As the stage gets set for the third round of the 2010 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) that will start here from Friday, all eyes will be on MRF’s Katsuhiko Taguchi who won the Rally Hokkaido in Japan and teammate Gaurav Gill who too has been in ominous touch. Gaurav will want to better his show here after finishing third in the previous round.
A look into the points table after round two will bring a smile to Taguchi’s face as the Japanese ace leads the tally with 74 points, followed by Gaurav with 49. Taguchi and Gaurav will face stiff challenge from the likes of former New Zealand rally champ Hayden Paddon.
The task of winning the highly anticipated rally becomes that much more difficult if the weather goes as per the meteorological department’s predictions. Rain is being predicted for the weekend and the ardent task of matching Taguchi could send shivers down the spine of many drivers in the circuit.
Apart from Paddon, Taguchi faces a stiff test from Australian driver Chris Atkinson. With teammate Alister McRae for company, this Proton R3 specialist will want to kickstart the proceedings for his team against a strong MRF contingent. The race will also see Australian driver Brendan Reeves trying to cement his image as one of the most promising drivers. The 21-year-old has contested the Whangarei leg of APRC rally for the past two years and even managed to end up overall third in 2009. Dean Sumner, the current New Zealand rally championship leader too will be keenly watched when the event gets flagged off.
The official ceremonial start will be held at the Cameron Street Mall on Friday. The top three seeds for the championship —Taguchi, Atkinson and Paddon will commence in that particular order for the first stage of the event — ‘Mititai’, north of Matakohe on Saturday. The rally will witness 67 drivers vying for top honours on July 2 and 3 with the official finishing ceremony slated to take base at Whangarei’s Quayside Town Basin.