Watch Kiwi WRC hotshoe tackle hillclimb in 600kW Hyundai i20

Footage has emerged of former WRC Hyundai works driver Hayden Paddon, wrestling an upgraded Hyundai i20 AP4 with almost 600kW to victory at the Ben Nevis 1200 Hillclimb earlier this year: and trust us, you’ll want your volume turned up for this!

The AP4 nomeclature denotes a technical regulation category originally conceived in conjunction between MotorSport New Zealand and the Confederation of Australian Motorsport (now Motorsports Australia). AP4 specifically encompasses a generation of 4WD turbocharged rally cars in similar specification to that of FIA R5/S2000 categories.

In normal rally competition specification (pictured below at Rally Australia, Coffs Harbour 2018), the restricted 1.8lt Turbo mill produces approximately 215kW, and is backed by a Sadev 4WD sequential gearbox and long-travel ETX suspension.

2

In this specification however, Paddon’s i20 is boasting almost 600kW thanks to a larger 2.1lt turbo motor, and a significantly more extensive aerodynamic package; with a larger and more complex rear wing, along with a rear diffuser and bespoke front splitter with larger dive planes. If you’ve ever wondered what Group B might look like in the modern era, this might be it!

Paddon ended up winning the event outright with his ballistic show of speed.

The 33-year old Kiwi hails from Geraldine of New Zeland’s South Island, and participated in his first rally at the age of 15 in 2002. His WRC debut came in 2010, after winning Pirelli’s Star Driver scholarship off the back of a rally New Zealand title, and Pacific Cup victory.

On the WRC stage, Paddon has posted 42 stage wins, eight podiums and one win.