The Hindu : Nutahara sets track ablaze

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 13, 2003

Sport

Sport - Racing : Motor

Nutahara sets track ablaze

By Sanjay Rajan

OBIHIRO (Hokkaido) Sept. 12. Fumio Nutahara turned on the heat on the opening day of the three-day Rally Hokkaido, the third round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) 2003, here on Friday.

The Hokkaido-bred driver was fast on the all-gravel terrain, clocking the quickest times among the 12 APRC-registered drivers in four of the day's six special stages. Nutahara (co-driver Satoshi Hayashi), in a Group `N' Mitsubishi Lancer Evo7 leads both the APRC overall and Group N (production cars) categories.

Team MRF Tyres' Armin Kremer (co-driver Fred Berssen), also in an Evo7, is second behind Nutahara in Group `N' and third behind the Japanese in the overall class. A minute and 16.3 seconds separate the two.

New Zealander Geoff Argyle, in a prepped-up A-8 Evo6, is second in the overall classification. The on-road leader of the rally as a whole is another Japanese, Toshi Arai, in a Subaru Impreza. Arai is, however, not APRC registered.

The first two stages saw the exit of defending overall champion Karamjit Singh of Malaysia and defending Group N champion Nico Caldarola of Italy. The gearbox of Karamjit's Proton Pert went bust five kilometres into the first stage. "I will have to look at winning leg points now," said a disappointed Karamjit.

Caldarola's Evo7 developed trouble in the second stage. His manager Christy Martin said they have not been able to pin point the problem. Actually, Kremer, a German and a former European champion, also encountered problems when he broke his car's left rear suspension in the second stage.

Team MRF Tyres' other entry, Austrian David Doppelreiter (Ola Floene), was third in Group N until the shifter cable of his gearbox broke 50 metres to the finish line of the sixth and final stage.

Nutahara said he had an enjoyable day. Even as the fans cheered the local hero, a section of the crowd remembered the late Possum Bourne, the daredevil Kiwi, who is a legend in the sport. Bourne had won the rally here last year, beating the likes of Karamjit and Nutahara.

There is a Possum Bourne Gallery erected at the Service Park and Bourne's wife and three children are here to witness the rally.

The provisional results (leg one):

APRC overall: 1. Fumio Nutahara (S. Hayashi), Japan, Gr N, Evo7, 1:00:09.7, 2. Geoff Argyle (S. Smith), NZ, A-8, Evo6, 1:01:17.4, 3. Armin Kremer (Fred Berssen, Team MRF Tyres), Ger, Gr N, Evo7, 1:01:26.0.

Group N (Production cars): 1. Fumio Nutahara 2. Armin Kremer, 3. Norbeto Cangani (Nicola Arena), Italy, Gr N, Evo6, 1:08:45.8.

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