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2004 AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

RALLY RESULTS: 2004 AUSTRALIAN RALLY (ARC)

VIC RALLY - OCT 3

CROCKER WINS CHAMPIONSHIP

• HEAT 2
• 1 Chris Atkinson, Subaru WRX
• 2 Cody Crocker, Subaru WRX +27.2s
• 3 Dean Herridge Subaru WRX +27.4s
• 4 Neal Bates, Toyota Corolla +1m 12
• 5 Simon Evans, Toyota Corolla +1m 32
• 6 B Barker, Toyota Corolla
• HEAT 1
• 1 Cody Crocker, Subaru WRX
• 2 Dean Herridge Subaru WRX +12.7s
• 3 Chris Atkinson, Subaru WRX +23.3s
• 4 Simon Evans, Toyota Corolla +1m 23
• 5 Juha Kangas, Mitsubishi +1m 41
• 6 Ordynski, Mitsubishi

NSW RALLY - AUG 29

• 1 Chris Atkinson/Ben Atkinson, Subaru WRX
  ".. It’s been such a strange weekend, I honestly didn’t believe I’d won until I saw all the times from the other drivers for the final stages. It’s a great result and we’ve got right back into the Championship points, now we’ve got a real battle for Melbourne"
• 2 Juha Kangas, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 7 +6.8
  "... Saturday was very good for us and Sunday I am happy too, but the steering problem (perhaps from hitting a big rock on the second of the day’s six stages) made things a bit funny ...I will go absolute maximum in Melbourne (final rally). There is a chance to be Australian champion, but it will be very tough with Cody, Chris and Simon Evans too"
• 3 Simon Evans, Toyota Corolla +21.3
• 4 Cody Crocker, Subaru WRX +1m 5s
• 5 Neal Bates, Toyota Corolla +1m 6
• 6 Barker, Toyota Corolla
• 7 Monkhouse, Mitsubishi
• 8 Brand, Subaru
• 9 Pedder, Mitsubishi
• 10 Hills, Mitsubishi
• DNF: Ordynski , Mitsubishi - high speed crash; co driver Iain Stewart was not injured but Ordynski has brusing to his upper body.

SA RALLY - AUG 1

• 1 Chris Atkinson/Ben Atkinson, Subaru WRX
• 2 Juha Kangas, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 7
• 3 Ordynski, Mitsubishi
• 4 Cody Crocker - Subaru
• 5 Dean Herridge - Subaru

SAFARI TASMANIA - JUNE 27, Huon Valley

• 1 Juha Kangas - Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 7 *** won both Heats ***
• 2 Cody Crocker - Subaru +3.9s
• 3 Dean Herridge - Subaru
• 4 Neal Bates, Toyota
• 5 Ordynski, Mitsubishi
• 6 Atkinson, Subaru
• 7 Evans 8 Thompson 9 Goldsbrough 10 Monkhouse

  EVANS INJURED
  Simon Evans (Toyota) crashed heavily and was taken to hospital. He has broken leg while his co-driver and wife Sue Evans is O.K.

ASIA PACIFIC RALLY - CANBERRA RALLY, MAY 9

Herridge wins Production class

• 1 Dean Herridge/Glenn MacNeall - Subaru WRX STi
• 2 Juha Kangas - Mitsubishi EVO 7 +10.6s
• 3 Toshi Arai - Subaru +15.5s
• 4 Cody Crocker - Subaru +36.6s
• RETIREMENT: Ordynski (Day 1); Pedders

DEBUT OF AWD Mitsubishi Magna VR-X with 5 times champion Ross Dunkerton

• Ross Dunkerston returned to Rally after 10 years in retirement. He finished 15th overall and won the his class - his 100th rally win. He retired in 1995 after winning 5 Australian Rally titles, 2 Asia-Pacific Rally titles, 4 West Australian Rally titles and 4 Malaysian Rally titles. In World Rally championships, he won a special stage as well as finishing 3rd overall in New Zealand World Rally.
• DUNKERTON; "...It’s the first Australian-made all-wheel-drive sedan put to the test in rallying like this - and it was trouble-free all the way ... It’s a pretty standard car although we did try one after-market part in the suspension, but when that started to fail on Saturday afternoon we went back to the original part and it did the job perfectly ....I really belted the car over the last two or three stages - and it took everything I gave it"
  MITSUBISHI (Alan Heaphy): "... Mitsubishi Motors gave us a standard car a couple of months ago and we put some bits on it - heavier springs, slightly different shock absorbers to withstand the rigors of rallying, safety harnesses and seats, and a roll cage”

SEASON OPENER: R1, March 27-28, 2004, FOREST RALLY, Perth WA

ATKINSON WINS - but disqualified after rally

• Chris Atkinson's first ever ARC overall win in his only 2nd ARC event. He competed in Asia Pacifc series last year.
  ATKINSON (SUBARU): "... Who’d of thought that we could come back into the championship after just one year overseas and set the pace in a competition that is one of the toughest in the world ... Yesterday we were pretty confident we would take the win and then we slipped off the road, hit the tree and lost it to Simon (Evans). I was a bit disappointed but got over it, you have to in rallying. I knew today we had to come out and beat Simon"
  *** Post rally technical inspection of Atkinson's car has resulted in their disqualification. Illegal brake booster outside Australian regulation was found.
• Simon Evans in his first rally for factory Toyota finished 2nd and won Heat 1: "... Winning yesterday was a great result for us and for Toyota but this has been one hard event and the pace Chris set was unbelievable".
  Evans was declared the overall rally winner after Atkinson disqualification.

• FINAL RESULT: (REVISED after Atkinson disqualification)
• 1 Chris Atkinson / Ben Atkinson, Subaru WRX (won Heat 2 and overall) *** disqualified ***
• 1 Simon Evans, Toyota Corolla (won Heat 1)
• 2 Scott Pedder, Mitsubishi EVO 7
• 3 Neal Bates, Toyota
• 4 Dean Herridge, Subaru
• 5 Crocker, Subaru
• 5 Ordynski, Mitsubishi
• 7 Kangas, Mitsubishi
• 8 Goldsborough, Subaru
• 9 Thompson, Mitsubishi
• 10 Barker, Toyota
• Privateer Winner: Brad Goldsbrough, Subaru
• HEAT 1 RESULT:
• 1 Simon Evans, Toyota Corolla
• 2 Chris Atkinson, Subaru WRX +11.4
• 3 Scott Pedder, Mitsubishi EVO 7 +12.1
• 4 Cody Crocker, Subaru WRX +16.4
• 5 Neal Bates, Toyota +54.2
• 6 Dean Herridge, Subaru WRX +1m 12
• 7 Ordynski 8 Goldsborough 9 Barker 10 Lintott