Hayden Paddon to drive upgraded Hyundai Motorsport Team model
Hayden Paddon and his co-driver John Kennard will drive the latest version of Hyundai Motorsport Team's cars from the Rally of Germany next month.
Paddon now drives for Hyundai's second-tier Motorsport N squad and has used an older specification car all season compared to the cars of team leaders Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo.
The WRC website WRC.Com says in the most recent round in Poland, Neuville and SOrdo benefited from an engine camshaft upgrade, while Paddon's car had the previous unit that was introduced during the Mexican round, in March.
However from the German round of the WRC, being held from AUgust 20-23, Paddon would be competing on equal terms.
Hayden Paddon has been the fastest Hyundai driver during the last two rounds of the WRC. Picture/Vettas Media.
Paddon has been the fastest Hyundai driver for the last two rallies.
"We try to update Hayden's car two rallies after the others, so from Germany onwards he will have the same engine we introduced in Poland," said the team principal Michel Nandan.
"The camshaft modification improves the range of useable torque, and while that wasn't too relevant in Poland, and won't be in Finland, it will be much mroe effective on twisty events like Germany where you have more corners and braking."
No further engine modifications were planned between now and the introduction of Hyundai's all-new model in 2016, so Paddon should be in identical machinery for the last five rounds - including the Rally of Australia.
Nandan refused to rule out a guest spot for Paddon in the main squad later in the season, but felt the car upgrades made the move less important.
"Hayden has already made the team once this year, when he replaced the injured Dani in Sweden, so it could be possible - we'll see," he said.
Nandan said the three cars would be the same soon so it did not matter in terms of Paddon having the same chances as the team leaders.
Paddon scored a career-best second in Rally Italy and sits eighth in the points on 44, 14 behind fifth placed Neuville while Sordo is 10th on 39 points.