The last time the battle lines were drawn between Hayden Paddon and Kris Meeke, they crashed.
That was Rally Portugal 2018, where both men took turns in the lead but would ultimately fail to make the finish.
Seven years on, the Hyundai i20 Coupe and Citroën C3 WRC cars have been traded for a pair of Ford Escort Mk2s, and Portugal swapped for New Zealand’s Otago Rally.
For the first time in a decade, Paddon will start the event with a BDA soundtrack beneath his right foot, and will take on Meeke who returns after making his Otago debut last year – setting up a tantalizing battle between two former greats of the world championship in two iconic cars.
“As much as I’ve always wanted to do something like this, at the end of the day I’ve got to put our partners first,” Paddon told DirtFish.
“Obviously it’s not brand appropriate but this year I asked the question again and they [Hyundai New Zealand] were supportive of us doing it, and that was the key for me to actually make any discussions go any further.”
The last time Paddon drove a Mk2 on the roads around Dunedin, he sensationally managed to win the rally outright.
“Let’s face it, a BDA ain’t going to win the rally outright again!” he laughed. “The technology of four-wheel drive cars has come on a bit and obviously the guys at the front are driving at a good level.
“So first and foremost, we want to have fun. We want to put on a show for the spectators. But I think secondly, and I’m sure it’s the same for Kris, it’s about the battle that we’re going to have amongst each other as well because at the end of the day we’re all competitors and while we love driving, you actually just can’t beat competition as well.
“I think it’ll be a good battle and I’m sure we’re going to be egging each other along, having some fun and giving each other a bit of stick. So yeah, hopefully it should be good for not only us but for the spectators.”
It should be an epic battle, as while Paddon has more experience of the New Zealand roads, Meeke has more miles in a Mk2.
“I haven’t driven a rear wheel drive car in 10 years actually, so we’ll have a small, probably a 50 kilometer test before the rally and then straight into it,” Paddon said.
“Yeah, for sure we know some of the stages, not all of them, some of them haven’t been used for quite a while, but hey, at the end of the day, it’s a fun event, so we’re not going to get wrapped up in who has the advantage or who doesn’t.
“We’re just going to both go there and drive the car for what it is, enjoy ourselves, and at the end we’ll see who comes out on top on Sunday afternoon.”
Paddon’s ‘dream come true’
Straight after the conclusion of the competitive event, Paddon will run back to the start of the Kuri Bush stage and, with special dispensation from the event organizers, jump into his Hyundai i20 WRC – the one he conquered Rally Argentina in back in 2016.
“We’ve always sort of joked about it here in New Zealand about how cool it would be to have a WRC car through that stage, and it’s obviously a stage that we all know pretty well now as well,” Paddon beamed.
“So the opportunity to be able to do it with a car that’s obviously got a pretty special meaning to us is going to be pretty cool.”
But equally a culture shock, having just driven that same stretch of road in a Mk2 Escort!
“Yeah, that’s probably actually going to be the biggest challenge,” he admitted. “After two days of driving the BDA, then hopping into something that’s going to be a lot faster.
“But yeah, at the end of the day, I’m not going to push it to the absolute limits. Obviously, we want to drive at a decent pace to see what time the car can do, but we want to obviously look after that car and drive well within ourselves.”
Paddon last drove his Argentina-winning i20 at the Ashley Forest Rallysprint late last year
Paddon’s not the type to get particularly emotional, but driving Kiri Bush in the car that gave him his one WRC victory clearly means a lot to him.
“If you ever asked me what would be the favorite stage and favorite car, I’ve probably got the two right there at our fingertips,” he smiled. “So, yeah, it literally is what dreams are made of, to be able to do this because obviously we wouldn’t be able to run that car for the whole rally.
“So to be able to do that one off stage, and it’s probably the most iconic stage in New Zealand, and for me it’s basically a version of Finland in New Zealand. The difference is that it doesn’t really have the jumps, but what it doesn’t have in jumps, it makes up for in commitment you need over blind crests that are always turning.
“So it’s equally as demanding, and then the amount of commitment you need on that sort of road is equal to what you need in Finland.”
The run is sure to be a fight between the devil and angel on Paddon’s shoulders; the devil egging him to set a new stage record, and the angel reminding him of the value of the car.
“I’ve just got to drive within my comfort levels, really,” Paddon added.
“You know, you can probably drive that car at seven tenths and it will still be fast and it will still put on a good show for the spectators but have enough of the safety element built into it.
“So yeah, obviously don’t let the safe-side dictate everything, but hopefully I’m smart enough to be able to manage it, I guess.”
