The sixth round of FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championsihp(APRC) "Rally Indonesia" was taken place from 3-4 October. By winning this event, Australian's Cody Crocker and Ben Atkinson became the first driver and co-driver in history to win the Asia Pacific Rally Championship driver's title four times
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.
Teammate Emma Gilmour laid her claim on third position on the winner's podium, adding to the shine of the stellar performance of the Motor Image Rally Team team.
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 of Day 1 and setting up a lead of one minute over Taguchi, Crocker showed no signs of relenting and continued his stranglehold on the title today.
Crocker said after the final stage. "It's an incredible feeling to win four APRC titles, and it makes all the effort that Ben(Atkinson), the team and I have put in this year worthwhile. I couldn't be happier." He added "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."
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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.
The next and final round of the APRC 2009 will be the China Rally, to be held on November 14 and 15.
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