Hayden Paddon's rally career will shift up a gear next week when he and long-term co-driver John Kennard leave for Edinburgh, Scotland, to begin a testing and training programme with the Pirelli Star Driver (PSD) team.

He will leave behind the rigorously-prepared Mitsubishi Evo 9 his Team Green has rebuilt in the off season and say goodbye to his faithful group of friends and family, who have helped get him so far in his chosen motorsport.

After a few days in the Scottish capital, where Paddon will meet the four other Pirelli scholarship recipients, the five elite youngsters will travel to Italy to join the 30 to 40 Ralliart Italia personnel who will run their 2010 campaign.

Paddon said he was looking forward to setting eyes on the Mitsubishi Evo X he will contest the six Pirelli rounds in, including the all-tarmac German and French rallies. Having it prepared by foreigners will be a far cry from what he is accustomed to, but he hopes his dedication to making an impression will be reinforced by the efforts of the three mechanics and one engineer assigned to him.

"We are used to having a bit of what I'd call a family team. Now we are going to a professional outfit which works day-in and day-out on cars.''

The 22-year-old Geraldine driver will then begin a whirlwind tour of some of the world's most renowned rally destinations. First on his calling card is next month's Rally of Turkey, in a new location on the north and east of Istanbul's Asian side - meaning Paddon will join the rest of the World Rally Championship contenders tackling a new selection of stages.

He then whisks home with a fortnight up his sleeve before contesting a home-country event - Rally New Zealand - based around Auckland.
The short turnaround necessitates having his 2009 New Zealand Rally Championship title-defending machine running nigh-on perfect before he leaves. Testing this weekend in the Waimate forest should iron out any kinks.

After a near three-month break from competitive driving, Paddon admitted he was excited about "shaking the nerves off, getting back into the seat and getting back into the groove of things''.

He said his physical fitness had reached a never-before-achieved level, courtesy of two hours' daily training - running, biking, rowing and pumping weights.

He will need all his strength, as on top of the six rallies included in his scholarship prize, he has added New Zealand and Japan to bring his Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) tally up the the required six events to be eligible for points.

Timaru sign-writing company All About Signs is in charge of getting the Evo 9 and Team Green looking sharp for the season and Paddon expected the new livery to be confirmed soon.

HAYDEN PADDON'S 2010 CAMPAIGN
Rally of Turkey: April 16-18 (PSD, Evo X)
Rally New Zealand: May 7-9 (PWRC, Team Green, Evo 9)
Rally of Portugal: May 28-30 (PSD, Evo X)
International Rally of Whangarei: July 2-4 (Team Green, Evo 9)
Rally of Finland: July 29-31 (PWRC, PSD, Evo X)
Rally of Germany: August 20-22 (PWRC, PSD, Evo X)
Rally of Japan: September 10-12 (PWRC, Evo 9)
Rally of France: September 30 to October 3 (PWRC, PSD Evo X)
Rally of Great Britain: November 11 to 14 (PWRC, PSD Evo X)
Key
PSD = Pirelli Star Driver-nominated World Rally Championship event.
PWRC = Production World Rally Championship event, within the World Rally Championship. Team Green = Paddon's Geraldine-based team.

Media & Photo: Catherine Pattison