Kiwi driver Hayden Paddon's World Rally Championship comeback has been short lived, after COVID-19 forced him to withdraw from Rally Estonia on Saturday (NZ time).
Driving at his first WRC event in three years, Paddon only completed five stages of the event before having to pull out.
The 35-year-old was off the pace though the first five stages, then failed to return from his lunch break due to what was initially reported as a mechanical issue.
Paddon later took to social media to confirm the reason behind his premature exit and sub-par driving.
"Unfortunately we have had to withdraw from Rally Estonia," Paddon wrote on his Facebook page.
"Gutted is an understatement, but we have been left with no option. I started feeling unwell last night but returned negative Covid tests.
"This morning I continued to feel quite ill and couldn't focus at all on the stages and driving.
"At midday service another Covid test was taken, which returned a positive result. We have now had to follow all Covid protocols which means withdrawal from the rally."
The withdrawal is another cruel blow for Paddon, who has been beset with bad luck. In 2019, he was given a temporary seat with Ford for three rallies in Finland, Britain and Australia.
He crashed during testing in Finland, suffered early mechanical problems on both days in Britain, then missed out in Australia, after bushfires saw the event cancelled.
The Estonia event was a means for Paddon to improve his new Hyundai car with an eye towards a full WRC2 campaign next year. He'll have one more opportunity at next month's Rally Finland, which begins August 4.
"A big thanks to Hyundai NZ for the understanding of this situation which is so incredibly poor timing, especially after dodging Covid for the past two years," he added.
"We will now focus on full health and recovery to give Rally Finland a good nudge. Sorry everyone."
