Team Porsche New Zealand (TPNZ) and Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) are excited to announce the opening of applications for their annual scholarship program. This initiative aims to support a talented young New Zealand driver in competing in the 2025 season for Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, and a second driver in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.

Entering its fifth year, the Porsche New Zealand scholarship program has a history of excellence. Team Porsche New Zealand clinched both Australian Porsche championship trophies in 2023 and has been instrumental in advancing the careers of rising stars Matthew Payne, Ryan Wood, and Callum Hedge.

Currently, 2024 Carrera Cup Australia driver Marco Giltrap holds 7th place in the Michelin Junior Trophy, while his teammate Brock Gilchrist is contending for the top spot in the Michelin Sprint Challenge championship, with the season finale set for October at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The scholarship program benefits from the guidance of Earl Bamber, a two-time Le Mans 24-hour champion and former Porsche Factory driver. Earl’s extensive experience and commitment to developing New Zealand’s motorsport talent add significant value to the program.

This scholarship provides a remarkable opportunity to progress through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid and enter the exhilarating world of international motorsport. Recipients will join Team Porsche New Zealand and compete in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia for at least one year, with the potential to apply for a Porsche Carrera Cup Australia seat in subsequent seasons. The scholarship includes the use of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car and partial funding for the 2025 season.

Applications are open until 11th October 2024. To apply for this scholarship, candidates will need to attach a CV that outlines relevant motorsport experience as well as a 300-word summary of why they should be the next Team Porsche New Zealand Driver. A short list of applicants will then be chosen for interviews and assessments before a final selection will be made.

Please Note: This is a junior Scholarship program, and applicants must be between the age of 16 – 21 as of January 1st, 2024, and must be a resident or citizen of New Zealand.

Further information on how to apply is available at porsche.co.nz/teamporschenz

Earl Bamber Motorsport Owner, Earl Bamber:
”We are excited to open entries for the Team Porsche New Zealand scholarship in 2025. Once again, the 2024 season has shown the pedigree of kiwi talent with Brock Gilchrist in Sprint Challenge Australia and Marco Giltrap in Carrera Cup Australia and Asia. We see a lot of exiting young talent in both Australian series but also in GT New Zealand and local go-karting, so we are excited to see all the applicants for 2025”

Porsche New Zealand General Manager, Greg Clarke:
"We have been pleased to see the 2024 season continue our successful track record for helping young kiwi talent excel overseas. This initiative not only highlights our commitment to nurturing local talent but also reinforces Porsche’s dedication to motorsport excellence. We look forward to discovering the next generation of Kiwi drivers who will represent us on the international stage as we open applications for the 2025 program.”

About Team Porsche New Zealand
Team Porsche New Zealand was established in late 2019 through a partnership between Porsche New Zealand and Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) to nurture and advance the careers of young New Zealand motorsport talents in Australia. This scholarship program offers promising drivers the chance to compete in the Carrera Cup Australia, a pivotal component of the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, as well as in the Porsche Sprint Challenge, a crucial feeder series.

Based in Brisbane and managed by EBM, the team benefits from the expertise of Earl Bamber, a two-time Le Mans 24-hour champion. Earl himself advanced his career through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, competing in Carrera Cup Asia, Porsche Super Cup, and ultimately becoming a factory driver for Porsche in both the World Endurance Championship and the North American International Motor Sports Association.

Annually, the scholarship program selects one talented New Zealand driver for a seat in the 992 GT3 Cup Car for Carrera Cup Australia, and another for the 991.2 GT3 Cup Car in Sprint Challenge Australia. With Earl Bamber's extensive international racing experience and Porsche Motorsport expertise, the program offers a unique and valuable opportunity for young drivers to hone their skills and achieve success in their motorsport careers.

Hugo Allan became the third winner for the weekend after dominating the final race of the fifth round of the Toyota 86 Championship.

With Zac Stichbury winning Saturday's race and Marco Giltrap coming out on top on Sunday morning, it was the first time in the category's history that three different drivers took their debut wins over the same race weekend.
 
In the race for the championship, a solid fourth place in the race edged out Rowan Shepherd's advantage over Simon Evans even further, whilst third place in the race and a string weekend result pushed Marco Giltrap into third place in the championship hunt ahead of Justin Allen, who endured another nightmare race.
 
For Heart of Racing driver Allan, Sunday's victory marked one year since he made his first appearance in the championship. It was an emphatic win too. From the start of the race he took the lead from pole position and raced away from the chasing pack at a rate of almost one and a half seconds a lap. When Ronan Murphy passed Marco Giltrap for second and set about hunting down Allan, Hugo was four and a half seconds ahead. He said consistency was the key to his dominant performance.
 
"I am pretty stoked, especially after yesterday when we knew we had a very fast car after qualifying," he said. "Crossing the line in first and top rookie is pretty cool.
 
"I don't think we had a great car at the start or end of the race it was just solid for the whole race and the guys at International Motorsport did a great job in giving me a car like that. The tyre pressures, the set-up, everything has been spot on this weekend and it's great that it all came together for a win.
 
"I was a bit worried about Ronan at the end, you always are when you are defending a lead, but I've been in this situation before in SIM racing. It's all about managing the gap and doing what you have to do to stay in control."
 
Murphy put in his best showing of the year and was happy to finally have something to show in a season where he has always been fast, but also incredibly unlucky and blighted by mechanical issues.
 
"I'm definitely relieved more than anything, we are back to having a car which has a great baseline speed. We showed that in practice and testing. I think I showed that pace when I got past Marco, but Hugo really had a big lead by then and I couldn’t quite catch him, even though I tried."
 
Murphy reduced the gap from over four and a half seconds to around three at the flag. Marco Giltrap capped his best weekend in the championship with another podium. It was a significant result. Justin Allen started from the pit lane and retired with mechanical issues, and Giltrap has not only passed him in the points table, he also has a mathematical chance of the title at the final weekend at Hampton Downs at the end of next month.
 
In a weekend where none of the top three points scorers heading to Taupo featured on the top step of the podium, it was more about damage limitation in their fight for the title. Rowan Shepherd came out best and harried Giltrap all the way to the flag to take fourth place. He didn’t try too hard, however, possibly mindful that Simon Evans was a few places back and poor Justin Allen only completed half a lap from a pit lane start before retiring. It means Shepherd heads to the final round with an increased points lead overall.
 
Behind the top four, Dion Pitt put in another solid drive in a very busy midfield pack to claim fifth, while Zac Stichbury - one of the pace setters of the weekend - carved his way up from a low starting position to sixth.
 
Matthew McCutcheon survived some fantastic battles in the top ten to take seventh, while Evans moved from eleventh on the grid to eighth in the race - pretty much all he could do in an extremely competitive and hard-fought race. Brock Gilchrist and Masters’ winner Penny completed the top ten.  Allan’s win also moves him into the lead on the Rookie points table ahead of McCutcheon.
 

Motorsport Australia has recognised the high quality of driving in the New Zealand Toyota 86 Championship and its status in domestic Kiwi motorsport by awarding Supercars Superlicence points to the championship’s top performers.

Thirteen points are required to qualify for a Motorsport Australia Superlicence and the winner of the Toyota 86 Championship this season and in future will get a highly valuable five points towards that total. The championship runner up will receive four points, third place will receive three points, fourth place two points and the fifth place finisher one point.
 
It now means both TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand championships offer Supercars licence points with the winner of the Castrol Toyota Racing Series awarded ten points.
 
The links between the ultra-competitive NZ Toyota 86 Championship and the ‘main game’ series in Australia have been growing in recent seasons, with winners and top rookies appearing in one-off drives in the Australian TR86 series which supports the Supercars Championship at selected rounds.
 
This season the championship winner will receive a test with iconic racing team, Triple Eight Race Engineering and they’ll be able to add five points towards their goal of getting into the Australian Championship.
 
“We couldn’t be happier really,” explained TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol.
 
“The championship has been very competitive for several seasons now and this year it’s just as close with three drivers in the fight for the championship with two rounds to go. It is fantastic that these points will now be allocated to the winner.”
 
Reigning champion Rowan Shepherd, multiple NZ and international champion Simon Evans and Justin Allen head into this weekend’s penultimate championship round at Taupo International Motorsport Park with just 29 points separating them.
 
 
2022 TOYOTA 86 CHAMPIONSHIP – POINTS AFTER FOUR ROUNDS
 
1 Rowan Shepherd 767
2 Simon Evans 753
3 Justin Allen 738
4 Marco Giltrap 667
5 Matthew McCutcheon 616
6 Hugo Allan 600
7 Dion Pitt 558
8 John Penny 525
9 Brock Gilchrist 444
10 Zac Stichbury 435
11 Ronan Murphy 421
12 Clay Osborne 404
13 Christina Orr-West 358
14 Mark Mallard 318
15 Chelsea Herbert 298
16 Fynn Osborne  276
17 Todd Foster  276
18 Todd Prujean  230
19 Sam Cotterill  172
20 Will Morton  164
21 Rianna O'Meara-Hunt  158

LOGITECH G AND McLAREN RACING ANNOUNCE RETURN OF LOGITECH MCLAREN G CHALLENGE FOR 2021

Competition returns for the fourth consecutive year with a celebrity grid-race including A$AP Ferg, Lando Norris, William Byron and many more special guests

Logitech G, a brand of Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, and McLaren Racing today announced a new-look to the G Challenge eracing competition to excite racers and race fans around the world.

For motorsports enthusiasts and amateur drivers, the official 2021 Logitech McLaren G Challenge racing season will start on July 1st, 2021 and will feature several new additions and challenges. The tournament will expand to include three divisions: Open Wheel, Stock Car and Sport Car Racing. In this fourth year, G Challenge will be played on the iRacing and Assetto Corsa Competizione games, and will culminate with the Grand Finale January 15, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV.

This year’s three division winners of the 2021 Logitech McLaren G Challenge will earn a four-day all-expenses paid trip to London, a behind-the-scenes experience of the McLaren Technology Centre, coaching with McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris, and a VIP experience at the 2022 Formula 1 British Grand Prix.

In celebration of this year’s new look, Logitech G and McLaren will host a celebrity Pro-Am race on 7 July, where celebrities will form two teams to compete in a Stock Car and Open Wheel race. American racing driver William Byron and McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris will captain and draft their respective teams. Additional celebrities include rapper, singer, and songwriter A$AP Ferg, Arrow McLaren SP racing driver, Felix Rosenqvist, American race car driver and NASCAR pit reporter, Parker Kligerman and Indianapolis 500 Champion from Brazil, Tony Kanaan.

“The success of G Challenge 2020 was underscored by an effort to continue entertaining motorsport fans,” said Jim Hoey, head of G Challenge at Logitech G. “This year we will return with new formats, multiple game titles and a monthly schedule of broadcasted races that will continue to excite race fans around the world.”

“McLaren Racing embraced Logitech McLaren G Challenge as a way to keep racing fans entertained, but we quickly realised it was an opportunity to collaborate with Logitech G in an industry that continues to explode,” said Lindsey Eckhouse, Director, Licensing, Ecommerce and esports at McLaren Racing.  “G Challenge is in a class of its own, delivering an opportunity for amateur drivers and motorsports enthusiasts to compete and race like professionals. We look forward to another year of excitement and fun, building McLaren’s presence in this space.”

The top three racers from each division (Open Wheel, Stock Car and Sport Car) will earn an all-expenses paid trip to the Grand Finals Weekend to compete for the championship. The Grand Finals Weekend will be packed full of exciting activities, including a live on-track driving experience with exotic race cars, official meet and greets with professional drivers, athletes and other celebrities, and a chance at winning the McLaren Racing VIP Experience Grand Prize.

Registration for the online qualifiers are open now at LogitechGChallenge.com. For more information follow us on Instagram or Twitter.

About McLaren Racing

McLaren Racing was founded by New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren in 1963. The team entered its first Formula 1 race in 1966, since then McLaren has won 20 Formula 1 world championships, more than 180 Formula 1 grands prix, the Le Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt and the Indianapolis 500 three times. McLaren Racing currently competes in Formula 1 globally and INDYCAR in the US.

The team is contesting the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and in the 2021 INDYCAR Series with Arrow McLaren SP drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist. In 2022, McLaren Racing will enter a new category of motorsport when it enters a team into Extreme E, the innovative all-electric off-road racing series.

About Logitech G

Logitech G, a brand of Logitech International, is the global leader in PC and console gaming gear. Logitech G provides gamers of all levels with industry-leading keyboards, mice, headsets, mousepads and simulation products such as wheels and flight sticks - made possible through innovative design, advanced technologies and a deep passion for gaming. Founded in 1981, and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI). Find Logitech G at logitechG.com, the company blog or @LogitechG.

Logitech and other Logitech marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Logitech Europe S.A and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company’s website at logitech.com.

(LOGIIR)

Glenfield based auto body repair shop, Precision AutoWerk have recently upgraded their facility to   ensure they remain at the forefront of manufacturer quality repairs for prestige vehicles.

Specialising in European auto body repairs  the company was originally founded in 1969 and emphasised a level on quality and workmanship that was not often found in Auckland body shops.

This emphasis on quality has carried through throughout the years and has seen Precision AutoWerk rewarded as the country’s sole manufacturer certified body repairer for Ferrari, Nissan R35 GTR,  Maserati & Tesla.

In the interest of user safety, Precision AutoWerk insist on using only legitimate parts as well as the technique methods which are used and improved by the vehicle manufacturer. This is the only way to guarantee that the structural integrity and the safety rating afforded to the vehicle is maintained.  

European and high-end vehicles are often built a very specific way using parts unique to that brand. While other body shops have been known to use generic or second hand parts, Precision AutoWerk use parts which are made for the specific vehicle brand – just as the manufacturer intended.

Precision AutoWerk offer repairs for a range of different brands including BMW body repair, Audi body repair, Mercedes-Benz body repair and many more prestige vehicle brands.

Kiwi motorsport fans will have the chance to face off against Australasia's top V8 Supercar legends just one day before New Zealand's largest international motorsport event.

The Supercar stars Kiwi Scott McLaughlin and Aussie David Wall will both compete in the  ITM 500 V8 Supercars, but not before battling it out in virtual simulators just one day before the race at an exclusive event.

The ITM 500 is worth in excess of $7m to the Auckland economy and attracts thousands of spectators to the Pukekohe based event, as well as an international television audience of millions.

Christchurch born McLaughlin, 22,  is the youngest driver ever to compete on the V8 circuit and won his first race in a V8 touring car series in 2011 aged 17.

He will go up against fellow Volvo Polestar Racing team member and Aussie David Wall, 32, who has competed in professional motorsport since 2005 with numerous Australian titles to his name.

The invitation only event will also offer guests the chance to pit themselves against the drivers with race commentator and MC Stephen McIvor planning to take a turn behind the wheel.

McIvor will also host a question and answer session before the V8 fans step into the simulators to race against the champion drivers.

The general manager of Volvo NZ, Stephen Kenchington, says the evening will provide an insight into the lives of the drivers as they prepare for the biggest motorsport event on New Zealand's calendar.

"Motorsport racing provides a multi-million economic and tourism boost to New Zealand, we're proud to be able to host events such as this which help raise the profile of the sport in this market," he says.

The event will take place on November 5, at Volvo’s Greenlane showroom.

Moto One is the preferred online motorcycle parts shop and accessory supplier in New Zealand, the ‘go to’ source for anything and everything that is related to Moto. Whether people are looking for motorcycle gloves, dirt bike parts, motorcycle tank bags, motorcycle leather jackets, motorcycle brakes, motorcycle boots, or any other type of product, the Moto One product list is extensive. The helpful and friendly team at Moto One always strives to give their customers a positive shopping experience, so they can always expect great prices, high quality products, promotions and deals, and excellent customer service when they shop at Moto One. They even offer free shipping for total orders over $150.

This is the time is when more people start to ride and it is also the time when they find they may need a WOF and their tyres aren't up to standard. Below is the link to a new release product that are great performers which Moto One recommend to their customers. Customers can come and purchase them at the Moto One outlet at 1/66 Hobill Avenue in Manukau and have the tyres fitted to their bikes.

http://moto.michelin.com/tyres/michelin-pilot-road-4.

MICHELIN Pilot Road 4 is yet another sport touring radial tyre breakthrough from Michelin. Moto One recommend that people will ride with more confidence and feel more secure, whatever the riding conditions. The MICHELIN pilot Road 4 is available in three versions, Standard, GT and Trail. These tyres brake 17% shorter than their closest competitor on wet pavements and even better on slippery wet surfaces, thanks to MICHELINXST+sipes technology. The MICHELIN Pilot Road 4 lasts longer and grips the road in virtually all conditions.

Richard Wood, the founder and CEO of Moto One started the business five years’ ago as he had his own motorcycle and wanted to buy parts for it online. However, there were only a couple of New Zealand online stores, with a very limited selection of parts. As Richard had a background in website design, he decided to build his own website and, in the process, opened a shop in Manukau. He has recently re-designed the site to be more user friendly, and although he has more competition now, he believes he can offer the biggest range of parts and accessories in New Zealand. 

For more information please visit the website at http://www.motoone.co.nz .

New Zealand’s star international rally drivers Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have successfully completed Lotos Rally Poland, taking a very credible eighth place overall in their second World Rally Championship event with Hyundai Motorsport.

Paddon is happy with the performance improvements he and Kennard have been able to make on the Polish event, although admits his competitive nature always has him hoping for more.

“It’s great to get to the end and finish in the top ten, in eighth place, is certainly an added bonus, and it’s also fantastic to see all three Hyundai i20 WRCs finish in the top eight,” Paddon said at the event’s finish ceremony in Mikolajki in north-east Poland. “We’ve achieved all our goals this weekend and have made some really good gains from Sardinia. We’re certainly a lot closer to the leaders and a lot closer to our teammates and know the places where we can still be stronger.”

It was the first time the Kiwis had contested the Polish event, which hasn’t been an FIA World Rally Championship round since 2009, so to finish and to finish with a solid result is an achievement in itself.

Paddon says the rally, which kicked off on Thursday afternoon, delivered several challenges.

“The challenges included some very rough stages in Lithuania on Friday that were cancelled on the second run due to bad road conditions and some changeable weather on today’s final stages.

“Throughout the rally I learnt a lot about my driving and where I need to improve. On different stages I was trying some slightly different techniques, some which did and didn’t work but this is all part of the learning process. To also get so close to a stage win on stage four – just 0.7 seconds off stage-winner Andreas Mikkelsen’s time – was both a pleasant surprise but also a little frustrating to know it was so close.

“Our speed throughout the weekend was much closer to both the leaders and our teammates. Some stages where the road was smoother and more flowing, we were competitive. However, when the road becomes a little more technical this is where we are currently losing time. Having said that, we achieved our goals of a top ten finish and to close the gap to our teammate Thierry Neuville to an average of 0.5 seconds per kilometre.”

Paddon is settling in well with the Hyundai Motorsport team which is contesting the WRC for the first time in 2014.

“Overall it was a very good weekend for the team; all three i20 WRC cars finished in the top eight with Thierry Neuville third and Juho Hänninen sixth and ourselves eighth. This is a great boost for the whole team who are working tirelessly behind the scenes.”

The next WRC event is Neste Oil Rally Finland, running 1 to 3 August and Paddon feels positive about his prospects to continue improving.

“Now we look forward to Finland, which we’ve contested every year since 2010. We can use a lot of information from this event being quite similar, both fast events. And the main goal for Finland is to take the same step up again as we have here so John and I are really looking forward to that.”

Paddon returns to New Zealand shortly for a two week stint of sponsor engagements before returning to Europe to test for the Finnish event with the team.

“I’m already busting to get back in the car!”

Paddon and the HPRG team appreciates the support of their exclusive partners VINZ New Zealand, PlaceMakers and Pak n’ Save along with associate support from Z Energy, Hyundai New Zealand, Scott Sports and New Balance.

The Kiwi crew of Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have taken a steady approach to safely complete day three of WRC Rally Poland. Their improved overall placing from 11th after Friday to seventh overall after Saturday’s long day of ten special stages is a bonus, according to Paddon.

Competing in their second WRC event with Hyundai Shell World Rally Team, Paddon and Kennard continued their own learning curve to support the team’s learning from its first WRC season. The day’s ten stages were largely trouble-free as Paddon ran third on the road and continued to assess and tweak his driving to make noticeable improvements in pace.

Speaking after Saturday evening’s run around the super special stage in the Mikolajki Arena, Paddon said: “It’s been a trying day, but not bad and there are certainly a lot of positives to take out of it.

“This morning was difficult being third on the road, we were doing a bit of sweeping and it was quite slippery. The times weren’t quite where we wanted them to be. Also, our pace notes were not working so well so we looked at the video through lunch to make improvements for the afternoon.

“This afternoon I changed my driving style a bit. We learnt where we were losing time and maybe have been overdriving the car a little bit so this afternoon it’s all been about slow entry and trying to get a fast exit and the times have improved. Our pace was definitely better. I’m fine in the smoother stages but when it’s rougher with ruts, like in the long Goldap stage, I struggle. I have to learn how to drive in these conditions but that’s part of our objective for these rallies.

“From that perspective it’s been a good learning exercise and okay, we’re up to seventh which is a bit of a bonus and now we’ve got a bigger task tomorrow to try and hold on to that. With the lessons we learned from this afternoon, a few setup changes and I think we’re up to the battle.

“For the team to have all three cars at the end of Saturday and in the top seven is a very promising aspect of our day so we will be hopeful of more improvements tomorrow.”

All three Hyundai i20 WRC cars still in strong positions on the overall classification with Thierry Neuville putting in a stellar performance to improve from 10th overall to now hold a hard-fought third place. Juho Hänninen continues to run in fifth place.

Team Principal Michel Nandan said: “It has been a generally positive day for us today with all three cars continuing into the final day. It has been a long day with some challenging stages as well as some unsettled weather in the afternoon loop. Our three crews have all handled themselves very well and we have learned a lot.

“Hayden had another solid and trouble-free day of learning and he is improving all the time, which is great to see. Overall, we enter the final day in a good position and with more to come tomorrow.”

Paddon and the HPRG team appreciates the support of their exclusive partners VINZ New Zealand, PlaceMakers and Pak n’ Save along with associate support from Z Energy, Hyundai New Zealand, Scott Sports and New Balance.

Hayden Paddon and John Kennard impressed many with their pace on the opening stage of day two of WRC Lotos Rally Poland. Piloting their Hyundai i20 WRC car in just their second event with the Hyundai Motorsport team, the Kiwis were second-quickest and just 0.7 seconds off stage winner Andreas Mikkelsen through the 12.89km stage.

Smiling as he spoke to reporters at the end of the stage, Paddon said of his career-best time: “It’s very surprising. The driving wasn’t too good and I thought I was driving like a pansy! The notes were too slow.”

The 27-year-old’s more considered response later in the day was: “I have been feeling comfortable in the car during the smooth stages and could get up to a good low-risk speed. I was pleased to set the second fastest time in this morning’s first stage considering we still had pace in hand.”

Paddon and Kennard ran 13th on the road for Friday’s schedule of seven stages – three in Poland and four in Lithuania – with the starting order decided by drivers’ championship positions. This road position worked in their favour on the day’s opener, the Polish gravel stage swept clean by the front-runners. But on the softer, tree-lined roads of Lithuania, the Kiwis faced rutted roads which deteriorated with every passing competitor ahead of them. In fact, the conditions got so bad that the repeated run through the two Lithuanian stages was cancelled.

“The following two stages could not have been more different, quite difficult. It’s been a lot rougher here in Lithuania, a lot of deep ruts and a lot of sand and I’ve really struggled in those conditions. But the feeling in the car is good; it’s going great and we’re making improvements. It’s just a case of getting more time and more confidence.”

Paddon and Kennard’s repeated run through the morning’s Polish stage saw them a comfortable sixth-quickest and having wrapped up the evening with a 2.5km super special stage, the Kiwis finish day two of Rally Poland in 11th place overall. Hyundai teammates Thierry Neuville holds tenth after what was described as a ‘character-building day’ and Juho Hänninen holds a solid sixth place.

With ten stages ahead of them on Saturday, Paddon is feeling more positive. “Tomorrow’s stages are a bit more like the two stages we did well on today so hopefully we can be competitive tomorrow as well.

“Overall it’s been not too bad a day. On the smoother stages where I feel comfortable, the speed’s been quite good and feels nice and comfortable in the car with good, low risk sort of speed. When the road’s smooth and to my liking, we’re not too far away in terms of stage times.”

Paddon and the HPRG team appreciates the support of their exclusive partners VINZ New Zealand, PlaceMakers and Pak n’ Save along with associate support from Z Energy, Hyundai New Zealand, Scott Sports and New Balance.

The New Zealand crew of Hayden Paddon and John Kennard have started strongly in their first attempt at Lotos Rally Poland, joining their Hyundai Motorsport teammates in the top seven overall after the event’s first day of competition.

Competing in just their second event as the Hyundai Motorsport N entry in the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship, Paddon and Kennard successfully completed the opening three stages of the Polish event with what Paddon described as ‘encouraging stage times’. Their pace sees the Kiwis seventh overall, just two seconds behind their Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville while the third Hyundai driver Juho Hänninen is fourth overall, having won the second special stage.

Speaking after the three Thursday stages, Paddon said: “Everything’s going well so far. We’ve done three stages tonight and are feeling more confident and comfortable in the Hyundai i20 WRC car.

“We took it calmly today and drove well within our limits. Certainly the stages suit me better and the times have been much improved from Sardinia. We definitely learned a lot in Sardinia and we have tried to carry that knowledge over into this rally to close the gap to Thierry and Juho. I think we have achieved that today with three encouraging stage times.

“We’re sitting in seventh at the moment which is more than we expected. To be only two seconds behind Thierry is great, but obviously there’s a long way to go. The car has been working well and we have plenty more to come so it’s not too bad at all for a Thursday. We will sit down with the engineers this evening to plan tomorrow’s stages, which includes a remote service and four stages in Lithuania, which will be an enjoyable challenge for us.

“Saturday’s a big day as well so we need to, step by step, keep improving, keep learning. We’re driving well within ourselves at the moment, so it’s a matter upping the ante and picking a couple of stages that suit us to have a good push on and on the other stages we need to be sensible. All in all, going well so far and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Paddon is clearly enjoying the fast roads of the Polish event. Commenting after Thursday morning’s shakedown stage, he said: “Reconnaissance went really well and the roads are looking great; really, really fast which I absolutely love. We were able to confirm a good car setup at shakedown this morning. I’m feeling really good in the car and really loving the fast stuff which is really important here that we’ve got good confidence in the car at high speeds.”

Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday’s seven and ten stages respectively, he added: “The big challenge here is just how soft the roads are. They are going to cut up a lot especially on the repeat stages, and just knowing how much they’re going to cut up is the big unknown at this stage. In the meantime we need to make the most of the first loop of stages when it’s not so rough.”

Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “All three drivers – Thierry, Juho and Hayden – have started this first day of three stages with the correct approach and mentality. Some of these stages are fast and tricky so it required a sensible strategy. The Hyundai i20 WRC cars have performed within our expectations and we have not encountered any issues. It’s nice to see Juho take a stage win in SS2 but more importantly we have all three cars through the first day and lots more to learn and achieve tomorrow.”

The gravel Polish rally is based in Mikolajki, several hours north of Warsaw, in the Masurian lake district. Friday’s route includes a morning test and two evening stages in Poland broken by four stages in Lithuania where competitors remain on Polish time. Saturday’s itinerary has 10 stages with a final four stages wrapping up the action on Sunday. The Mikolajki Arena hosts competitors each day to contest the super special stage where two cars will be on track at the same time. Results and other event information can be found on WRC.com.

Paddon and the HPRG team appreciates the support of their exclusive partners VINZ New Zealand, PlaceMakers and Pak n’ Save along with associate support from Z Energy, Hyundai New Zealand, Scott Sports and New Balance.

Top Kiwi rally duo Hayden Paddon and John Kennard are looking forward to getting back into their Hyundai i20 WRC car as they contest Lotos Rally Poland for the first time from 26 to 29 June.

In contrast to their successful debut with Hyundai Motorsport in Rally Italia Sardegna earlier this month where Paddon and Kennard were also contesting the challenging event for the first time, they aren’t the only World Rally Championship crews making their maiden run on Poland’s fast, flowing gravel stages.

“The Polish event was last part of the WRC in 2009 and while some drivers have done this event as a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) or the European Rally Championship, unlike most other events, it is relatively new for most of our competitors,” says Paddon from his base in Frankfurt.

“This makes is a real leveller, particularly for us as John and I are the new boys on the block. I’m really looking forward to Poland – the stages are really fast, a bit like Finland with the main difference being the road surface which is quite soft and sandy. We saw in testing that on the repeat run, the stages will get very rough and cut up, so that’s a consideration.”

Analysing their opening event with Hyundai where they finished a very credible 12th place overall, Paddon says of his and Kennard’s performance: “From reviewing the data and on-board footage, it’s clear that I was committing to the pace notes as much as I normally would, taking into account the mix of it being a new event, writing new pace notes and not having the optimal set-up for the conditions.

“The pace note problems in Sardegna are very specific to that event. It was very technical; there are a lot of changes in rhythm and grip levels and you need a lot of information. Some of this also comes down to a lack of experience of such a unique event.

“But this is all information I can use to improve for future events and for when we hopefully return to Sardegna next year.”

Paddon tested the Hyundai i20 WRC in Poland with the team prior to Sardegna, a fact which should be beneficial for the 27-year-old from Geraldine in New Zealand’s South Island.

“It is definitely a help to have more of an idea on what sort of conditions to expect. However the set-up we worked with at our Poland test didn't work in Sardegna, and now we are going down a different road, so a little blind but we think it will work.”

Talking of goals for the Polish event, Paddon says: “These first few events are all about learning – the team, the car, and the events – but we’re also bench-marking ourselves against our team-mate Thierry Neuville. In Sardegna, on average, we were 0.75 seconds per kilometre slower than Thierry. For Poland, our goal is to reduce this to 0.5 s/km. Of course if we can also finish the event, as we did in Sardegna, that would be great to help aid our and the team’s learning process.”

Speaking to wrc.com this week, Paddon also said: “It’s going to be a good experience for us because I enjoy writing notes on faster events and then committing to them. I think we can be a lot stronger in Poland.”

Poland marks the mid-way point of the current FIA World Rally Championship season and with new ‘everything’, the gravel rally is based in Mikolajki, several hours north of Warsaw, in the Masurian lake district. With 1,500 km in total and 350 km of competitive tests broken into 21 stages, it starts on Thursday afternoon with three stages, including one in the dark. Friday’s route includes a morning test and two evening stages in Poland broken by four stages in Lithuania where competitors remain on Polish time. This is the first time Lithuania is part of the WRC itinerary, making it the 32nd different country to feature in the championship. Saturday’s itinerary has 10 stages with a final four stages wrapping up the action on Sunday. The Mikolajki Arena hosts competitors each day to contest the super special stage where two cars will be on track at the same time. Results and other event information can be found on WRC.com.

Paddon and the HPRG team appreciates the support of their exclusive partners VINZ New Zealand, PlaceMakers and Pak n’ Save along with associate support from Z Energy, Hyundai New Zealand, Scott Sports and New Balance.