When Jenson and Ari West woke up yesterday morning they had no idea they would be taking a ride with Otago Rally winner Hayden Paddon.
The surprise came as the brothers lost their mother, a rally co-driver, to cancer just over a year ago.
The boys had grown up around rallying, but had never been in a rally car.
Ari (7) said the car was noisy, but he loved how fast it could go.
Jenson (9), on the other hand, said it was not noisy at all on the inside, as they wore thick earmuffs for protection.
Father Jason West said the boys had been having a tough time lately following the death of their mother in late 2020.
His sons had been "incredibly resilient".
"The last couple of years have been rough on all of us."
He used to be a rally driver himself, with the boys’ mother as a co-driver. In his younger days he had competed against Paddon’s father.
Paddon said that being able to bring a smile to the children’s faces brought him "back to earth".
It was great speaking to all the children and he hoped he had inspired some future rally drivers with his visit.
