“During the afternoon stages with the worsening conditions, we backed off a notch to concentrate on getting to the end and completing a perfect weekend for the whole team”, Paddon commented at the end of the event.

“To stand on the top of the podium at the end with the New Zealand national anthem in the background is a very special feeling and now the target is to carry this confidence and development into the WRC with the remaining Pirelli rounds. I am also being realistic that it is a completely different kettle of fish overseas but that is now the target which I believe with a little more time and experience we can do”.

Malaysia manufacturer Proton have had a tough time in the APRC lately and Alister McRae’s 2nd place in New Zealand will give the team plenty of encouragement for future events.

Wildcard entries of New Zealanders Dean Sumner and Sloan Cox were 3rd and 4th in the Asia Pacific points – excellent results for two of the countries youngest competitors.

After a troubled event with all kinds of car problems and then a small off on Stage 2, Indonesian Rifat Sungkar salvaged 5th in APRC and secured excellent points in his quest for the title.

Australian Brendan Reeves drove a brillant event to easily win the APRC’s Pacific Cup catergory and pipped Alister McRae by 0.5 second for third overall.

Team award must go to MRF, replacing a head and turbo on Katsu Taguchi’s car and a complete gearbox and diff change for Gaurav Gill.

Both cars made it to the finish in 6th and 7th place, scoring enough points to keep the lead in the championship heading into the next round in Australia – The Rally of Queensland.

Final Outright Results – 2010 Rally Whangarei

1 – H.Paddon / J.Kennard, Mitsubishi EVO IX, 2:46:32.7
2 – E.Gilmour / B.Atkinson, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, 2:50:28.0
3 – B. Reeves / R. Smyth, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, 2:50:55.8
4 – A.McRae / B.Hayes, Proton Satria Neo, 2:50:56.3
5 – D.Sumner / P.Fallon, Mitsubishi EVO IX, 2:52:00.4
11 – R. Sungkar / S.Beckwith, Mitsubishi EVO IX, 3:06:18.8
16 – K.Taguchi / C.Murphy, Mitsubishi EVO X, 3:09:20.7
17 – G.Gill / G. Macneall, Mitsubishi EVO X, 3:10:19.5
18 – B.Green / F/Pedersen, Mitsubishi EVO X, 3:14:04.2

Story: Brian Young – www.aprc.tv. Photos: Michael Young – www.apsm.tv.

His teammate Gaurav Gill set the pace throughout the event, but some bad luck and enormous pressure from Taguchi saw the Indian slip from first to third on the final leg of the event.

In our round up of Rally Hokkaido, we talk to Taguchi, Gill, second-placed Hiroshi Yanagisawa and also catch up with Alister Mcrae and Chris Mellors from the Proton team. Have a listen to the show; just press the ‘Play’ button here, or download it from iTunes.

Photos courtesy of gogofoto.

Taguchi’s win is his second of the season, after winning Malaysian Rally in April and takes the MRF Tyres Mitsubishi driver to a commanding lead in the APRC drivers title.

Second and only 9 seconds off the lead was Cusco’s Hiroshi Yanagisawa driving a Cusco prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10. Yanagisawa pressured Taguchi all the way and was always in contention.

A disappointed third was Indian Gaurav Gill. The Indian driver was the overnight leader, but this morning hit a snow marker damaging the rear suspension. In the next stage the suspension broke loose and was lucky to make it back to service and finish the event.

The event overall was won by Toshi Arai in a Subaru.

Yuya Sumiyama was 4th in the 2nd Cusco Mitsubishi, with wildcard entry Fuyuhiko Takahashi 5th. After not finishing in Malaysia Tomohide Hasegawa secured points and 5th place in Asia Cup.

Proton were disappointed to not finish, after engine woes put Chris Atkinson car out and Alister hit a large rock on Saturday, breaking the sump and retiring. Both returned to day to set good times and the team is looking forward to the next event in Whangarei New Zealand.

Rally Hokkaido – Final Results

1. T. Arai, Subaru WRX STi, 2:06:29.9
2. K.Taguchi, MRF Lancer EVO X, +1:56.4
3. H.Yanagisawa, Cusco Lancer EVO X, +2:05.4
4. G.Gill, MRF Lancer EVO X, +3:59.9
5. Y.Sumuyama, Cusco Lancer EVO X, +5:29.8

Story and Photos: Brian Young – www.aprc.tv

The 39-year old Scotsman with his Australian co-driver Bill Hayes had gone into the final round of the Malaysian Rally on Sunday as the overnight leader and had a good 27 seconds lead over the second placed, Japan’s Katsu Taguchi and his partner Mark Stacey in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.

But then the inevitable happened. A nasty bump at the end of Stage 10 with six more to go, left his Proton Satria Neo S2000 with a damaged radiator and he was forced into an early retirement. Taguchi never looked back as he seized the opportunity to coast home to victory in a total time of 3hrs 19min: 07.7secs over the 589km race.

‘Accidents do happen in rallying and it can cost you the race. It has happened to me before. Today is my day I suppose. But to be honest I must admit that Alister has a very fast car and for me to close the gap would have been quite difficult. What’s more all of us have to face up to a very tricky venue with plenty of challenges, especially the condition of the track,’ said the 38-year old Yokohama born Taguchi.

Infact there was no happy ending for the Proton R3 team after all. Things were looking up for them until Alister’s mishap and the problems suffered by their other entrant, Chris Atkinson and Stephane Prevot with their electrical failure to their car.

‘But that’s rallying. You can have a perfect day and then you pray everything will be fine the next. But sometimes it don’t work out that way,’ said Alister.

India’s Guarav Gill and partner Glen Macneall of New Zealand, also in a Mitsubishi EVO X, came in second a good 15 seconds behind the winner. Still their combined effort of a 1-2 finish did their team, MRF Tyres, proud.
Coming in third was Indonesia’s Rifat Sungkar in a Subaru Impreza WRX with Malaysia’s Muhammad Rafiq Udhaya also in a similar vehicle, finishing fourth.

For Muhammad Rafiq, finishing fourth among the international cast has given him tremendous satisfaction. ‘I am a new hand at rallying with only four years of experience and to be the best finisher among the Malaysian entries is a boost to my career. I am looking forward to the Japanese leg of the Asia Pacific Rally in Hokkaido in May and see where I stand,’ said Muhammad Rafiq.

In fact Rafiq’s achievement had overshadowed that of the local favourite Karamjit Singh and his desire to win his 11th All-Malaysian Rally title. But endless problems to his eight year old Mitsubishi Evo VIII, has put paid to his hopes. At least in Kota Tinggi.

Source: Event Release. Photos courtesy of malaysianrally.com

As he and his co-driver Jagdev Singh head for Kota Tinggi’s Tai Tak Estate for the Malaysian Rally and the Asia Pacific Rally Championship on April 23-25, the rivals are aware of the threat from the 48-year-old Karamjit.

The 2002 Production Car World Rally Champion has kept himself fit, and given his natural talent, the money is on him to win his 11th overall Malaysian Rally Championship title.

The race is spread over four legs, with the opening leg in Johor Baru followed by Perak, Kuala Terengganu and Perlis. Karamjit will be behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX under the GSR Penzoil Racing Team banner.

Read more of this article at The New Straits Times.

Story courtesy of The New Straits Times. Photos courtesy of www.malaysianrally.com

The 30-year-old Australian will join another household name in world rallying, Alister McRae, in what will be one of the strongest driver line-ups for the seven-round Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, which starts later this month with PROTON’s home event, the Malaysian Rally (24-25 April).

Atkinson brings a tremendous balance of youth and experience to the PROTON team – and he’s no stranger to rallying in the Asia-Pacific region. He made his name in the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship with a debut class win in 2005, when he won the Super 1600 category on three events.

Queensland-born Atkinson has competed at the highest level of the sport, collecting 40 stage wins in the FIA World Rally Championship in four years with the Subaru team. A mark of Atkinson’s consistency comes in the 32 point-scoring finishes he has achieved from 67 starts in the WRC.

Atkinson is delighted to be joining PROTON for 2010. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to drive the next generation of rally car. I’m really excited about the year ahead. I’ve tested the Satria Neo S2000 briefly in Britain and it’s a very, very good car. I’m looking forward to working with PROTON and Alister [McRae] in the year ahead. To be honest, I can’t wait to get started on the first event,” he said.

PROTON R3 Rally team manager Chris Mellors added: “Chris Atkinson is going to bring another dimension to the team. He has shown what he can do at the highest level of this sport and it’s great news for PROTON that he’s joining us. We’re a real Asia-Pacific team now: a Malaysian manufacturer with a native Australian driving one car and a Scotsman living in Australia in the other. There’s no doubt, this is going to be an exciting season for PROTON and all concerned with the programme. But, right now, the focus is on getting Alister and Chris more time in the Satria and getting everything ready for our home round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.”

The Proton Satria Neo S2000 is the product of a highly successful alliance between Malaysian manufacturer PROTON and British motorsport preparation experts MEM. The car, which made its debut in the sport last season, has already run at the highest level, with McRae collecting second place on only his second event in the car (Rally of Scotland) in December last year. The forthcoming Malaysian Rally will be the team’s first appearance of 2010.

PROTON and MEM are no strangers to success, having won the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship in 2002, when Karamjit Singh guided the Proton Pert to a first ever world rally title for a Malaysian and a Malaysian manufacturer. A year later, there were more successes for Singh and the Proton MEM team when they added the 2003 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship title to their world crown.

The FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship consists of seven rounds in seven countries, including Malaysia, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia, Indonesia and China.

Story: Team Release
Photos courtesy of Tomohiko Tanabe and Linear Photographs.

Contesting the full series, regulars MRF have locked in their plans with an unchanged driver line-up. This year both Katsu Taguchi and Gaurav Gill are expected to pilot Lancer EVO Xs, with ex-Dean Herridge co-driver Chris Murphy teaming up with Taguchi.

Proton announced their return to the APRC midway through last season, with Alister Mcrae to challange for the title in a Proton Neo Super 2000. The Malysian manufacturer is also expected to enter a second Super 2000 car, with two former factory WRC drivers currently in line for the seat.

Privateers Brian Green and Rifat Sungkar have also announced their plans to contest the full series, making it a Mitsubishi-Proton fight for the manufacturers title.

Along with these crews, expect to see additional teams contest the series. Thanks to championship’s new ‘wildcard’ provisions, up to four additional entries will be permitted per event, with the ‘wildcards’ eligible to score championship points and prize money.

The Asia Cup looks like it will be hotly contested this year, with Cusco’s Hiroshi Yanagisawa and Yuya Sumiyama taking on Japanese privateer Tomohide Hasegawa in a Hasepro Mitsubishi Evo 8, and Malaysians Karamjit Singh and Rafiq Udhaya.

While Udhaya will pilot an ex-Cusco Subaru WRX, Singh is expected to upgrade his Evo 8 after the opening round in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Cup will again see a strong field of Frenchmen battle for the title. Jean-Louis Leyraud returns in his ex-PBMS Subaru WRX, and is expected to be joined by two other New Caledonian teams, with the strong possibility that two young Australian and New Zealand crews will also the battle.

The first round of the main series and the Asia Cup kicks off with Rally Malaysia on April 24.

Photos courtesy of www.rallyindonesia.com, www.malaysianrally.com, and www.jeanlouisleyraud.com.

The company was established in 1984, and along with Andrew Cowan Motorsports was responsible for Mitsubishi’s dominence in the WRC during the mid to late 90′s. Most recently Ralliart has tasted success in the Dakar Rally.

The announcement is not expected to effect the Pirelli Star Driver competition, which is run by Ralliart Italy.

However, it may cause problems for Katsu Taguchi. Although part of the MRF team in the APRC, Taguchi received support from Ralliart Japan and it’s not yet known whether the closure will impact his chances of competing in the APRC this year.

Photos courtesy of murphydean and realname.

The Gunma-based team contested the Asia Cup in 2009, with Japanese drivers Hiroshi Yanagisawa and Yuya Sumiyama piloting a pair of brand-new EVO X Lancers. With their 2009 development year behind them, it is believed they have ruled out contesting Rally New Caledonia, leaving Rally Whangarei as a likely extra event for 2010.

Photo courtesy of www.linear-photographs.com.

Quoted in a press release, Glenn Tan, the man behind the team said, “MIRT’s strong showing over the past three years is testament to the skill and hard work of our team, and a tribute to the rally heritage of the Subaru brand. We had a good run with the APRC and I am proud to say that our team has achieved what we set out to do – to make a lasting impression on Asia Pacific’s rally circuit.”

Having dominated series since it first entered in 2007, the decision is not surprising. Motorsport teams like close competition, and that is something Motor Image has not had.

Its three years in the series has, no doubt, enhanced the image of Motor Image as an organisation that can supply rally winning cars.

But what of the key components of the APRC’s most sucessful team?

Possum Bourne Motorsport, the team behind the team, will continue on. It was their expertise that built and developed the latest-spec WRX STi Impreza that dominated the series last year.

Although no longer the driving force behind Bourne’s stellar motorsport career, they have developed into one of the most professional and successful Production rally outfits in the world.

Emma Gilmore, who snared the runners-up laurels in the series last year, announced her international ability with a string of cleverly calculated drives. And driving through the pain of a broken wrist at Rally China to sneak past Katsu Taguchi for second place in the series, only helped to evalate her reputation as a professional rally driver.

She started 2009 as a Kiwi privateer with potential. By the end of the season she had clearly marked herself as a driver with not only with skills and talent, but the smarts to know when to push, when to be cautious, and how to make the most of her rivals misfortunes.

In fact, the only loser from the decision could be the four-time champion himself.

Since 1998, the fortunes of Cody Crocker and Possum Bourne Motorsport have been inextricably linked. And with the death of Possum Bourne in 2003, Crocker stepped up become the teams lead driver.

During that time, the partnership has produced 11 championships. PBMS provided cars with the potential to win titles; Crocker turned that potential into a reality.

But the one thing Cody Crocker has never been is a driver who pays for drives. His career has been built on his results and his reputation. And that means 2010 could, potentially, see him out of a drive.

That prospect last faced him at the end of 2006. Having just won his first APRC title in a Les Walkden Subaru, and having completed a contract with Subaru Australia, he was out of work. But the last-minute entry of Motor Image onto the APRC stage ensured he had another season in the championship, as as history shows, another three championships to win.

It seems unlikely he’ll find a seat in his national series in Australia, which has struggled since Subaru pulled out its factory team at the end of 2005. The Chinese series is always looking for the best Group N drivers, but Crocker’s FIA seeding makes him ineliglible. And cost of stepping into the PWRC has always been a little beyond his reach.

Whether another team will step into the APRC spotlight for 2010 and provide Crocker with the opportunity to showcase his incredible skills, we’ll have to wait and see.

The one that is for sure, Cody Crocker has set a standard in the APRC that will be very hard for those who follow to eclipse.