New Zealand rally driver, Hayden Paddon, is working on securing selected drives in a World Rally Car in 2013, with a definite entry in Rally Australia, according to SpeedCafe.
Paddon, who will tackle his final event for the year this weekend at Rally Spain, has attracted a rare one-off sponsorship deal with Red Bull for the Spanish rally in their Skoda Fabia which is prepared by respected Austrian outfit Baumschlager Rallye and Racing.
The Austrian squad which is run by Raimund Baumschlager, a former VW Works driver and multiple Austrian champion, has continued its development push with Paddon’s Skoda. Paddon and Kennard were leading the S2000 WRC standings mid-year after wins in Portugal and New Zealand, until dramas struck in the second half of the season.
“The team has so much knowledge and experience and they are constantly developing the car,” said Paddon.
“Since the last time we drove this car on gravel in GB they have done another two versions of the dampers and are working with diffs. They have been running these cars for five years now and are still not standing still.”
Paddon's season didn't end quite the way he would have liked, with an engine problem at Rally Finland and an electrical issue at Wales Rally GB ending his hopes of winning the S2000 Championship.
“There are a few options for next year and our management is here in Spain this week having some discussions with our current team,” Paddon told Speecafe.co.nz
“We’ve always said that we’ll try and do some rallies in a World Rally Car as a priority and that’s still the same.
“Rally Australia is probably a definite in moving into a WRCar. It’s a rally we know and is similar to NZ and is close to home for our supporters to come over to."
Source: www.speedcafe.co.nz
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