Paddon to make comeback in Finland

Hayden Paddon will make a return to the World Rally Championship at next month's Neste Rally Finland, driving an M-Sport Ford Fiesta, said WRC in a bulletin.

The Kiwi concluded the deal late last week and will test the car shortly before the start of the Jyväskylä rally.

Paddon admitted missing out on a Hyundai seat – after his former employer picked Craig Breen for Neste Rally Finland – hurt and he was no longer prepared to wait for his WRC return.

H“It has been really hard sitting at home watching the WRC unfold this year, especially as I know we can deliver at a high level. After the Hyundai Motorsport news last week, we decided to make things happen as we are not going to achieve anything by sitting around," he said.

Paddon contacted M-Sport, the team with whom he made his World Rally Car debut in a Fiesta RS WRC at the 2013 RallyRACC Rally de Espãna, and had a deal tied up in two days.

“Obviously I’m very excited to be back in the WRC and I’m excited to be working with M-Sport – it seems we are all on the same page, even in these early stages, which is a fantastic place to be," he added.

Paddon lost his Hyundai seat when Sébastien Loeb joined the Korean manufacturer for this season. His final outing in an i20 Coupe WRC netted second place on the Kennards Hire Rally Australia in November.

Since then Paddon’s kept his hand in with a programme of Asia Pacific and New Zealand Rally Championship events – the most impressive of which was a seven-minute win on the Rally of South Canterbury last month.

Paddon paid tribute to Hyundai New Zealand for their support in his decision to drive a Ford Fiesta WRC on the next WRC round.