Inside Rally

Seashore Qatar Rally Team’s Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari will progress to the Ford Fiesta RS WRC for next month’s RACC Rally de España. Becoming accustomed to piloting his Ford Fiesta RRC to the top-step of the podium in this year’s WRC 2 category, the Spanish fixture will see the Qatari take to the wheel of M-Sport’s top-specification Fiesta for the first time in competition.

Partnered by Irish co-driver Killian Duffy, the pairing have competed at the head of the FIA World Rally Championship’s premier support series for much of the year. With three victories under their belt – in Mexico, Argentina and Australia respectively – the pairing are currently leading WRC 2 by 17 points.
Although returning to the Fiesta RRC for his final WRC 2 point-scoring event at Wales Rally GB, the Qatari’s impressive performances to date have helped facilitate an additional outing in the world series – this time with M-Sport’s record-breaking Fiesta RS WRC.

The competition will be tough, but thanks to some inspiring performances thus far, the pairing will be well prepared. With two previous outings at the WRC’s highest level, the Qatari is one of a handful of drivers to boast a championship point from a competitive debut when he secured tenth place overall on his maiden WRC event at the 2012 Acropolis Rally.

With a working knowledge of the Fiesta in its RRC guise, Al-Kuwari should not be discounted for a strong result and will be a real contender for a point-scoring finish as he takes to the mixed surface stages of Rally de España.

Abdulaziz Al-Kuwai said:

“It’s a great feeling to know that I will be driving the [Ford] Fiesta RS WRC in Spain. The decision was made as early as after our WRC 2 win in Argentina. I received a call from Seashore Qatar Rally Team’s owner – Mr. Salim Al-Mhannadi – telling me that I would have at least one rally behind the wheel of a Fiesta RS WRC this season as reward for our hard work and good results. I would like to thank him very much for this opportunity.”

“This car is much faster than the [Ford] Fiesta RRC I am used to so we will need some time to get used to it. Our first goal is always to finish all the stages and make it to the finish ramp. Of course a top 10 finish would be fantastic, and if I’m honest, I really want to beat my best result of 10th place overall.

“That said, we’ll be back in the [Fiesta] RRC for Wales Rally GB as our focus is very much centred on the WRC 2 championship which we are currently leading. We’ll have to wait and see what lies in store for next year, but I am a very ambitious guy so if my sponsor decides to go for a full WRC program, I will be ready as always.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I would like to thank Seashore for their continued support and for helping secure the deal with M-Sport. With M-Sport I really feel that I am driving for the best team in the world. Our season has been trouble free and everyone is striving towards the one goal – to win. Working with M-Sport is like being part of one big supportive family.”

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

“We have seen some very impressive performances from Abdulaziz [Al-Kuwari] this year, so the next logical step was for him to take to the wheel of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC. It will be a challenging event with a lot of very quick drivers behind the wheel of some top-specification cars, but Abdulaziz and Killian [Duffy, co-driver] are more than capable of securing a good result.

“I am delighted that M-Sport have been able to offer the Seashore Qatar Rally Team this opportunity, and I look forward to seeing how they progress on their competitive debut with the car.”

Hayden Paddon announced on his Facebook page that himself and co-driver John Kennard step up to full World Rally Championship competition in October with confirmation that New Zealand’s top rally pairing has secured the opportunity to compete behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta RS WRC at Rally de Espana.

Photo: D.Darrall

Paddon and Kennard will compete for the Qatar M-Sport World Rally Team, running in full factory colours as part of the M-Sport team.

It’s the first time Paddon has competed in a full world rally car and the 26-year-old also becomes the first New Zealander to compete in a new generation WRC model.

“To say I’m excited is an understatement, but I am also focused on ensuring that we make the most of this opportunity,” says Paddon at home in Geraldine, South Canterbury. “I don’t want to just be in a WRC car for a one off event, this is what I want to make my career out of.”

The opportunity to drive a WRC car in full competition is one Paddon and his management team have been chasing for some time. The 2011 FIA Production Car World Rally Champion says the chance came up following his most recent international event, WRC Rally Australia, where he was setting times faster than some WRC competitors while driving a less powerful, Super 2000-spec model.

“After some discussions, we were offered this great opportunity and it’s amazing to finally get our chance in a WRC car. While it has been a lot of hard work over the past few seasons to get to this point, we are conscious that the level of hard work will in fact increase even further as this is very much our chance to try and showcase what we can do to ultimately move further forward in the sport and towards 2014.”

Photo: D.Darrall

Paddon and his Blenheim-based, long-term co-driver John Kennard aren’t strangers to the Spanish event which mixes two days of tarmac with a day of gravel stages.

Paddon’s keeping the goals relatively straightforward: first, he aims to finish the rally in order to gain experience. In addition, he aims to secure some top five stage times, mixing it up with some of the best drivers in the world, Sébastien Ogier, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala as well as fellow Qatar M-Sport drivers Mads Østberg and Thierry Neuville.

Paddon will have the benefit of a small test with M-Sport prior to the 24 to 27 October event, trying the 300 hp, 1.6-litre turbo-charged Fiesta on both gravel and tarmac.

“Naturally I want to be competitive and will be giving it our utmost to set some good stage times. However it is also important to make sure we finish the rally to gain as much experience behind the wheel of a WRC car for the first time,” Paddon says, having contested just three events in 2013 due to a limited budget. Their results in the new WRC2 category in a S2000 Skoda, against the faster RRC and R5 models, must have played a part in creating the opportunity to drive a WRC car – third in WRC2 on Finland’s famous high-speed ‘yumps’ and Germany’s tight, twisty vineyard roads, then fifth in class in Australia with some WRC competitor-matching times.

Photo:D.Darrall

“Ultimately we are trying to market ourselves for 2014 and this amazing opportunity to compete in a Fiesta RS WRC with such a respected team as UK-based M-Sport gives us that chance.

“I cannot thank everyone in New Zealand enough, from our partners and shareholders, who are behind me all the way, to my family, friends and fellow competitors. Everyone has had such a big part to play and now we have our chance.”

Paddon and his team appreciate the on-going support of VINZ, Giltrap Group, PlaceMakers, Z Energy, Stadium Cars, Telecom New Zealand, CP-Carrillo, Saddle Hill Quarries, Heartland Potato Chips, New Balance, Scott Sports, Total Automotive Timaru, Coxy’s Panel Repairs, Resene, All About Signs, Reaction Racing, In-Tune Automotive, Racetech, Chicane, Endless Brakes, Nichibo, Choice at Team Ralliart, Andar The Front Store, MCA Suspension, Tyre General, Dunlop, Pope Print, Bluebridge Ferry, ION, and 1Group.

More news and information is available on the website, www.haydenpaddon.com, or follow the Stadium Cars New Zealand World Rally Team on Facebook www.facebook.com/haydenpaddonwrc.