Paddon and co-driver John Kennard are competing in the third round of the European Rally Championship at the Royal Rally of Scandinavia.
The gravel roads of Sweden are among Paddon’s favourites, and having finished second there in last year’s ERC round, he is determined to achieve a similar result in his BRC Racing Hyundai i20 Rally2.
"We’re looking forward to heading back to this Swedish rally based in Karlstad," Paddon said.
"I’d say it’s probably one of our favourite rallies of the ERC calendar. We have good memories here from last year with finishing second and just really, really nice stages."
Paddon is second in the ERC drivers’ championship, 21 points behind Frenchman Mathieu Franceschi.
Maximum points in Scandinavia would be ideal for the New Zealander.
"A minimum of a podium finish is what we’re hoping for but there is some very tough competition in this field."
The 23-strong ERC1 field includes Norwegian rally great Petter Solberg and son Oliver, as well as some fast local drivers and championship regulars.
"We’re expecting plenty of intense rallying and we’ve been working hard while we were home in New Zealand utilising our Hyundai i20 Rally2 car to develop a few upgrades to be implemented with our European car before this event."
The rally in Sweden is one of only four 2023 events repeated on this year’s calendar.
Paddon hopes his and Kennard’s previous experience will help them shine over the three-day event.
"I’m keen try to repeat what we did last year. I think it’s important that we have to push very hard as we’re in a position in the championship where we have to catch up a little bit.
"This is a different mindset to what we had 12 months earlier when we were contesting the ERC for the first time. The proof will be in the pudding once we hit the stages next week, and hopefully we can bring home the result we’re seeking."
The Royal Rally of Scandinavia starts on Friday morning (NZ time) with an opening super special stage in Karlstad.
The first full day’s schedule comprises eight stages, including four stages repeated morning and afternoon. Another eight stages feature the following day, making a total of 17 stages and 191.05km of competition.
