Kiwi rally driver Hayden Paddon.
There is an element of driving blind for Hayden Paddon as preparation ramps up for his return to the World Rally Championship for the first time since 2018.
The Kiwi will traverse Rallye Monte Carlo starting later this week after his shock call-up for Hyundai last month as a part-time driver.
Paddon will share the Korean manufacturer’s third car throughout the season with Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo.
The trio will alternate rallies in support of full-time drivers Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux in Hyundai’s quest for the manufacturers’ championship.
Paddon said Monte Carlo prep is always unique, but it is complicated by their lack of recent experience in Monaco.
“We’re over here for three weeks basically for one rally with all the testing and the tyre preparation, and obviously there’s been a bit of study of pace notes and videos back home over the off-season.
“But we actually have no pace notes or anything, so that actually makes it a little bit harder to be able to prepare how you’d like to because you don’t have the information until we actually start the recce.
“Other than that, just trying to get gelled in with the team and have been in the workshop a couple of times and meeting a whole lot of people.”
Rallye Monte Carlo is famous for its slippery conditions. Asphalt roads commonly sport ice in wintery conditions, necessitating frequent tyre changes.
The narrow roads up through the Alpes-Maritimes and Hautes-Alpes mean weather shifts are constant, forcing teams to adjust their approach.
“Even now, it’s too far away to look at the long-range forecast to have an accurate expectation of what the stages are going to be like,” said Paddon. “The stages can be full snow, they can be black ice, they can be dry, they can be wet, and they’re changing on a daily basis.
“The biggest thing that affects is obviously your tyre choice, and you’ll often find you’re always on a compromised tyre choice. It’s trying to find what’s going to be the fastest combination, which in most cases isn’t necessarily going to be the best combination.
“It is a rally that’s a little bit more tactical, and if the conditions are tricky, it can actually favour our approach, which is not about necessarily pushing, but trying to keep it clean and that can sometimes bring a good result.”
The 2026 Monte Carlo event will tie in the famous Formula 1 circuit, thundering through the streets of Monaco.
Paddon said their goal is to make as few mistakes as possible.
“Our mindset going into the rally is simply about trying to be clean and just finish. It’s simply unrealistic to even expect that we can be semi-competitive, and it’s not the target the team have given us.”
Paddon said he works closely with fellow Hyundai drivers Neuville and Fourmaux.
“Primarily, the team’s first focus is trying to win the manufacturers’ championship. To do that, everyone’s got to work together, and our role as the third driver is to try and come in and assist.
“Some of the testing that we do is testing that’s focused around the whole team, not just setting up a car for us. Likewise, when we’re on events, it’s about what data and information can we give our two teammates who are full time. They’re doing all the rounds. So, they’re the ones who are going to be fighting for the championship, and we want to try and help that.”
Special Stage 1 of Rallye Monte Carlo starts at 4.05am on Friday.
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.