GOOD
WEATHER BRINGS BAD LUCK FOR THREE TOP RALLY DRIVERS
28 June 2008, Kuantan, Pahang:
The near-perfect weather and glaring sunlight in Kuantan
pierced a few egos in the early stages of the third round
of the Malaysian Rally Championship (MRC) today, sending
two top contenders back to the service park with badly damaged
cars.
MRC Clerk of the Course, Tengku Shaharin
Abu Bakar Almarhum Tengku Suleiman, said that the sun is
one of the biggest magnets for incidents in the Malaysian
rally scene as drivers try hard to take advantage of good
weather to clock fast times.
“If the stages are wet, everyone
is generally careful because the conditions are treacherous
but when the sun is out, they tend to be braver and chase
the lowest times. So we usually get more accidents and breakdowns
when we have good weather,” he added.
As early as SS2, one of the top drivers,
James Russell lost control of his Subaru Impreza and ended
up blocking the other cars while Team India driver, Arjuna
Rao flipped his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI.
The Indian Rally Championship runner
up, lost control of his car in the fast and tricky loose
dirt track of Fedla Lepar Hilir. Team India was considered
a high powered outfit and among the podium favourites as
Rao’s navigator is Musa Sheriff who was Indian national
co-driver champion in 2007.
Barely two minutes after team India’s accident, the
picturesque palm-oil plantations with its mottled sunshine
was witness to Russell’s forceful argument with the
scenery which left his car immobile and blocking the path
of competitors behind him. This disrupted the event, leaving
more than two thirds of the field unable to complete the
stage.
By the time the organizers
realised that Russell’s car was blocking the path
and could not be cleared, more than half of the competitors
found themselves part of a traffic jam on a dirt road in
the middle of Felda Lepar Hilir 2.
At this point, Tengku Shahriman
made a quick decision to cancel SS2 and redirect cars which
had not gone past the start gate of the stage to drive on
to SS3.
This left the field in disarray as
no one knew for sure what their times were for the rest
of the day’s stages. The incomprehensible jumble of
timing data was sorted out at the end of the day by the
stewards.
The top four drivers in the rally,
who were unaffected by the incidents were Karamjit Singh
and Gunaseelan Rajoo who are both running Team GSR Pennzoil’s
colours. Team Perodua M5 was also spared mishap in the first
four stages and this allowed Kan Chee Hong and Lim Leong
Onn to continue uninterrupted.
At the end of the chaotic morning
session Karamjit led the field, followed by Lim Leong Onn
and Gunaseelan Rajoo.
The third podium contender who lost
his chance for glory was New Zealander, Mark Tapper whose
SR Motorsport’s prepared Subaru Impreza suffered a
fuel pump failure in SS1. Tapper fixed the problem back
at the Service Park and managed to get back on the track
in SS4 but he will no longer be in contention for Championship
points, preferring to continue to get a feel for the tricky
Malaysian stages in preparation for the upcoming Asia Pacific
Rally Championship (Malaysia Round) in Johor in October.
The starting twenty-three teams were
officially flagged-off by Tuan Haji Mohamad Dan Mohd Zain,
Assistant Regional General Manager, Felda Kuantan Region.
The rally will continue tomorrow (Sunday),
with competitors vying for Championship points overall and
in seven different categories.
Leg One Unofficial Results:
1. Karamjit Singh/Jagdev Singh Mistubishi
Evo 8
2. Lim Leong Onn/Kamarul Anuar Mohd Razzali Perodua Viva
3. Gunaseelan Rajoo/Jayaselan Rajoo Mitsubishi Evo 9
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