Crocker Scores Hat Trick In APRC
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Three-time Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) champion, Cody Crocker, of
Singapore-based, Motor Image Racing Team (MIRT) once again showed his mettle,
when he scored his third straight win in the APRC 2009 in Hokkaido.
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As first car, he had the usual duties of being road-sweeper, clearing all the gravel on the
narrow and soft roads of Hokkaido's mountains. Driving his made in Singapore MY09
Subaru Impreza WRX STI, the reigning champion’s winning time was 2hours, 15mins
and 5.09secs.
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With fellow, co-driver, Ben Atkinson, Crocker who dominated Day 1 of the Rally took a
total of 15 points at Hokkaido - 10 points for the win, 3 points from yesterday's Day 1
heats and 2 bonus points for today.
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Said Crocker, "I aimed for the win today and am really very ecstatic with the results. We
were up against fierce competition from the Japanese guys like Katsu Taguchi but we
are off to a good win and a strong lead in the Championships."
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Fellow MIRT drivers, Emma Gilmour and co-driver Rhianon Smyth managed to
consolidate her third placing in the APRC standings behind team mate, Crocker and
their Mitsubishi rival and former APRC champion, Katsu Taguchi from Japan.
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Said Gilmour, "Today has been a long and challenging day. The pre-event rain made the
roads very treacherous, but I was determined to secure third placing in Hokkaido, so it
has all worked out as planned. I am glad that I am gaining more experience with every
leg and getting more familiar with the car."
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"It's a fantastic result and I am just as happy as the drivers. I would like to congratulate
both Cody and Emma on winning first and third position, respectively. However, we have
three more rallies to go, and we must work hard and win each of these to keep the title
under our belt," said Glenn Tan, Team Principal of the Motor Image Racing Team.
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The Rally of Hokkaido is the fourth round of the seven-leg FIA Asia Pacific Rally
Championship. The Asia Pacific Rally Championship moves on to its next leg to
Malaysia on August 15-16th, to Indonesia in October and China in November.
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The two Subaru teams, sponsored by Motor Image Group (MIG) are fronted by defending
champion Cody Crocker from Australia, and female driver Emma Gilmour from New Zealand.
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2009 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship – Rally of Hokkaido Day 1 Results (APRC Top 3)
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S/N |
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 |
01:37:11.6 |
2 |
2 |
MRF Tyres |
Katsu TAGUCHI
Mark STACEY |
JPN
AUS |
MITSUBISHI
Lancer EVO IX |
N4 |
01:38:31.9 |
3 |
5 |
Motor Image
Racing Team |
Emma GILMOUR
Rhianon SMYTH |
NZ
AUS |
SUBARU
Impreza WRX STI |
N4 |
01:40:24.7 |
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2009 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship – Rally of Hokkaido Day 2 Results (APRC Top 3)
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S/N |
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 |
02:15:05.9 |
2 |
2 |
MRF Tyres |
Katsu TAGUCHI
Mark STACEY |
JPN
AUS |
MITSUBISHI
Lancer EVO IX |
N4 |
02:16:15.8 |
3 |
5 |
Motor Image
Racing Team |
Emma GILMOUR
Rhianon SMYTH |
NZ
AUS |
SUBARU
Impreza WRX STI |
N4 |
02:19:02.0 |
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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 automobiles in Singapore, and has since
expanded its presence to manage the Subaru distributorships in Southern China, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. The Group is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL), engaging in
automotive, commercial, manufacturing, trading and property investment businesses in Asia.
Visit Subaru's official website at www.motorimage.net.
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Subaru's philosophy is based on high quality engineering, safety, reliability,
a fun driving experience and value. The company was founded in 1955 when a P-1
prototype of an all-wheel drive passenger car was completed. Since then, Subaru
has grown to become one of the world's leading carmakers, with Subaru vehicles
offering superb driving pleasure and safety based on advanced technologies,
including the Horizontally-Opposed Engine, the symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
system and the intelligent continuously variable transmission (I-CVT).
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