Paddon at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza R4

Ready to contest the Wales Rally GB

By Franck Drui

28 October 2011 - 18:46
Paddon at the wheel of a Subaru (...)

Hayden Paddon will contest the Wales Rally GB, the last round of the World Rally Championship, driving a Subaru Impreza R4 for the first time, built and run by Belgian team Symtech Racing.

Though the final WRC event is valid for the Production Car World Rally Championship, Hayden Paddon has been allowed by the FIA to take part in the rally at the wheel of a R4 car instead of a Group N car, which is the category he has been competing in this season. This exception was possible as Paddon already secured the title at the Rally of Australia in September, so there will be no impact on the championship.

Hayden Paddon said: "After securing the title, Symtech Racing and I started working on the best solution to contest the final round as well as looking into new options for next year. We have enjoyed a fantastic season so far with the Subaru Impreza STR11 and I’m really looking forward to driving the R4 version. I’m confident Symtech Racing has the technical expertise to provide me with a very competitive new car and it will be interesting to see where we will be able to position ourselves in the overall standings with the Subaru Impreza R4."

Win De Boeck (Symtech Racing) commented: "Over time we have built up a strong relationship with Subaru’s STI motorsport division and so we can’t wait to test the new car: the R4 version of the iconic Impreza. We consider this opportunity as an important step towards the future. Having won the title on the penultimate round with Hayden, we can now contest the Rally GB with this brand new car. It would have been a pity to miss such a great opportunity."

George Donaldson (STI) added: "I’m really glad Hayden has been able to prove how competitive he is. I’m looking forward to see him and Symtech Racing taking part in the Wales Rally GB with the Subaru Impreza R4. The Belgian team has already enjoyed a successful cooperation with Subaru in the WRC in the past and with Hayden the feeling is also really good. We hope they will put in a great performance in Wales. Our first success was in Finland with PG Andersson and TMR: now we hope for another impressive result."

The Subaru Impreza R4 is a lighter car - around 70 kg of weight - with also modifications to the suspension compared to a standard Group N machine.

Based in Cardiff, the Wales Rally GB will take place from 11-13 November.

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