Paddon and Meeke are set to take part in New Zealand’s legendary Otago Rally in April. The pair has not lined up against each other in almost a decade.
The last time they competed head-to-head, both ended up crashing out. That was in the 2018 Rally Portugal, where Meeke and Paddon were initially locked in a tight battle for victory in the iconic event. In the end, neither of them made it to the finish.
Now, the two are back in the same competition, each behind the wheel of a legendary Ford Escort Mk2 rally car.
Paddon is a Hyundai driver, but in the end, the Korean manufacturer had no objections to him making this “detour.”
“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. Obviously it’s not brand appropriate but this year I asked the question again and they (Hyundai) were supportive of us doing it, and that was the key for me to actually make any discussions go any further,” Paddon told DirtFish.
The last time Paddon drove a rear-wheel-drive Escort in New Zealand, he caused a sensation by winning the entire rally. This time, he is not setting his expectations that high.
“Let’s face it, a BDA ain’t going to win the rally outright again,” Paddon laughed.
“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,” Paddon continued.
“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,” Paddon predicted.
Paddon knows New Zealand’s rally roads like the back of his hand, but that may not be as big of an advantage as one might expect. After all, he hasn’t driven a rear-wheel-drive rally car in ten years.
