HAYDEN PADDON TO COMPETE IN RALLY AUSTRALIA

Hyundai confirm Hayden Paddon for Rally Australia – Photo: LAT

Hyundai have confirmed that Hayden Paddon will be the teams third driver for Rally Australia.

The Kiwi, who sat out of the last round of the World Rally Championship to make room for Andreas Mikkelsen, will replace Dani Sordo in the third car for the final round in Coffs Harbour in November.

The factory Hyundai team will run four cars for the penultimate round of the series, Rally Wales, something the manufacturer is expected to continue in 2018, with four contracted drivers.

Hayden Paddon competing at Rally Portugal earlier this year – Photo: LAT

“The complexity of logistics for Rally Australia meant that we were not able to run a four-car entry, although that would have been the ideal solution,” said Team Principal Michel Nandan.

“We had to make the decision based on which combination of crews we felt would give us the strongest all-round chance on the Australian gravel. Thierry scored our first Australian podium last year, an event that was won by Andreas and Hayden has made continuous improvements year-on-year in this rally.

“We want to finish the season in the most competitive way possible, to lay ourselves strong foundations for next year – that’s our aim.”

Kennards Hire Rally Australia will run between the 16-19 November.

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