New co-driver, Claire Mole, for remaining legs of APRC 2009
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Motor Image Racing Team (MIRT) co-driver, Rhianon Smyth was rushed to the Royal
Adelaide Hospital after her car hit a tree during the "High Eden" stage of the 2009
Australian Rally Championship (ARC) in Barossa Valley. Smyth remains in hospital for
the time being recovering from broken bones and will be unable to co-drive with MIRT
driver, Emma Gilmour for the last three remaining legs of the Asia Pacific Rally
Championship 2009 (APRC). |
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Smyth's role as co-driver to Gilmour will be taken up by Claire Mole. Mole is no stranger
to the rally scene, having dabbled in rallying since age 17. She went on to become a
Great Britain (GB) Junior Rally Team Member in 1987. Since then, she has rallied in
several countries throughout the world including France, Germany, Belgium, Norway,
Sweden, Monaco, Finland, USA, Malaysia, Ireland, Spain, New Zealand, Portugal,
Sardinia and Corsica. |
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"I was very worried when I first heard of Rhianon's accident. She has multiple injuries but
she is very fit and also very determined so I am sure we will see her back in the circuit
soon. The whole team will miss her," said Emma Gilmour. |
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"Claire and I have worked together before so she will certainly be a good fit at this point
of the APRC where we have three more legs to work hard at to remain at the top,"
Gilmour added. |
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Rhianon Smyth made her debut in May 2009 at the Rally of Queensland for the Motor
Image Racing Team, where they picked up an impressive third place in the final stage.
Their impressive performance continued in the following two legs of the APRC where the
duo clinched second and third place in the Rally of Whangarei and the Hokkaido Rally,
respectively. |
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"Rhianon has been a good co-driver for Emma, and has contributed to the exceptional
performance of the team this season. I do hope she will recover soon and I wish her well.
I am happy that we managed to find a suitable replacement in Claire Mole from the UK. I
have full confidence that they will both maintain the strong and consistent performance
in the remaining legs in the APRC," said Tan Keng Hock, Managing Director of Motor
Image Racing Team. |
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Besides Emma Gilmour and Claire Mole, the Motor Image Racing Team also includes
Cody Crocker, defending champion of the APRC title, and his co-driver Ben Atkinson. |
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All four drivers will be in Singapore for a meet-and-greet session on Saturday, 8th August
and Sunday 9th August between 12pm and 2pm at the Subaru showroom in Toa Payoh,
prior to leaving for the next leg of the APRC in Malaysia on the 15th and 16th of August,
2009. |
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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, Cambodia, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. 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). |
