A fresh set of challenges awaits New Zealanders Hayden Paddon and John Kennard as they join fellow FIA European Rally Championship competitors in Wales this weekend.
This is the first time Rali Ceredigion has appeared on the ERC calendar.
The 14-stage asphalt rally takes in a mix of forestry tracks, high narrow roads, and single and double-width roads around the Welsh coastal town of Aberystwyth.
While Paddon contested and won the rally two years ago, it was in a different car run by a different team with a different co-driver — plus only one special stage of this version of Rali Ceredigion is the same as the version he did.
"I have some idea what the conditions might be like but John and I have to write new pace notes like everyone else," said Paddon, who at present leads the ERC drivers’ championship with 96 points to second-placed Mathieu Franceschi’s 82.
The Welsh event is the second to last on the eight-rally ERC calendar, and Paddon knows a good result here is vital for his goal of winning his second ERC title in the BRC Racing-run Hyundai i20 Rally 2.
"For sure, we need to find some more performance with the car, and we’ll have to dig deeper because we know Mathieu Franceschi will be very fast there, as will all the locals.
"The character of the stages is such that it will provide a unique challenge to the ERC unlike any other event on the calendar.
"We’re getting to the business end of the championship now, so need to take the bull by the horns and deliver a result — Wales is possibly our best option to do that."
Rali Ceredigion includes a ceremonial start and finish on the promenade in the town of Aberystwyth, which is a university centre with a population of 18,000.
On the coast of mid-Wales, it is surrounded by the Cambrian Mountains to the east and the Irish Sea to the west.
The 193 competitive kilometres are broken into two stages tomorrow, eight stages on Saturday and four stages on Sunday.
