Motor Image Racing Team Scores Flawless 1, 2 Podium Finish
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Singapore-based Motor Image Racing Team (MIRT) continued its triumph today at Day 2 of the
Malaysian Rally, with three-time Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) champion Cody Crocker
finishing first overall, and teammate Emma Gilmour in second place to accomplish an impeccable
result for the MIRT team.
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Crocker continued Day 2 with unassailable skill and determination winning the Asia Pacific Rally
Championship (APRC) Malaysian Rally in 3hrs 16min 22 sec. Team mate Emma Gilmour pulled her weight
for the team rocketing through the steamy oil-palm plantations of Kota Tinggi cementing her second
place finish with a timing of 3hr 27min 11sec.
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Rival Taguchi of MRF Tyres bowed out of the race early today in Special Stage (SS) 11 where he
ditched his car, causing extensive structural damage and dashing his aspirations of securing
important points.
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With Taguchi out of the way, Crocker and Gilmour cruised MIRT to a comfortable victory scoring
maximum points for the team and placing Crocker in a robust position to take home, yet again,
the APRC Championship this year.
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Tan Keng Hock, Team Director, Motor Image Racing Team said, "Constant hard work and strong
performance allowed the team to achieve consistent outstanding results. Yesterday's good
timings put us in comfortable positions for Day 2."
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"The SS were very demanding. We took the stages one at a time, kept our heads down and did
the job. Even with yesterday's success, we still kept up to pace, and stayed focused, not
allowing any mistakes to creep in," Crocker said.
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Gilmour said, "I came to the Malaysian Rally expecting fantastic experiences that would
stretch me to learn and improve - and this I truly got! This is my first race in such hot
environment, and the roads were more slippery than anything in New Zealand could compare to.
All these difficulties we faced made the fantastic performance and results even sweeter.
For this, many thanks to my supportive team."
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Crocker adds, "I'd too, like to thank our team of exceptional mechanics. We set out to
destroy these new stages set up before us, and we did just that."
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The next round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship will take place in Indonesia. The
Gudang Garam International Rally Indonesia happens on the rd and 4th of October, 2009.
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| Provisional Final Classification Malaysian Rally 2009 - APRC |
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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 |
03:16:22 |
2 |
3 |
Motor Image
Racing Team |
Emma GILMOUR
Claire MOLE |
NZ
GB |
SUBARU
Impreza WRX STI |
N4 |
03:28:11 |
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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). |
