Paddon backs innovation in NZRC
New Zealand’s most successful rally driver Hayden Paddon has thrown his support behind the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship adding new initiatives in the years ahead.
Paddon was a stand out in the recent Southern Lights Rally, which saw competitors tackle a Friday night opening stage and early Saturday morning test in the dark – something that hasn’t been a feature of the championship for a number of years.
While the experience is a good test for the competitors it adds significant cost to acquire the lights to mount on the car.
For a number of years there has been talk about the potential of a tarmac rally and the drums are once again beating for a rally on a completely different surface.
But that would come at cost to competitors, with tarmac set-ups potentially adding a significant amount to the budgets required.
Paddon thinks the championship needs to be innovative but feels it should be done in a delicate way.
“It depends what the product of the New Zealand Championship needs to be and that comes down to the customers, which is obviously the competitors,” Paddon explained on BB and Budgie’s Thursday Night Recce.
“If you look at it from a young driver’s standpoint, then for sure, I think the championship should be as diverse as possible. The introduction of a tarmac rally, night stuff, more forestry, more public roads, really allowing drivers to experience a lot of the different conditions and surfaces
“When you throw that into the mix, it adds cost to competitors in terms of a tarmac setup or lights or whatever it may be. If you have rallies more regularly running at night, and people have to invest one time in the set of lights, then they’re set up and ready to go. It makes it a bit easier.
“But yeah, it’s a tough one. It really comes down to what works for the competitors. And I think in the current climate there’s no hiding that economically in New Zealand at the moment, it’s pretty tough.
“So, I think short term, we should be focusing on how we reduce costs for organizers, for competitors and then long term then yes, I think for sure we should be looking at introducing new challenges, tarmac, night and everything.”
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