Kiwi Hayden Paddon is confident his first World Rally Championship victory is not far away.8-year-old is predicting it will come this season after a superb second place in Rally Sweden.Paddon showed how talented he is with only reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier in front of him in the shortened Scandinavian event.
He finished 29.8s behind Ogier but also had a comfortable buffer to third place.
Paddon’s confidence comes after debuting his new generation Hyundai i20
“I think I can improve my driving style and also get more out of the new car.”
“It will be a natural progression.”
“As i increase my speed I will get closer to Seb and the Volkswagens.”
Paddon was also rapt to have matched his best ever result in Sardinia last year, as the surface in Sweden was not one he favoured.
“I much prefer gravel.”
Showing how tough Sweden came be, Paddon was the first non-European driver to finish on the podium.
Ogier led from start to finish to secure his third Rally Sweden crown and maintain his maximum points after the first two World Rally Championship rounds.
Paddon’s finish was not without some drama.
He and co-driver John Kennard successfully completed Sunday’s only stage but crossed the stage finish line with a water leak from the radiator after hitting a wooden post during the stage.
Paddon said fortunately it looked worse than it was
The pair swiftly carried out repairs on a hose before nursing their car 85 kilometres back to the service centre – a necessary requirement to complete the rally.
The result moves Paddon into fourth equal on the WRC drivers’ championship points table, after leaving the season opener in Monte Carlo with none.
He also scored 18 important manufacturers points for the team, who are now just five points off leaders Volkswagen Motorsport.
“A podium is a fantastic result for me and everyone in the team.”
Paddon said the late drama aside they had a good weekend.
“I have felt very comfortable in the new generation i20. We made the most of our road position when we had to, and refused to get drawn into a fight for the lead.”
Paddon said in the future he will fight more for the win.
“But there’s a bit more work needed on my driving and on the car set-up. We’re not far away and, for now, we’ll happily take second place.”
On the opening day Paddon got to grips quickly with his new specification car and won the final two stages to rocket up to second from sixth.
He retained his composure on day two and put in a superb drive that slashed Ogier’s lead to just 8.8s after the Vargasen winter wonderland stage that left the triple world champion looking anxiously over his shoulder.
Ogier then found another gear to ease away.
Mads Ostberg completed the podium in a Ford Fiesta RS, 25.8sec behind Paddon and 15.2sec ahead of fellow Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen.
Paddon’s teammate, Dani Sordo, finished the rally in sixth place.
Hyundai Motorsport team principal Michel Nandan said it had been an eventful week in Sweden, so to come away with a podium result was fantastic.
“Congratulations to Hayden and John – and to everyone in the team for a job well done.”
“Thanks to the drivers’ determination, we have been able to learn more about the new generation i20 WRC this weekend and pick up some important championship points.
“Mexico will be another learning experience with the new car but we can be pleased with our start to 2016.”