PADDON 'MORE DETERMINED' AFTER PORTUGAL INFERNO

THREE WEEKS AFTER HIS HYUNDAI I20 WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE IN PORTUGAL, HAYDEN PADDON WILL TACKLE RALLY ITALIA SARDEGNA (9-12 JUNE) WITH A BRAND NEW CAR - BUILT IN JUST A WEEK - AND ANOTHER PODIUM FINISH IN HIS SIGHTS.


Shortly after the high of his maiden WRC victory in Argentina, Paddon and co-driver John Kennard hit the ground with a bump in Portugal, when their car caught fire following an off on the opening day. 

Neither driver was injured, but the total loss of one of the latest specification i20 cars left Hyundai in a race against time to deliver a replacement from scratch for the next round. 

Paddon’s crew returned from Portugal earlier than the rest of the team to begin work at the squad's base in Germany and turned around the job in just seven working days.
And as he prepared to return to the coastal resort town of Alghero, where he celebrated his first WRC podium result in 2015, Paddon believed recent events had made him stronger.
Read more »