As well as the flagship Hyundai Shell World Rally Team, the German squad operates the second-string Hyundai Motorsport N squad, also known as the Hyundai Mobis World Rally Team.
Run from the same cavernous WRC service park hub as the main squad, the cars also carry a similar livery. The letter N is taken from Hyundai’s R&D centre in Namyang, South Korea, and refers to the company’s range of performance road cars.
Hyundai Motorsport N debuted at Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2014, when Dani Sordo drove, and Paddon tackled six rounds from Rally Italia Sardegna onwards.
In 2015, Paddon got an expanded programme including every round bar the season opening Rallye Monte-Carlo, while Hyundai’s test driver Kevin Abbring also got a number of WRC outings. Unexpectedly, the team also ran main team driver Thierry Neuville at Wales Rally GB, when Paddon took his place in the lead squad.
More ebb and flow between the main and N squads is expected in 2016 as Paddon - now under long term contract - Neuville and Sordo rotate between the squads. One constant will be Abbring, who will continue to slot a number of WRC events - in a 2015-spec car - around