Paddon returns to WRC but this time he's doing it his way

Hayden Paddon is back, and this time he's doing it his way.

The 34-year-old is making his return to the World Rally Championship but this time in a New Zealand rally team.

"I've got a point to prove, we're not done and dusted and you can't just send us down to the other side of the world and forget about us,” Paddon said.

"We're coming back to make our mark and we're coming back to win."

It's fighting words from Paddon but that's what he's had to do to finally return the international rally stage.

"We've taken matters into our own hands and gone look let’s do it with our own kiwi team and have a bit more control over our own destiny."

Under the Hyundai New Zealand Rally banner, Paddon and long-time co-driver John Kennard will compete in a Hyundai i20N Rally2 car in selected events of the WRC2 category of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship and undertake a full seven event campaign the following year with the aim of winning the 2023 WRC2 Championship.

After three years away from the WRC it's been a long route and perhaps the only one to make it back.

"This is bigger than just John and I in a car, this is our way now to take matters into our own hands and make it happen."

Paddon and his all-Kiwi team will be challenging the heavyweights of Europe's rally world with the support of long-time local sponsors Hyundai, somewhat surprising given it's Hyundai's Global company that dropped Paddon three years ago.

"I've been pretty hungry since I last came back start of 2019, it certainly lit a fire like okay we're going to get back there on our own terms.

Everything we've been doing since then is towards that. whether that be the EV rally car putting the blocks in place to now be in a position to where we are now to take our own team international," Paddon said.

Paddon hopes to bring a Team New Zealand vibe to the motorsport programme and even gave 1News an glimpse into what their team livery will look like.

It's a big opportunity not only for Paddon but his all-Kiwi team of engineers and technicians.

"Going over there, we're taking on the world a bit like Burt Munro did, Bruce Maclaren you know,” said Hyundai NZ team member Mike Pittam.

"We're going to go and win, yeah that's our goal we're winning."

Winning will be crucial in order to advance to WRC's top-flight.