Getting behind the wheel of a World Rally car requires a particular mindset given the massive level of skill and concentration involved. It’s a fact Hyundai Motorsport’s Hayden Paddon is all too aware of and as such, he’s sought the advice of a respected expert.
Fellow New Zealander, Gilbert Enoka, has been the Mental Skills Coach for the All Blacks – New Zealand’s world famous rugby team – for fourteen years. Highly respected in his field, he’s helped some of the biggest names in Rugby develop their focus and mental agility and as a direct result, those athletes have gone on to further success.
Paddon, who is already subject to demanding physical exercise as part of his role as an FIA World Rally Championship driver explained, “I want to be a World Champion, and that needs my mental health to be at its peak.”
He went on to say that as he gets more time in the driver’s seat, he’s seeing the mental training of Enoka coming to fruition already.
Could the sport see other drivers benefitting from this same element of mental exercise? Paddon certainly seems to be fully behind the idea, but it’s the weekend’s rallying that will be the proof.
One of the most important elements of success on the Vodafone Rally de Portugal is tyre choice; in recent years, tyre choice and management has been one of the biggest talking points and major influences on the outcome of the event.
The tyres manufacturers – Pirelli, Michelin, Hankook and DMACK – accordingly take their trade seriously. Pirelli, for example, has some 600 tyres prepared for the nine to ten cars running on its products this weekend.
A spokesman for Korean manufacturer Hankook, said; “This year, the stages seem to be slightly softer than last year. This might be because there was rain in the area of the rally the week before.
“If the ambient temperature remains slightly lower than last year, then the softer tyre might work better. It may be a case of soft tyres in the morning and harder examples in the afternoon.
“However, if the temperature rises past around 25 degrees C, then drivers using the soft tyres will probably begin to have problems.”
The current weather forecast suggests Friday could be the warmest day, with temperatures expected to reach low to mid-20s while cooler days on Saturday and Sunday – 19 and 18 deg respectively – are predicted. There is currently a 50% chance of rain on Saturday night, which could affect the stages for the final leg of the rally.