Paddon and co-driver John Kennard do not underestimate the challenges of the 19-stage Rally Guanajuato Mexico, which is based in the city of Leon 400km northwest of Mexico City and begins tonight with a super special stage. Temperatures and altitude, as the rally heads into the nearby mountains, can affect the rally cars' performance, causing them to lose up to 20% power.
Paddon commented on Facebook this week that Mexico was a colourful place and the roads were looking equally diverse.
''Bit of everything - rough/smooth/fast/twisty,'' he posted.
A two-day test in the heat and dust of southern Spain with Hyundai Motorsport after the snow of Rally Sweden went well.
''I felt really comfortable in the car and learnt a lot about the settings. I'm hopeful that this will translate at Rally Mexico,'' Paddon said.
He has had two weeks at home in New Zealand, busy with publicity commitments, launching the Hyundai New Zealand Rally Team line-up for the domestic rally season and completing lots of training in Kiwi summer temperatures, including riding in the Motatapu mountain bike race in Wanaka. The short break put Paddon in a good place physically and mentally to get back into competition.
''While these two weeks have been busy, it's been a welcome reset to get our season back on track,'' he said.
Rally Mexico is one of two WRC events in the Americas, and Paddon said it was challenging.
''The roads are quite slippery on first pass, but it has quite a nice nature, with some slow technical parts and some faster parts. With 12 WRC cars in the event, the roads don't cut up so much. However, there is no room for error, with many obstacles lining the edge of the roads.''
This is the third time Paddon and Kennard have competed in Mexico.
''I prefer to go back to events with some prior experience, even if it's only once or twice we have previously done it, as it will be in Mexico. We have some good info from last year that has helped me to prepare.''
Paddon and Kennard will start the first day ninth on the road in the #4 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, based on their current championship position. Saturday and Sunday will see WRC competitors running in reverse rally classification.
