The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : APRC rally: Indonesian leg from today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 10, 2005

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Sport - Racing : Motor

APRC rally: Indonesian leg from today

K. Keerthivasan

MAKASSAR (INDONESIA): The two-day Gudang Garam International Rally of Indonesia 2005 begins here with Team MRF driver Jussi Valimaki (Finland) staking claim for the overall championship title. At 55 points, Valimaki is 20 points ahead of his Subaru rival Toshihiro Arai of Japan.

If Valimaki wins the Indonesian leg, the sixth round of the Asia Pacific Car Rally Championship, he will claim the 2005 APRC drivers' championship with two rounds — Thailand and China — to spare.

Arai has decided to skip the Indonesian rally and will take part in Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) round scheduled next Friday at Wales (Great Britain), where he is leading.

Valimaki's co-driver Jarrko Kalliolepo, with 43 points, is leading the co-drivers championship, his rival Tony Sircombe (Arai's co-driver) is behind with 35 points.

Katsuhiko Taguchi of Team MRF Tyres (25 points) and Valimaki sounded cautious ahead of the sixth round. Valimaki said he had never driven on such roads before ("they are not roads but roads made to accommodate the rally route through rice fields").

"The heat and humidity is bad. We have to drive with fire-proof driving suits and helmets," Valimaki added. "There are many T-junctions and not many trees to identify turns, so there is scope for making mistakes at high speeds."

Needing 13 more points to win the Drivers' championship, Valimaki said, "once I win the APRC round, I promise to overcome Arai in Thailand and China. Because our concentration there will not be to collect championship points."

Drivers championship points (after five rounds): 1. Jussi Valimaki (Fin) 55 points, 2. Toshihiro Arai (Jpn) 35, 3. Geof Argyle (Nzl) 34, 4. Katsuhiko Taguchi (Jpn) 25, 5. Chee Hong Kan (Mal) 22.

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