Motor Image Rally Team Continues Winning Streak In Johor

Defending champion Cody Crocker conquers treacherous terrain and steaming oil plantations of Johor to take his fourth straight win at Round 5 of the APRC

Faced with technically challenging winding plantation tracks, high humidity, and the pressure of competing against three former Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) winners, Motor Image Rally Team driver Cody Crocker stayed cool and drove to victory at the Malaysian Rally this past weekend, clocking a time of 02:49:46. It was the fourth straight win for the Australian. Indonesian Rifat Sungkar, who is also with the Motor Image Rally Team, came in 4th with a time of 03:13:27.  

Ex-Production Car World Rally Champion (PCWRC) Toshihiro Arai from Japan joined the Motor Image Rally Team for the Malaysian Rally to compete for glory, rather than points as he was not an APRC registered competitor this year. He came in second with a time of 02:50:10, giving the Motor Image Rally Team an outright one-two victory at the Malaysian Rally. All three drove Subaru Impreza WRX STIs assembled in Singapore and proved the robustness and capability of the cars.

Commenting on the Malaysian Rally, Crocker said, “This is my best victory so far, considering the level of competition we faced, and the hot and humid weather which made the race doubly challenging. The conditions for this particular rally were really difficult, and everyone was having a hard time. But we kept our focus on maintaining our lead, and now I look forward to competing in the final two legs of the APRC.”

For Sungkar, the Malaysian Rally was more eventful. At the second last stage (technically referred to as Special Stage 13), his vehicle hit a tree while navigating a tricky corner, causing substantial damage to the left side of the car, but the plucky driver recovered quickly and proceeded to finish the rally and clock an overall time which placed him 4th in the APRC lineup.  

“This has been a very valuable experience for us. Rally driving is not easy. It needs a good team, a good car, top skills and equipment but that only makes up 95% of the winning formula. The remaining 5% boils down to luck. I’ve had a great time here today, especially with Cody and Toshi, who have taught me how to be fast and consistent. I’ve just had no luck for this rally. Despite this unfortunate incident, I will not give up as my team is the most important thing to me,” said Sungkar.

Crocker also had words of encouragement for his team-mate. He said, “Rifat had been showing great potential at the Malaysian Rally. In fact he clocked faster timings than me at several stages. It was a tough race but overall, I think he did a great job.”

Summing up the Team’s efforts, Mr. Glenn Tan, Group Chief Executive, Motor Image Enterprises said, “This year’s APRC has certainly proved to be an eventful one. Our team has overcome the challenges of the treacherous terrain and extreme humidity here at the Malaysian Rally. We are pleased that Cody has clinched a fourth straight win and Rifat also clocked good timings at several stages. 

“The Rally of Malaysia was a particularly tough one for all teams and not every team was able to complete the entire race. Although Rifat suffered a crash at the second last stage (SS13), he was unhurt and the car was mechanically and structurally strong enough for him to go on to complete the final stage (SS14). This shows that our cars are built not just for high performance but are also safe and reliable,” he added.

The Motor Image Rally Team, which is backed by Singapore-based Motor Image Enterprises, will compete next in Indonesia from 7th-9th September 2007. The grand finale for the regional championship will be in China from 9th-11th November 2007. The Team, which comprises drivers, engineers and mechanics from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, made its debut at the Rally of Whangarei in New Zealand, from 11th-13th May 2007.  With the latest results, Crocker and co-driver Ben Atkinson continue to lead the Championship with 64 points, while Sungkar and co-driver Mohamad Herkusuma are ranked 5th with 21 points.