The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Can Team MRF's Taguchi delight his home fans again?

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Saturday, Jul 08, 2006

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Sport - Racing : Motor

Can Team MRF's Taguchi delight his home fans again?

P. Satish Kumar

OBIHIRO (JAPAN): The fourth round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship got off to a ceremonial start here on Friday. Fans turned up in large numbers to cheer the local favourite Katsuhiko Taguchi of Team MRF. The moment his car was flagged off, the crowd went into raptures. Welcome to the Rally of Hokkaido.

A stiff competition is expected between Cody Crocker, the current APRC leader with 32 points, and Taguchi, winner here last year.

Crocker (co-driver Ben Atkinson) of Team Les Walkden Rallying will start first, followed by Taguchi on his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. The other team sponsored by MRF comprises Jarkko Miettinen and co-driver Mikko Markkula.

Third visit

This is Crocker's third stint in Japan after taking part in two World Rally Championships here. He said: "I have a bit of experience on these roads. They are very difficult to drive on and I had some trouble the first time."

Crocker is well aware of the threat Taguchi could pose and plans to go flat out. He was not too pleased with his second place showing in the previous round in New Zealand. "In the Rally of Rotorua we came second and Mason (Richard) finished first. So, we are not taking any chances here since Taguchi has more experience on these roads," said the Australian.

More powerful

Taguchi sounded confident when asked if he could repeat his feat in front of his home fans.

"Last year we won the rally, but our stage time wasn't really good. However, this year we have changed our car from Evo 8 to Evo 9, which has a more powerful engine. MRF has made new tyres for this event (with a special compound) and we are confident we can win."

About the recce, Taguchi said: "The roads are narrow here. Some places are very fast, some very slow in the first stage. We have to drive fast and at the same time be careful too."

The Japanese was quite pleased with the new Evo 9, which he feels has a very good pick up.

Arai in the fray

The presence of the experienced Toshihiro Arai makes the field even more competitive.

The weather has been cloudy and there is a threat of rain. The drivers are wary of this, as it could force them to be more cautious. Everyone's hoping that the rains will stay away and the Rally of Hokkaido will have a bright run.

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