Asia Pacific Rally Championship: Rally of
The small red dot has been placed in the world map for many reasons. From an influential economic island to the multiple holder of several Guinness Book of World Records, from life-science hub to education-hopeful hub. It is no less surprising then that the country has been represented in the Motor Sports scene.
Introduced by Motor Image Group, the Subaru distributor in
The APRC is held at 7 locations:
Co-driver Motor Image Team Ben Atkinson
Ben started out as a driver for a few years during his early teenage years. But moved on to allow his older brother to take over the driving and himself continued by being his co-driver. He turned professional in 2001 and is currently 29 years old. He has been working with Cody Crocker since 2006.
Driver Motor Image Team Cody Crocker
The Australian professional driver started on his first rally in the year 1989 and is now 35 years old. The winner of Australian Rally Champion from 2003 to 2005, APRC in 2006 and numerous other titles, stretching as far back as 1994, started driving as young as 12 years old around his parents’ property.
Proficient as he is, he constantly checks himself to remain humble. After all, arrogance and confidence in racing is a fine dividing line (can’t say there is a ‘line’ in
Rally Drivers Wannabes, Hear This Out!
Many of the STI tuned WRX drivers or drifting Skylines out there may not agree with me, but the induction sound from open-pod kits, rumblings from performance mufflers, chuffing blow-off valves, tyres-screeching, dust-generating skills on tarmac may not be sufficient to bring you on off-road courses.
The dirt road, mud or gravel, will pit your skills to the test, so much so that any form of arrogance will send you off the course, into the ravine or dangling from the top of the tree. Liken this imagery to the face off between Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson (now, now, admit it; you have seen the movie Cars multiple times).
Thinking of becoming a professional rally driver? If you are reading this article, forget it. Leave it to your next generation to do it for you. It just is too late! And instead, save the money for your child to burn… oops, I meant to learn. You should in the mean time, drive around the island slowly to avoid the Men In White.
Experience Counts
Yes, corners ought to be rushed through whenever possible. Yes, the rush is undeniable when the car jumps 5 metres off the crest and lands 20 metres down the trough. Yes, time is the factor in the race. All these added up, determines whether you a position ahead or not.
To this, the Australian driver advises: you may gain time if the corner was taken right with the extra haste. But, the consequences of miscalculated handling will be a very dear price to pay. It must not be forgotten that the terrain is changing all the time. Perhaps, with rain and the multiple cars going through the same route, certain sections form mud pools – the aquaplaning of the tyre may not be suited for the same speed as per dry. Or perhaps, more pebbles were strewn in the way of a normally clean section, making the drive rougher and drifting harder to steer.
In the end, it may just pay off to be safe than sorry. Slow down in critical areas and make up in other more familiar ones. Like in all sports, it is all about learning from experiences. What you would have done five years ago does not mean it will be done now, as you could have become wiser.
Rally Experience/Media Shakedown
Of course, no media coverage of the event is complete without the actual experience. The media shakedown encompassed a trip down the dirt path, with the lean, mean machines, going at break neck speeds, through troughs, crests and tight corners. It is only through this experience in Australia that I truly appreciated the backfires from the mufflers, the insanely loud roar of the 250 brake horse powered engines, and the screeching of the sports ceramic braking system that sounds off even with the slightest of depression of the brake pedal.
The acceleration to 160km/h was within a few seconds during the start of the journey. Some corners were taken in at 140km/h. And all these while, my body hardly shifted in the snuggle of the bucket seat. And together with the 4 point safety harness, I was held tightly against the backrest. Only allowing my head, connected by my frail neck, to bounce and toss like a doll in the 1 min 40 seconds of adrenaline rush, heart thumping experience of a life time. (I wanted to add in hair raising, but I remembered that they were all contained in the brain squishing instrument, otherwise also known as the safety helmet.)
Occasionally, I see the accredited media cameramen taking a shot of the journey. During those times, I feebly attempted to remain cool and composed, as well as flicker a weak smile to break through my plastered mask of the face. Although I get the inkling feeling that my picture will not be shown, it sure was well worth the effort to think that my picture may be circulated in print somewhere out there. A lame shot at temporal fame, I figured, but at the least I tried to look my best.
Pace Notes
In essence, pace notes serves as a means of communication between the co-driver and the driver. The role of the co-driver is to inform the driver what is to be next expected. The driver ensures that he gets through the corners at the shortest possible time and yet with the safest execution. The relationship between the co-driver and driver is likened to husband and wife – binding, trusting and with constant communication.
Reconnaissance or ‘recce’ is done two days prior the race. Only two reconnaissances are allowed for each stage. The first one travelling at a steady speed of perhaps 80km/h on the average to facilitate the taking down of pace notes while the second round will be at a higher speed so as to tidy up the pace notes. Thus, competitors who have gone through the routes in previous competitions would have the added advantage as the reconnaissance will serve as ‘fine-tuning’ of pace notes.
The driver will call out the details while the co-driver takes down in the book. For every turn, there is a dial on the dashboard where he can note the amount of turn required. Distances are measured via a meter but not necessarily followed during the competition. It will have to be estimated by the driver because the change in corners and terrain is too fast for his eyes to roam around. Seriously, hurtling down slope at 160km/h with an immediate u-turn ahead, will not allow the driver to lose his concentration, otherwise, there will be no fairy tale conclusion!
The pace notes also serve as a visualisation of what action is to be taken – whether there is enough distance to go flat out or keep the vehicle at low gear because caution is needed, lest they risk nicking a boulder that could send them turn turtle several hundred meters down a slope.
Pace notes are written in short hand but large handwritings to facilitate easy identification of the words in the midst of the head bobbing journey down the stages. In addition, they are also written in such that a page covers one kilometre worth of details. Different drivers will have different ways of noting the details and just the same, different co-drivers will have different ways to write the pace notes. Thus, it will be virtually impossible to attempt to find similar pace notes, as well as a standard.
Preparations for the route do not end here. Video footages of the journey are studied in detail after the reconnaissance, so as to have a summary of the crucial areas of a stage. In this way, it gives the drivers a better visualisation of the route. It is also possible to name a crucial point after a mistake committed by other drivers so as to serve as a reminder to take precaution and not to commit similar blunders. Having said this, such summaries are seldom taken seriously by many competitors. Perhaps, this is what sets apart the winners from the subsequent positions.
An example taken off the shakedown: 50 
7R 120 9L 80 9L
R
This means 50 metres away there is a crest, take a 7 right, drive 120 metres (which means flat out since the distance is quite long), followed by 9 left, 80 metres on, there is another crest, 9 left through right. ‘Through’ in this case means for a distance of about 30 metres.
There are other symbols to denote ‘caution’ and sometimes to even stress ‘slow’, it is written down in short form or symbolically too. Underlining a few details at the same time serves as a reminder to call them out loud.
The works of writing pace notes is a non conforming and non standard art, which is the very reason as mentioned earlier, not only varies between co-drivers, but also is the means of how efficient communication is made between driver and co-driver. This dependence on each other makes the sport become a team game and not solely based on the skills of the driver.
Results of third leg of APRC, Rally of
| First | Cody Crocker | Subaru |
| Second | Katsuhiku Taguchi | Mitubishi |
| Third | Jussi Valimaki | Mitubishi |
| Fourth | Rifat Sungkar | Subaru |
| Fifth | V R Baren Jumar | Mitsubishi |
| Sixth | Brian Green | Misubishi |
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