The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Katsuhiko Taguchi in lead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 22, 2005

Sport

Sport - Racing : Motor

Katsuhiko Taguchi in lead

D. Ravi Shankar

NOUMEA (NEW CALEDONIA): Overcoming treacherous road conditions and late torrential rains, the MRF Team of Japanese Katsuhiko Taguchi and co-driver Australian Mark Stacey took the lead in the Rally de Nouvelle Caledonie at the end of the first nine stages held near Poya in the northern region of New Caledonia. The remaining eight stages are to be run in the Southern region near Mont Dore on Sunday.

It was a good day for the Indian tyre manufacturer's sponsored teams as Jussi Valimaki and his navigating partner Jarkko Kalliolepo lay in second place 40 seconds behind the leaders. There were two dropouts in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship category of the rally with Brian Green going off the road in the fifth special stage and Dermot Malley being forced to retire from Leg 1 due to mechanical problems in the second special stage of the rally.

Jussi Valimaki led the pack of APRC drivers after the first special stage with teammate Taguchi trailing by six seconds. On the second special stage however the MRF recruit from Finland had the misfortune of breaking the front differential of his car, making it a two-wheel drive for the next 33 kms.

That set him back by 13 seconds and Taguchi took the lead from here onwards right till the end of the first day. Valimaki also said that Taguchi had fitted on mud tyres for the first leg which gave the Japanese a clear advantage because of the incessant rains. Valimaki only switched to mud tyres for the eighth and ninth special stages.

Taguchi also lost precious time as his car had a front flat tyre on the eighth stage but with just three kilometres to go to the end of the stage, Taguchi was able to coax his car to the service park and change tyres for the final sector.

Taguchi drove with bravado, once touching 190-kmph on the second stage. Taguchi's average speed for the first day was put at 100.85-kmph, not a bad showing considering the difficulty of the terrain.

It's a pity that the participants in the rally have to focus on the road ahead rather than absorb the scenic beauty of New Caledonia. Captain James Cook, who first discovered the place in late 1700, was reminded of Scotland and hence christened the place New Caledonia (which is Latin for Scotland). One particular section of the rally around Ouendjie had a breathtaking view with a steep elevated gravel road testing the skill of the drivers. Down below at about 300 metres ran the river Poya and one small error on the drivers' part could spell doom for them.

The results: (First day): Katsuhiko Taguchi (Mark Stacey), Team MRF, (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) 1.26:14; Jussi Valimaki (Jarkko Kalliolepo) Team MRF (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) 1.26.54; Kan Chee Hong (Bernard Chin ) Wan Yu Rally team (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) 1.34.:14; Geoff Argyle (Jane Black), Silverstone Competition Tyres (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) 1.38:22; Fan Fan (Yong He) Wan Yu Rally team (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) 1.48:16.

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