Motorsport: Paddon fired up for Portugal rally

Hayden Paddon. Photo / Sarah Ivey

New Zealand rally driver Hayden Paddon can't wait to fire up his new Subaru car after three successful days of testing ahead of this weekend's Rally of Portugal.

Portugal is Paddon's first of six events he has nominated for his production world rally championship (PWRC) campaign after finishing third overall in his first attempt last year.

Working with Belgium rally experts Symtech for the first time, Paddon says the team have done a brilliant job of building a very good car.

Last week's two day test in Spain had been very productive with Paddon and Symtech engineers working to set the car up to his style of driving.

"Over the two days, we gained almost 1.5 seconds per kilometre in speed. The car responded to the changes well and we now have a good base set-up to tackle Portugal with.

"Of course, testing and the actual rally are two different kettles of fish, but I am feeling good going into the rally."

Paddon and co-driver John Kennard then completed another day of testing in Portugal with fellow PWRC competitors and the pre-event reconnaissance of all rally stages this week.

The rally starts with a three-lap run around a new super special stage in capital city Lisbon on Thursday.

Competitors and teams all then head to the event's home-base, the Algarve Stadium, near the southern coastal city of Faro.

"It is great to go back to an event that we have prior experience of, and Portugal was an event that I enjoyed last year.

"The hard base roads can be a little rough, but the majority offers a lot of grip.

"The car having tested so well, I am feeling very confident."

- NZPA