MIRT back for second win in Rally Championship

MIRT will once again be fronted by reigning APRC champion, Australian Cody Crocker, and professional rally driver Rifat Sungkar from Indonesia. The teams will debut in Round 2 at the Rally of Canberra, which will be held on 10th and 11th May 2008 in Australia. They will then proceed to compete in the remaining rallies that will be held in New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and finally, China.

“We are anticipating yet another thrilling outing at this year’s Asia Pacific Rally Championship. As defending champions, we will naturally be looking to better our previous record. However, beyond that, we are looking forward to meeting again with some of the world’s best rally professionals at one of the region’s foremost rally events to give fans their dose of adrenalin rush and nail-biting moments,” said Glenn Tan, Managing Director of Motor Image Rally Team.

Group N cars are built from base cars with a limited range of modifications allowed. The Group N cars by Subaru use the same engines as the Subaru WRX STI road cars. The Group N cars, which are assembled and distributed from the state-of-the-art Subaru Hub in Toa Payoh, are production vehicles fitted with safety equipment in compliance with the FIA’s guidelines and regulations. The production of the Group N rally cars in Singapore began in November 2006 with the support from Subaru Technica International (STI) and Prodrive, the world’s leading independent motorsport business. Since last year, Possum Bourne Motorsports, one of the world’s leading names in the motorsport industry, has been a key partner of MIRT providing support for the assembly and maintenance of the Group N rally cars driven by Cody Crocker.

The APRC is primarily a Group N championship in that the favoured cars are the current world leaders in Group N rally technology. The championship is subject to regulations laid down by the FIA. Vehicle eligibility is open to Production cars (Group N) and Touring cars (Group A5, A6, A7). Each class has a driver and co-driver award along with an overall manufacturer trophy. In 2006 and 2007, Subaru were the recipients of the manufacturers’ trophy, while Cody Crocker won the driver’s title.

Attracting drivers from across the globe, the APRC covers seven legs of rally-driving under gruelling conditions in some of the most diverse regions of the world. Each rallying leg has it own unique characteristics, adding to the allure of rallying. From the dust and dirt of Australia, to the wintery conditions of New Zealand, APRC offers participants challenges in both topography and climate.

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