Katsu Taguchi has fought hard all year to stem the tide, but the Motor Image Subaru Impreza is now just too fast for the Taguchi’s older Mitsubishi Evo 9.

Emma Gilmore battled hard to claim the final podium position, in a rally that mixed heat, dust, rain and mud. But Alister McRae, Gaurav Gill, Hiroshi Yanagisawa, Yuya Sumiyama and Rifat Sungkar all had bad-luck stories to tell at the end of two torturous days.

In this podcast, we talk to Crocker, Taguchi and rest of the field about an event that provided plenty of action and excitement. Have a listen to the show; just press the ‘Play’ button here, or download it from iTunes.

Photos courtesy of Linear Photographs and www.rallyindonesia.com.

After securing three bonus points on Saturday Crocker and Atkinson needed just two more points to claim a fourth successive APRC title. “It’s an incredible feeling to win four APRC titles, and it makes all the effort that Ben, the team and I have put in this year worthwhile. I couldn’t be happier”, a delighted Crocker commented at the end of the event. “Having to only score five points in Indonesia to win the championship seemed like an easy task, but to drive at a sensible pace and retain your concentration over the tough and demanding Indonesian stages wasn’t as simple as it sounded”.

Second place was taken by Katsu Taguchi, the MRF driver fighting for the win over the two days, but ultimately not able to match the pace of the Motor Image Subarus during the Saturdays eight stages.

Showing the reliability she has brought to the Motor Image team this year, Emma Gilmore collected the final podium position meaning she how has a chance of overtaking Taguchi on the points table at next months Rally China.

Full coverage of Rally Indonesia will be available on the next APRC Live podcast, ready for download in a few days time at www.aprclive.com.

Final Results (Unofficial) – Rally Indonesia 2009

1. Cody Crocker / Ben Atkinson, Subaru Impreza, 3:17:7.5
2. Katsu Taguchi / Mark Stacey, Mitsubishi Evo IX, 3:18:36.5
3. Emma Gilmour / Claire Mole, Subaru Impreza, 3:27:9.4
4. Subhan Aksa / Hade Mboi, Mitsubishi Evo IX, 3:28: 42.5
5. Sadikin Aksa / Adi Wibowo, Mitsubishi Evo X, 3:38:19.0

Championship Points (Unofficial)

1 . Cody Crocker, 78 points
2. Katsu Taguch, 47 points
3. Emma Gilmore, 41 points
4. Gaurav Gill, 12 points
5. Brian Green, 9 points

Photos courtesy of Linear Photographs.

McRae was an obvious choice for the drive, having previously been associated with Mellors Elliot Motorsport (who run the car on behalf of Proton) during his days as a Hyundai factory driver in the WRC. He will team up with co-driver Bill Hayes, a partnership which most recently yielded fourth place at last months Targa West tarmac rally.

But it is expected that this drive will be a ‘one-off’ for the Scotsman who now lives in Western Australia, Singh scheduled to return to the Proton for the season ending round in China.

Photos courtesy of Linear Photographs and Peter Evans.

Quoted on carsguide.com.au, Bates said “We have homologation now in S2000 and we’re looking to see what we can do with the cars. I’d like to take the Corolla into the Asia-Pacific championship and I’d like to see what Simon (Evans) could do with one. We have the two cars we ran in Rally Australia and we’ve got a new car nearly finished back in Canberra”.

Running as the Toyota factory team, Bates drove the S2000 Corolla to an ARC crown last year, while former team-mate Evans used Bates-built Group N(P) Corollas to claim twin titles in 2006 and 2007. When Toyota Australia pulled out of the local championship at the beginning of 2008, the Bates team contracted to a single-car effort. Evans returned as a privateer, and driving a Race Torque built Lancer took his third championship win this year, while Bates struggled on a limited budget for third in the series.

“There was an enormous amount of interest in the Corolla. It looks as if we might have already sold a car to New Caledonia,” says Bates. “It has taken us about four years to get where we are. The total cost of the project is a couple of million dollars. If we had a Simon Evans in one of the Corollas (at Rally Australia) I’m sure he could have won PWRC and been well into the top 10 overall. He is fast and the Toyota is a competitive package.”

For the full story, check carsguide.com.au. Photos courtesy of Neal Bates Motorsport.

Crocker, in his Les Walkden Rallying Impreza WRX STI, was the first Australian home in the event, finishing in twelfth place outright.

Leading the field home in the P-WRC was Czech Mitsubishi Lancer driver, Martin Prokop, who was 42.2 seconds quicker than New Zealand Subaru driver, Richard Mason. Crocker and co-driver Ben Atkinson were next, a further 53.1 seconds back and one minute 35.3 seconds behind Prokop.

Crocker was delighted to finish on the podium, given he was expecting to be a spectator at this World Rally Championship round. It was only when Les Walkden offered him a rescue package twelve days ago that Crocker got his dream of competing in the first WRC round on the east coast of Australia.

After dominating the Asia-Pacific Championship for the past three seasons, the Victorian was thrilled to compete at the highest level in a home event.

“We are really pleased to finish on the podium,” Crocker said. “It is a great tribute to Les Walkden and his team to be able to present us with such a competitive package at such short notice. This really was something that was just pulled together at the last minute”.

“It is a fantastic outcome for everyone involved. It really was an international effort to get me here. Les, with his crew, put the car on the track, but I’m also really grateful to our Indonesian backers, Sean and Ricardo Galael, who also made this campaign possible”.

“It’s been an awesome event. The crowds that we have seen out cheering us on really show that there are a lot of people really interested in this sport”.

“It has been great for Ben and me to come here and compete in front of our home crowd. We went out hard this morning hoping to put pressure on both Prokop and Mason, but they both kept their pace up, so in the afternoon we adjusted to make sure we brought the car home and finished up on the podium”.

Crocker’s next event is the penultimate round of the Asia-Pacific Championship, which takes place in Indonesia on October 3 and 4.

Rally Australia, P-WRC Results

1 Martin Prokop (CZ), Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9
2 Richard Mason (NZ), Subaru Impreza WRX STI, +42.2 secs
3 Cody Crocker (AUS), Subaru Impreza WRX STI, +1min 35.3 secs
4 Armindo Araujo, (P), Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 +4:08.1
5 Stewart Taylor (NZ), Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9+5:39.1

Story courtesy of www.leswalkdenrallying.com.au, photos courtesy of www.rallyaustralia.com

Paddon, 22, was selected by a panel of judges from five candidates representing New Zealand, Australia and China who contested a shootout as part of the World Rally Championship event in the New South Wales Northern Rivers.

He will be one of five drivers aged 27 or younger from the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East and Europe who will make the leap from their regional championships to the world stage next year in six rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship.

The Pirelli-backed program, in collaboration with the world motorsport governing body FIA, will provide a fully-supported drive in a Group N car, plus a full physical training and nutrition program and media and career management training at Edinburgh University in the UK. The prize is unofficially estimated to be valued at up to a million dollars.

“It’s pretty amazing to win the Pirelli Star Driver for Asia Pacific,” an excited Paddon said when his win was announced during the lunchtime service break.

“It’s a massive jump. It’s been my ultimate dream to be in the WRC and do well at it.

“But unfortunately money is a huge barrier, so the opportunity Pirelli is giving me is second to none.

“I’m under no illusions it’s going to be tough at WRC level, but we have to make the most of the experience. I’m looking forward to developing myself as a driver.”

John Kennard, co-driving for Paddon in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, said the young New Zealander had a strong future in the WRC.

“He’s an impressive young man. He had a three-year plan to win the New Zealand Rally Championship and he did it last year. He’s also leading the championship again with one round to go.”

Pirelli’s Motorsport Manager Paul Hembery said the Pirelli Star Driver scheme aimed to stimulate driver development outside rally’s traditional regions.

“We have seen from this year’s first intake of Pirelli Star Drivers that it’s been a great success. It takes away the financial barriers and allows talent to be recognised,” he said.

“It will not only help the Pirelli Star Drivers in the WRC, but competition for future prizes will itself stimulate interest in rallying in many countries.”

Drivers in the Repco Rally Australia shootout were Paddon, Chaodong Liu from China and, from Australia, Eli Evans, Nathan Quinn and Glen Raymond.

Hayden’s main competition was expected to come from Eli Evans, but the former APRC driver ran off the road on Friday morning, damaging the suspension of his Subaru and losing more than 12 minutes. Too much time to be able to catch Paddon in the points race for Star Driver award.

After contesting nine Special stages on Thursday night and yesterday morning, the drivers participated in a media conference at which their performance was judged by an expert panel.

The judges also assessed their performances in the pre-event shakedown, on the competitive stages and in personal interviews.

Story courtesy of www.rallyaustralia.com, and photo courtesy of Allan Macdonald, MacSpeedFoto

But for Katsu Taguchi, his dream of a second APRC title came horribly unstuck. It’s rare for the Japanese driver not to bring his car to the finish line, but in Malaysia he wasn’t able to complete either leg, crashing on both Saturday and Sunday.

In our coverage of Rally Malaysia 2009, we catch up with to Crocker and Taguchi, Gaurav Gill and Emma Gilmore, plus two new (but familiar) faces in the APRC ranks. Rifat Sungkar returned in a privately entered Lancer EVO 8, while former champion Karamjit Singh debuted the all-new Proton Neo S2000.

Have a listen to the show; just press the ‘Play’ button here, or download it from iTunes.

Photos courtesy of Linear Photographs.

The three-time Australian and three-time Asia-Pacific Rally Champion will drive for the Tasmanian-based Les Walkden Rallying (LWR) team in the event, re-establishing a partnership that won the 2006 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship title.

Thirty-seven year old Crocker was originally entered in Rally Australia as part of an Indonesian team, however freight complications looked to have ended his chances of contesting his home WRC event.

However, an eleventh hour deal has been struck between Crocker, Les Walkden Rallying and an Indonesian businessman, that will see the Victorian lining up in a 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI looking to take top honours in the Group N production car class.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity, and is a huge relief after the problems that looked to have ended our chances of competing,” Crocker said. “A driver always wants to compete in the most important event on home soil, and it doesn’t get any bigger than Rally Australia. Thanks to Les Walkden and Ricardo (Crocker’s Indonesian sponsor), we’ve been able to get everything sorted and I can’t wait to get up to northern New South Wales and start the event.”

Crocker will be partnered by his regular co-driver, Queenslander Ben Atkinson, with the pair driving the Subaru Impreza that former V8 Supercar driver, Tony Longhurst, used in this year’s Targa Tasmania. The Group N (production) car will be converted from tarmac to gravel specification.

“Rally Australia is a really important event for us,” Crocker added. “A lot of the bosses from Subaru and STI will be at the rally, so we’ll be putting our best foot forward to achieve the best possible result. The car will run in a similar specification to the Subaru I use in the Asia-Pacific Championship. It will have the diff and engine mapping settings from my APRC car, so it should be very similar in performance.”

LWR boss, Les Walkden, is delighted to have Crocker back driving for his team. It was only 24 hours earlier that the team lost young-gun Brendan Reeves from its Rally Australia campaign when the 20-year old was declared medically unfit to compete.

Walkden moved quickly to secure a drive for Crocker when the champ was left sitting on the sidelines. “It’s important to have the best possible Australian representation at our round of the WRC, and Cody is the perfect man to have behind the wheel,” Walkden said. “This is the biggest stage in Australian rallying, and it’s the perfect opportunity for Cody and LWR to strut our stuff. Cody has an incredible record over the past 10 or 11 years. He won his first APRC title driving for our team in 2006, and we’re thrilled to be working with him again.”

Crocker will test the LWR Impreza WRX STI at an official World Rally Championship shakedown next Monday, before embarking on the event later next week.

Repco Rally Australia begins with a super special stage around the streets of Murwillumbah on Thursday night, September 3. Over the next three days competitors will tackle 35 special stages comprising 340 competitive kilometres.

Source: www.leswalkdenrallying.com.au

Photos courtesy of Linear Photographs and www.leswalkdenrallying.com.au

Crocker started Leg Two with a comfortable lead over team mate Emma Gilmour of New Zealand, who finished second in 3hr 27min 11sec making it 1,2 for Motor Image on the podium.

In third was Indonesian driver, Rifat Sungkar of the Pertamina Prima XP Rally Team who finished 14min 18sec behind Gilmour.

Katsu Taguchi of the MRF Tyres team bowed out of the race early in the day when he ditched his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10 in SS11 causing major structural damage and ending his chances of securing important Championship points.

With Taguchi out, Crocker cruised to a comfortable victory and scored maximum points which positions him strongly to take out the 2009 Championship. Crocker won the APRC the past three years.

“I am very happy just to have finished the race today. The SS were very demanding.  We took the stages one at a time, kept our heads down and did the job. We kept to a pace that meant we didn’t allow any mistakes to creep in,” Crocker said.

India’s Gaurav Gill, Taguchi’s MRF Tyres team mate, who didn’t finish Leg One yesterday due to mechanical problems, pushed his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10 very hard today clocking the fastest times in four SS.  Some say Gill could be the man to beat when the APRC is held in Indonesia in October.  Gill won the Gudang Garam Indonesian Rally in 2008.

“I’ve wanted to push hard since I arrived in Malaysia,” Gill said.  Earlier in the day I missed a few junctions and in SS10 I had brake problems, but once we changed our setup we managed to win a lot of Stages,” Gaurav said.

Malaysia’s Karamjit Singh had a better day in his Proton Satria Neo S2000 as he clocked more kilometers and got more comfortable with the car.  “Today was good because we got to practice Slowly slowly we are getting faster, so hopefully by next Rally (Indonesia) the car will be right-hand drive and we’ll be much faster,” Karamjit said.

Katsu Taguchi had what can only described as a ’shocker’.  Winning this event was paramount to his title aspirations but on fast right hander just metres from the start of Stage 7 the Japanese driver put his Mitsubishi into a deep drain blocking the stage.

The damage was minimal and Taguchi restarted the following day to go for bonus points. That plan was going well until stage 10 when the Japanese driver, flat out in 4th gear went wide into one of the many deep ditches on the side of the road. The car was extensively damaged, possibly beyond repair. Taguchi title hopes are in tatters.

Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), Rally Malaysia, 11-12 July

Results for APRC and Asia Cup :
1. Cody Crocker, Ben Atkinson (Australia, Subaru Impreza STi) 3h16m22s;
2. Emma Gilmour, Claire Mole (NZ, Subaru Impreza STI) 3h37m11s;
3. Rifat Sungkar, Scott Beckwith (Indonesia, Mitsubishi Evo) 3h41m29s.

Asia-Pacific Rally Championship Points (after four rounds)
1, Cody Crocker (Australia) 63pts; 2. Katsuhiko Taguchi (Japan) 36pts; 3 Emma Gilmour (New Zealand), 34pts; 4 Brian Green (NZ) 9 pts; 5 Gaurav Gill (India) 8pts

Story and photos courtesy of www.malaysianrally.com

In our coverage of Rally Hokkaido 2009, we talk to Crocker and Taguchi, Gaurav Gill and Emma Gilmore, and the Hiroshi Yanagisawa who debuted an all-new Mitsubishi Lance Evo X. So to catch up with all the Rally Hokkaido action, just press the ‘Play’ button here, or download it from iTunes.

Photos courtesy of www.rally-hokkaido.com.