For New Zealand's top rally driver, Hayden Paddon, 2012 involves changing cars from Subaru to Skoda and swapping his residential address in South Canterbury for Spain.
He announced yesterday he will contest the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship with co-driver John Kennard in a Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car with Barcelona-based Spanish team ASM Motorsport and the support of new sponsors, the Giltrap Group.
Having won the 2011 Production World Rally Championship, Paddon is forging ahead with his international competition goals by climbing to the next rung on the ladder of world rallying. The Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) is the key feeder series for the main game - the World Rally Championship (WRC) - and is an important step forward for the likeable and talented Kiwi.
"It is very exciting times for us and despite the added challenges of learning a different car and stronger competition, our aim will be to win the championship." Paddon said.
The decision to run with ASM Motorsport followed several months of talks with various European teams and sponsors.
"I am ecstatic about the move to Super 2000; it's a fantastic opportunity," the 24-year-old from Geraldine said.
"I was lucky enough to test the Skoda Fabia S2000 in Europe a couple of months ago and it was an incredible car to drive. The S2000 is a full-blown race car and is basically a WRC car without the aero and turbo."
One factor in the team's decision to move to the S2000 Skoda is that Skoda's parent company, Volkswagen (VW), has confirmed its entry into the WRC in 2013, which could potentially result in a top tier drive for Paddon.
VW management signed star French driver Sebastién Ogier last month and he will compete in all rounds of the 2012 WRC in a similar Skoda S2000 car to Paddon's and thus provide an outstanding benchmark for all SWRC competitors.
"Sebastién is one of the fastest drivers in the WRC at present and having the chance to compete with him will be an honour and also a challenge," Paddon said.
"It will help us to lift to another level and while he will be hard to beat, he certainly gives us a good target to aim for."
Blenheim's Kennard continues as Paddon's co-driver, taking the highly successful rally partnership into its seventh season.
Paddon and long-time partner Katie Lane will base themselves in Barcelona, where they will travel to the seven of eight selected World Rally Championship events, SWRC competitors are required to contest. He has chosen Rally Sweden, Rally Portugal, Rally New Zealand, Rally Finland, Wales Rally GB, Rally France and Rally Spain - dropping the year's first SWRC event, Rally Monte Carlo.
"With Monte Carlo taking place in January, we have given ourselves a little more time to prepare for the next SWRC event, Sweden, which runs from 10 to 12 February. It is also going to be special to have the chance to do Rally New Zealand as one of our rounds and bring our new car home for our supporters to see."
The later start date also gives Paddon's broken collarbone, sustained in a crash during a corporate ride day earlier this month, a chance to heal.
"It gives me a bit more recovery time. I want to make sure for the first rally I'm one hundred per cent."
Paddon said it was hard leaving Subaru after such a successful 2011 with the Japanese car but he needed to keep moving forward "in the best manner to help make my ultimate goal of winning the World Rally Championship a reality."
