The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Valimaki leads a Team MRF 1-2

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Monday, Sep 10, 2007
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Sport - Racing : Motor

Valimaki leads a Team MRF 1-2

Abdus Salam

PROUD MOMENT: Team MRF’s Jussi Valimaki and co-driver Jarkko Kalliolepo, flanked by teammates Katsuhiko Taguchi & Mark Stacey (left) and Cusco Racing’s Hiroshi Yanagisawa & Yoshimasa Nakahara), on the podium.

Makassar (Indonesia): Jussi Valimaki won his second rally of this year’s Asian Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) with another dazzling performance in the second and concluding leg of the sixth round here on Sunday.

Valimaki came through, quite expectedly after his clinical performance on the opening day, with a convincing overall margin of a minute and 41 seconds over his MRF teammate and nearest rival Katsuhiko Taguchi. It completed an excellent race for Team MRF, which had its second 1-2 finish this year.

Valimaki’s brilliance, however, looks to have come a tad late in the season, as any hopes of winning the championship were virtually buried by Australia’s Cody Crocker, who finished fifth. Crocker has now put himself in an impregnable situation and only needs to start the concluding race in China to clinch the championship.

Strengthening the lead

Valimaki built on the overnight lead in the early stages of Sunday’s leg to drain whatever pressure there might have been at the beginning of the day.

It was unsurprisingly the tenacious Crocker who pushed hard in the latter half of the day, winning four consecutive stages, but it was too late to dent Valimaki’s confident drive to the top of the victory podium.

Valimaki was predictably happy with his performance.

“I didn’t have any problems with the Takalar track as I won here two years ago. It was very hot but I managed to preserve my stamina.”

India’s Gaurav Gill maintained his fourth position despite the determined bid from Crocker to make MRF’s day even better.

It was Gaurav’s best performance this year and should keep his morale up after a depressing mid-season when he was unable to participate in three consecutive races after his car broke down.

Gaurav praised his new co-driver Glen MacNeall saying the latter’s professionalism was key to his improved fortunes. Gaurav ended ahead of Australian Cody Crocker.

The results: