In contrast to their successful debut with Hyundai Motorsport in Rally Sardinia earlier this month, when Paddon and co-driver John Kennard were contesting the event for the first time, they are not the only WRC crews making their maiden run on Poland's fast, flowing gravel stages.
''The Polish event was last part of the WRC in 2009 and while some drivers have done this event as a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge or the European Rally Championship, unlike most other [WRC] events, it is relatively new for most of our competitors,'' Paddon said.
His confidence was high after Sardinia, where he finished 12th overall, following time spent analysing pace notes and data relating to how he drives the car. Paddon has been comparing the information with other drivers, highlighting the areas where he needs to improve.
''Also, we have adjusted our note system a little to compensate for the extra speed of the WRC car and to also get some consistency back. All in all, I'm feeling really confident with our preparation.''
Paddon, who will be driving the Hyundai i20 WRC car competitively for the second time, has kept his goals humble.
''These first few events are all about learning - the team, the car, and the events - but we're also benchmarking ourselves against our team-mate, Thierry Neuville.
''In Sardinia, on average, we were 0.75sec per kilometre slower than Thierry. For Poland, our goal is to reduce this to 0.5sec per kilometre.''
Paddon also told WRC.com this week that the Polish roads should suit his driving.
''It's going to be a good experience for us because I enjoy writing notes on faster events and then committing to them. I think we can be a lot stronger in Poland.''
The two and a-half days of recce this week will be dedicated to writing pace notes that will allow him to adjust his driving as the conditions deteriorate on the roads, which are expected to be even faster than Finland's slick stages.
''The main difference being the soft sandy surface, which will become very rough on the repeated stages. With this in mind, our target is to have a good go on the first loop while the roads are smoother and still new to everyone.''
The Polish rally is based in Mikolajki, north of Warsaw, and hosts 350km of competitive tests broken into 21 stages.
