IS PADDON BACK IN WRC?
The end of 2018 brought bad news for Kiwi rally
fans after our only World Rally Championship (WRC)
driver, Hayden Paddon, was essentially dropped
from his Hyundai racing team. It wasn’t the result
we had all hoped for, after an already reduced 2018
season. However, on 4 July, the man himself broke
the good news that he and co-driver John Kennard
are back in the WRC for a one-event stint, whichmay very well lead to a more permanent drive in
the series!
The pair will campaign Rally Finland (1–4 August)
behind the wheel of an M-Sport Fiesta WRC car, and
Paddon had this to say about the call-up: “We are
working hard over the next [four] weeks to make
sure we throw everything and the kitchen sink at this
event. We will have a [one-]day test to adapt to thecar. While limited, [we] are confident that, working
with the M-Sport engineers, [it] will be sufficient. The
goal? Minimum top five — but I always like more too.
“We still want to be in the WRC more regularly,
but we couldn’t keep sitting at home, so will give it
everything. Big thanks to M-Sport, who have been
very welcoming and helped us put this together in a
very short space of time.”Our readers will be well aware of the status that
the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)
still holds among many motorsport enthusiasts,
having reigned over the Super Touring era that saw
multiple countries hold their own championships
packed to the brim with ground-scraping, two-
litre-powered weapons of mass destruction.
Thankfully for those who remember seeing
these cars in their heyday, there are still plenty
of examples kicking about across the world, and
interest in preserving these relics has never been
higher. One particular car with a Kiwi connection
is about to go under the hammer in the UK.
The No. 23 factory-backed Nissan Primera
hides one hell of an SR20DE under the bonnet,sending out a whopping 240kW to the front
wheels, and is backed by an Xtrac six-speed
sequential. While most will recall Paul Radisich
and Craig Baird flying the Kiwi colours, there
was actually a third New Zealander involved:
Steve Richards. Richards departed his
V8 Supercars drive to take on a role as Nissan’s
BTCC reserve and test driver. He was charged
with testing and developing this very Primera,
before Nissan left the series in 1999.
The price? It can be yours for a cool £69,990,
which is roughly NZ$130K, depending on the
conversion rate. If you’ve got that kind of change
sitting around, more information can be found at
motorsportauctions.com.WIN
A HIKOKI 18V
BRUSHLESS
IMPACT DRILL KIT
Keep an eye out for the Father’s Day promotion in
the next issue of NZ Performance Car magazine
where you can enter the draw to win a Hikoki 18V
Brushless Impact Drill Kit (DV18DBSL) — worth
$469 — which includes an 18V Brushless Impact
Drill skin, two 3.0Ah Compact Batteries, a fan-
cooled Smart Charger, and a carry case. All you’ve
got to do is buy the next issue (#274) from one of
the retailers, follow the instructions on the card
insert to enter your name and valid email address,
and you’re in the draw!