Motor Sport
Cromwell’s Hayden Paddon has today confirmed he will race a Hyundai i30 N TCR at Invercargill’s Teretonga Raceway, a round of Super Sprint MotorSport New Zealand championship event, 20-22 January 2023.
Paddon will contest the three-race Southern Sprint Allcomers category, televised live in Australia and New Zealand.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Paddon, who recently added the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship title to his 2022 trophy collection.
“It will be good to drive Teretonga in a car I know well.
“While I have no expectations, any opportunity I get to drive competitively I’ll jump at.
Invercargill businessman O’Donnell says the idea of Hayden driving the Hyundai he now owns, stirred him to join the line-up in his Porsche.
“It’s a good chance to go round the home track and be part of the weekend,” said O’Donnell.
“A number of the Toyota teams are staying with me, so this is an opportunity to keep a closer eye on the young up-comers while doing something more relaxed myself with the Porsche.
“Plus, it’s good to get Hayden back in the TCR – a car he previously owned. He will put on a good show so is an opportunity for us to showcase what’s happening in this part of the world. Teretonga has had a big rebuild so the television coverage puts what we’ve done on show. Hayden’s car livery allows us to promote the Invercargill Central development and the 1-2 April George Begg festival – our version of Goodwood. We want to bring all of New Zealand to Invercargill for that weekend.”
The second event of eight on the 2023 Super Sprint MotorSport New Zealand Championship calendar, the weekend marks a return to the southernmost FIA graded race circuit.
Other categories on the programme include the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Championship – certified by FIA and the Toyota 86 Championship.