Hayden Paddon says his run to second at Rally Paraguay “felt like a win” and provided an answer to those who “thought we were a bit of a joke of a signing”.
The New Zealander returned to the WRC’s top flight this season for the first time since 2018 after Hyundai signed the driver alongside Dani Sordo and Esapekka Lappi to share its third factory i20 N Rally1 car.
Hyundai initially offered Paddon and co-driver John Kennard an asphalt programme, with the pair competing in Monte Carlo, Croatia and Japan. However, the 2016 Rally Argentina winner, who favours gravel over asphalt, was handed an extra outing on gravel
