Hayden Paddon and John Kennard will compete in Rally Finland next month after much speculation among rally circles this past week.
Paddon announced the news via his Facebook page this morning.
"(I) can’t wait to tackle Rally Finland in a M-Sport Fiesta WRC car with John alongside.
"We still want to be in the WRC more regularly but we couldn’t keep sitting at home, so will give it everything," the 32 year old said.
In driving a Ford for the event, Paddon has had to move away from his Hyundai New Zealand commitments momentarily, but has the support of the brand in his home country.
"Firstly, a huge thanks to Hyundai NZ who have allowed and encouraged us to take this opportunity," he wrote.
"Big thanks to M-Sport who have been very welcoming and helped us put this together in a very short space of time, and a massive thanks to many of our original HPRG shareholders who keep believing in us and have ultimately made this opportunity possible."
"We are now working hard over the next four weeks to make sure we throw everything and the kitchen sink at this event."
"We will have a one day test to adapt to the car which, while limited, are confident that working with the M-Sport engineers will be sufficient enough,"
M-Sport’s Richard Millener is also excited about the prospect of Paddon joining the team.
The Kiwi will be eligible to score manufacturer’s points for the Cumbrian based squad, but has been encouraged to #sendit
“He’s a proven rally winner, and it’s great for us to have a driver of his calibre as we set our sights on another strong performance,” Millener said
“The deal came together pretty quick, so it’s great that we were able to do something at short notice. Hayden is extremely determined and has the potential to deliver a really exciting performance.”
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"We are now working hard over the next four weeks to make sure we throw everything and the kitchen sink at this event."
"We will have a one day test to adapt to the car which, while limited, are confident that working with the M-Sport engineers will be sufficient enough,"
M-Sport’s Richard Millener is also excited about the prospect of Paddon joining the team.
The Kiwi will be eligible to score manufacturer’s points for the Cumbrian based squad, but has been encouraged to #sendit
