Cody Crocker creates History with Unprecedented Fourth Asia-Pacific Rally Championship Title
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Celebrations were abound for the Motor Image Racing Team (MIRT) as reigning champion Cody
Crocker created history by clinching his fourth straight crown at the sixth round of the
APRC 2009 in Makassar, Indonesia.
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Crocker's victory today positions him at one title win ahead of a line of rallying's
greatest drivers, including his Subaru mentor, Possum Bourne, and Sweden's Kenneth
Eriksson, both of whom have three titles under their belts.
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Teammate Emma Gilmour laid her claim on third position on the winner's podium, adding
to the shine of the stellar performance of the MIRT team.
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Crocker started the Indonesian leg of the APRC needing only five points to secure an
unassailable lead over rival Taguchi for the title. Winning seven of the eight competitive
stages yesterday and setting up a lead of one minute over Taguchi, Crocker showed no signs
of relenting and continued his stranglehold on the title today.
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Crocker dominated the remaining six stages of Day 2, not only emerging, again, in pole position,
but increasing his lead time over Taguchi to one minute and 29 seconds, though merely requiring
to finish Day 2's stages to claim the title.
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Crocker said after crossing the finish line of the final stage. "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."
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"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," He added.
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Thankfully, Crocker had a trouble-free run at the Indonesian Rally, well-known for being
challenging for drivers and cars alike. "Once again the MotorImage Subaru has performed
impeccably, and Ben and I were able to fully focus on getting to the finish and scoring
the points we needed," Crocker said.
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The same could not be said for teammate Emma Gilmour today when her car overheated badly
on the second stage of the day. However despite the early glitch, driver and car performed
well through the remaining battery of stages and the scorching heat, clinching a commendable
third placing in a rally that was every bit as tough as she had expected.
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"After yesterday's downpour, I'm grateful today was a dry day which meant we didn't have
to drive on roads that resembled an ice skating rink," said Gilmour.
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She added on her teammate's title-win, "I'm incredibly proud of Cody and the team.
They performed fantastically today and deserve a big pat on the back. Right now I am
looking forward to the next round in China where I will be working hard to give Taguchi
a run for his money."
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Tan Keng Hock, Team Director, Motor Image Racing Team said, "We've had a incredible
season so far this year and I'm very pleased with the outstanding spirit I've seen from
the team and drivers. Cody's historical win today is definitely a milestone in the
history of MIRT."
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The next and final round of the APRC 2009 will be the Rally of China, to be held on November 14 and 15.
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| Classifications for Day 2 - APRC Rally of Indonesia 2009 |
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Pos |
Car No |
Entrant |
Driver / Co-driver |
NAT |
Vehicle |
GRP/CLS |
Total Time |
1 |
1 |
Motor Image
Racing Team |
Cody CROCKER
Ben ATKINSON |
AUS
AUS |
SUBARU
Impreza WRX STI |
N4 |
3:17:07.5 |
2 |
2 |
MRF Tyres |
Katsu TAGUCHI
Mark STACEY |
JPN
AUS |
MITSUBISHI
Lancer EVO IX |
N4 |
3:18:36.5 |
3 |
4 |
Motor Image
Racing Team |
Emma GILMOUR
Claire MOLE |
NZ
GB |
SUBARU
Impreza WRX STI |
N4 |
3:27:09.4 |
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| 2009 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship Dates & Locations |
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| Rally de Nouvelle Caledonie |
France |
10th – 12th April |
| Rally Queensland |
Australia |
9th – 10th May |
| Rally of Whangarei |
New Zealand |
5th – 7th June |
| Rally Hokkaido |
Japan |
11th – 12th July |
| Malaysian Rally |
Malaysia |
15th – 16th August |
| Rally Indonesia |
Indonesia |
3rd – 4th October |
| China Rally |
China |
14th – 15th November |
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* Please note that the APRC 2009 will feature seven events on the calendar but participating teams only need to register and race in a
minimum of six events. Motor Image Racing Team has nominated to participate in all events except the Rally de Nouvelle Caledonie in 2009. |
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| The Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) |
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The APRC is organised by the FIA and consists of seven legs of rallying under
gruelling conditions. Taking place in some of the most diverse regions of the
world, the APRC attracts drivers from across the world. Each rallying leg has
it own unique characteristics, adding to the allure of rallying. From the dust
and dirt of Australia, to the wintery conditions of New Zealand, to the steaming
jungles of Malaysia, APRC offers participants challenges in both topography and climate. |
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The APRC is primarily a Group N championship in that the favoured cars are the current
world leaders in Group N rally technology. The championship is subject to regulations
laid down by the FIA. Vehicle eligibility is open to Production cars (Group N) and
Touring cars (Group A5, A6, A7). Each class has a driver and co-driver award along with
an overall manufacturer trophy. In 2006, Subaru were the recipients of the manufacturers'
trophy, while Cody Crocker won the driver's title. |
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Group N cars are built from base cars with a limited range of modifications allowed. The
Group N cars by Subaru use the same engines as the Subaru WRX STI road cars. The production
of the Group N rally cars in Singapore began in November 2006 with the support from Subaru
Tecnica International (STI) and Possum Bourne Motor Sports (PBMS). The Group N cars, which
are built and distributed from the state-of-the-art Subaru Hub in Toa Payoh, are production
vehicles fitted with safety equipment in compliance with the governing Federation International
de l'Automobile's (FIA) guidelines and regulations. |
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For more information on APRC, please refer to www.fiaaprc.com. |
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| About Motor Image Racing Team |
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The Motor Image Racing Team (MIRT) is part of Singapore-based Motor Image Enterprises that
was conceived in 2007 after a project with Subaru Tecnica International to build Group N Cars.
The MIRT has been making waves in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) with two
manufacturers' titles under its belt and Cody Crocker winning two consecutive driver's
championships for the team. For more information, please visit www.miracingteam.com. |
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Motor Image is the sole distributor of Subaru cars in Singapore. The company started
operations in 1986 and over the years expanded its presence to manage the Subaru
distributorships in Southern China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The Motor Image Group is a subsidiary of
Hong Kong-listed Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL), which engages in automotive,
commercial, manufacturing, trading and property investment businesses across Asia.
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Based in Japan, Subaru is the automobile brand produced by Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI),
a comprehensive, multifaceted transport equipment manufacturer that develops a wide range
of innovative products such as automobiles, aerospace, bus-manufacturing, house-prefabricating,
industrial products and ecology systems. Founded in 1955 Subaru has since grown to become one
of the world's leading carmakers. In 1972, Subaru became the first in the world to market an
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) passenger car and pioneered the market in Japan for high-performance
station wagons by combining a turbo-charged engine with an AWD system. Subaru has improved
and refined its AWD system, to create a symmetrical AWD system that enables optimal driving
pleasure and safety.
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Subaru (in Japanese) refers to a group of stars which is the name of a star cluster
in the Taurus constellation. The name was adopted in the 1950's, as its official logo when
the company produced its first passenger prototype, the P-1.
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Subaru is well-known by motoring organizations worldwide for its engineering, design,
functionality, safety and reliability. The Subaru range of vehicles includes the Forester,
Legacy, Outback, Impreza, Impreza WRX, Impreza WRX STI, Exiga and Tribeca.
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