Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon won't be able to make his return to the World Rally Championship as planned after he crashed in practice.
He was set to drive for M-Sport Ford in a one-off event at Rally Finland after he wasn't able to secure a fulltime position in the championship this year.
It was during the pre-event test that the accident happened, in which Paddon hit a rock on a blind corner, and was sent off the road at high speed.
The Kiwi driver spoke to Autosport after the incident: "We hit the rock right in the middle of the car and it just threw us off line and straight into the trees. At that speed, on a narrow piece of road like that, there's nothing you can do."
"After all the effort so many people have put into this, I just don't know what to say," he said.
"I'd say I'm gutted, but that doesn't come close."
Thanks to a group of New Zealand-based sponsors, Paddon was set to drive with M-Sport Ford for Rally Finland after he was dropped by Hyundai for the 2019 season.
Watch footage of the crash here:
.@HaydenPaddon's #WRC return for @RallyFinland has ended before it could even begin - here's the onboard video from his @MSportLtd Ford of today's test crash pic.twitter.com/wgs58BCthL
— Autosport (@autosport) July 29, 2019