all part of the process of developing myself as a driver, experiencing new events and challenging myself in different vehicles.''
The 59-year-old rally typically features 120 competitors from about 16 countries and has attracted up to 300 journalists from 19 European countries. Paddon is hoping to ''push for a podium'' to raise his profile and help him find a paid WRC drive for the following season.
The event, broadcast live on Eurosport TV, uses asphalt roads around the historic market town and its narrow stages through farmland feature drainage ditches, telegraph poles and tight junctions. Paddon will now not contest the national championship's Daybreaker Rally in Feilding, as it clashes with the Ypres Rally.
