First Win!

[Won]

Yesterday in Argentina, Hyundai took the first WRC win of the season, which was also the first for the crew of Paddon/Kennard, first for a New Zealander, and first win for me in the team, or in any team for that matter.

On my first day I was given a project which is crucial to keep cars running through these watersplash features Argentina rally is known for. It was a very nice challenge but a challenge indeed, and I couldn't be 100% sure I got it right until the first time the cars actually went into water in anger.

Unfortunately for me, Argentina got unusually high amount of rainfall this season, so the water was particularly deep. And when one of our cars stopped right after going through one of these, you can imagine how I was feeling. Eventually they managed to get going again, and it turned out to be an electrical problem, as confirmed by the chief designer: "if it was [my part] that failed, then the engine would die once and stay dead". So that was day 1 on Friday. On Saturday, 2 of our drivers stayed at the sharp end, when the leading VW rolled over (crew OK) and retired from the rally. We went into Sunday with a 30 second lead over the next car driven by the current and 3-time world champion Ogier. After the penultimate stage, the gap was down to 2.6 seconds, and I don't think anyone believed that Paddon would hold on to the lead.

I caught the live coverage of Paddon's run through the last stage, and man that was simply an amazing drive. Recently, I was lucky enough to ride shotgun in the WRC car during a test session, so I could appreciate just how all-out that run was, even through the cockpit cam. In the end, Paddon manage to go 11s up on Ogier to take the win. It was a great, close race and one to remember for me, for sure.

It was one thing to say our customers at my previous work won world championships, but, although it was just a race win, this one feels much better. This is exactly why I wanted to join a team fighting for a world championship. I don't know how realistic the championship is for us this year, but we keep pushing, and next year's car would be even better.

So anyone here follow WRC?

[Deschodt]

You bet ! And congrats on being part of that first win.... (even though Hyundai is not my brand)
Well done.... Good to see some competiton for Seb. I knew Latvala would crash out eventually, but was not expecting Paddon to keep it up. Well done !!

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Congratulations Won, well done to you and the team

Great picture, you need to get that one framed and stuck on a wall.

I don't want to temper your confidence but from experience never, ever, ever think you have all the bases covered as it's only a very small step from 'clever f****r to mother f****r'

Having a Plan B and sometimes also C and D in your pocket is a good bet too. D for me was find another job, luckily I've not had to use that one yet

I always enjoy your posts so keep pushing and keep the updates coming.

[Won]

Trust me Captain, I had Plan B, C, AND D planned (i.e. scribed on the mould) and in fact had to use some of them....

Descholdt, It's amazing just how much abuse these cars go through, and when the top mount pokes through the bonnet (oh hello), that's when you know your day just got a lot worse.

[Won]

... and here comes the second one! I could really get into this routine

Neuville has had a string of bad luck and mechanical issues lately, so it's really nice to see him win this. Hopefully he will get his confidence back and keep pushing hard! Difficult to watch Paddon retire again with a crash. I bumped into the workshop leader on Friday afternoon right after the crash, and he wasn't very amused to say the least. The guys did a great job of building a new car in 1 week after the fiery exit in Portugal, and now it looks like they need to do it all over again.