McRae wary of Taguchi threat in Japan

21st May 2010

By Richard Rodgers

Alister McRae says Katsu Taguchi will be his main threat when he resumes his Asia Pacific Rally Championship bid in Japan this weekend.

Taguchi, who won the regional title back in 1999, tops the APRC standings following his victory on round one in Malaysia last month at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.

“Our big competition is going to be Taguchi,” said McRae. “He won the opening round in Malaysia and, this being his local event, he’s done it a great number of times.”

McRae is embarking on a full APRC campaign with the MEM-run factory Proton team this year. After retiring from the season-opening Malaysian Rally, the Scot is determined to open his point-scoring account on Rally Hokkaido, which also marks the first time he has rallied in Japan.

“I’ve watched some footage from Rally Japan and a lot of the in-car, so this gives you a good flavour of the stages to come,” said McRae. “They look quite fast in places, but really narrow as well. They don’t seem to flow too much.”

With ambient temperatures in Hokkaido not expected to exceed 20 degrees centigrade, McRae says conditions will be far more comfortable than those experienced in Malaysia where the ambient temperature was more than twice as high.

“The big thing for us in Japan is that this event really should suit the car more than Malaysia did - and we led that rally, which shows the pace we’ve got in the Proton,” said McRae. “The one thing we shouldn’t have in Japan is the same kind of fierce heat we felt in Malaysia, which will make the car much more comfortable.”

Rally Hokkaido, which is based in the town of Makubetsu, starts with 1.2-kilometre spectator stage next to the Kita Aikoku service park in Obihiro tonight (Friday). Apart from Taguchi, McRae’s main opposition is expected to come from Proton team-mate Chris Atkinson.