Paddon ready for anything at Czech ERC round

Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard know they can expect plenty of challenges at the sixth round of the 2024 FIA European Rally Championship, which is the Barum Czech Rally Zlín, running 16 to 18 August.

Paddon leads the drivers’ championship, holding a modest seven point lead over Frenchman Mathieu Franceschi with just two rounds after this one to go, so the Kiwi is staying focused on the ultimate goal of winning his second ERC title.

It’s the second time Paddon and Kennard have contested this unique tarmac rally which Paddon describes as one of the trickier ERC events.

“It is hugely dependant on weather as to what we will face on the rally,” says Paddon. “Yes, it’s a tarmac rally, but it’s often bumpy, dirty tarmac, so in places, it’s more like tackling a gravel stage than tarmac. To be fast on such a rally, you need to be confident.”

While the Kiwis won their first ERC title in Czech last year thanks to strong results on the first six rallies, this event saw their only DNF result of the season, so Paddon is looking for a stronger finish this year.

“We didn’t have the end here last year that we wanted, but the experience gained will help us a lot for this year to be better prepared for what is a very unique event.

“Again we know many locals will be fast but, at this point of the championship, our sole focus is on Franchesci as our main title rival. We can’t control what he does so will be doing the best job we can and making sure we can get the right feeling with the car in testing before the event.”

The pair line up in the BRC Racing-prepared Hyundai i20 Rally 2 car in a strong field to tackle 15 special stages, comprising 201.79 competitive kilometres.

Barum Czech Rally Zlín is based in the South Moravian university city, 300 kilometres south of the Czech capital Prague. It is a tarmac test like no other due to the bumpy and sometimes broken nature of the road surface. To add to the challenge, several stages feature high-speed blasts through forests and intermittent showers are always possible. While the weather might be hard to predict, huge numbers of fans follow the action, especially on the opening night-time Zlín superspecial stage.

Paddon Racing Group appreciates the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Mitre 10 Trade, Z Energy, Valvoline, Makita, Bars Bugs, Pirelli, OMP/Racer Products, Winmax Brake Pads, South Canterbury Road Safety, TrailLite, Repco NZ, Stedi, Highlands Motorsport Park, MITO, Machinery House, Design Windows, Bartercard, Mike Greer Homes, Provident Insurance, King Gee Clothing and Signbiz.

Keep up with Hayden Paddon’s news via the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/paddonracinggroup.