We’ve been awaiting some good news from New Zealand’s finest Hayden Paddon. And finally the wait is over…

Hayden had officially announced that he will drive a Hyundai i20 WRC at 7 rounds of this year’s WRC… starting with Rally Italia Sardegna and including Rally Australia.

He’ll be an addition to the string of drivers used by Hyundai, led by Thierry Neuville.

The PWRC & New Zealand Champ Paddon says: “I’m really proud to be joining Hyundai Motorsport for seven events of the FIA World Rally Championship this year. It is an incredible opportunity to be part of the team in these very exciting times. It’s a chance that we are ready for and are going to work very hard to make the most of to meet the targets and objectives and help the team continue to develop towards 2015. Same as the team, I am here to learn my way through WRC and to succeed in the end. It is also a fantastic opportunity for me to work and learn alongside some very experienced people within the team and of course the other drivers.”

“Today is the day we have waited and worked towards for many years. I’m am thrilled to announce we have signed with Hyundai Motorsport, to contest 7 events of this year’s World Rally Championship, driving in a Hyundai i20 WRC. We will be entered under Hyundai Motorsport N and our first event will be Rally Italy in June. From there on in, we will compete in all but 1 event until the end of the season. It’s also awesome to know that we will be competing at Rally Australia with Hyundai.”

“This is an amazing opportunity and a journey many people have been apart of in getting to this point. Now we will make the most of this to try and build our career at the elite level of the WRC and continue growing with Hyundai. We are also now based in Frankfurt, Germany, near the team so that we can be involved and learn as much as possible. ”

“It will be a learning year for us and although we will have our own targets and objectives, it is also important to grow and work with the team to continue their development. We will be surrounded by very experienced team personnel and of course the other Hyundai drivers, so a great chance for us to learn as much as possible and for me to develop as a driver. Our first taste of the i20 WRC car is in April during testing – I’m already counting down the days!”

Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “As a manufacturer investing in the World Rally Championship, Hyundai Motorsport aims to support the champions of the future. For this reason we decided to engage one more car at selected WRC events under the entry Hyundai Motorsport N. Hayden is one of the very talented drivers on the WRC scene at the moment and we will support him as much as we can to reach the highest level possible. We are very pleased to welcome him and John to our WRC adventure and we look forward to seeing them in action at the wheel of the Hyundai i20 WRC in a couple of months’ time.”