Another PWRC win for Symtech Racing and Hayden Paddon!

The Belgian Symtech Racing team, based in Grobbendonk, together with their crew of Hayden Paddon and John Kennard, have claimed another win in the 2011 Production Car World Rally Championship. With almost an eight-minute lead and an overall classification of ninth, Paddon and his Symtech Racing Subaru Impreza STR11 triumphed on the Argentinian PWRC round in style.

For Hayden Paddon, this should have been the most difficult rally of the year compared to the other PWRC events in 2011, as he was starting the Rally Argentina for the first time. The team's strategy was clear : no risks and no effort spared to claim some precious points for the championship. The plan was to approach the first day calmly without paying too much attention to what the other drivers were doing. It was soon clear that a podium finish was possible, when after just a few stages Paddon was already third. But the route of the Rally

Argentina was particularly demanding : especially for the cars. It was a reality that Paddon's rivals were soon to face, leaving the way clear for the New Zealander to lead the rally at the end of day one with a nine-minute advantage over the second-placed competitor. All of Paddon's direct opposition were forced to throw in the towel during the tough opening day with mechanical problems.

Wim De Boeck ( Symtech Racing ) : "In Portugal, Hayden showed his speed from the beginning by setting fastest stage times from the start but in Argentina he demonstrated his intelligence during the rally. It's clear that in this rally, which isn't really designed for Group N cars, the quality of the car is very important. So we are very proud to get our Subaru to the top of the podium without any major problems."

n the second day, Paddon concentrated on driving at a safe pace while trying to avoid setbacks. Throughout the whole of the second day he experienced a very punishing route but at each service halt the Symtech Racing mechanics were able to restore the his car to full health.

Hayden Paddon : "This result is completely unexpected. We had aimed for the top three but this is more than we hoped for. It is the ideal result for our championship hopes, which is very important. After we took the lead on Friday there were still two days of stress as on a rally like this anything can happen at any point. The team were really good, giving me a car that worked perfectly. For everybody, Argentina was a fantastic experience with this top result forming the icing on the cake."

Paddon and Kennard finally won the PWRC classification with almost an eight-minute margin. They now lead the championship jointly with Martin Semerad, who counts one result more in his total.

The next round takes place from 29-31 July on Rally Finland.