2006 Rally Argentina 3° Rally d'Italia Sardegna
Round 7 of the 2006 World Rally Championship ← Previous event Next event →
Dates run	May 19 – 21 2006
Stages	18
Stage surface	Gravel
Results
Overall winner	Sébastien Loeb Kronos Total Citroën WRT
Crews	79 at start, 66 at finish

The 3° Rally d'Italia Sardegna, the seventh round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season, took place between May 19 and May 21, 2006.

Results[link]

Pos.	Driver	Co-driver	Car	Time	Difference	Points
WRC
1	Sébastien Loeb	Daniel Elena	Citroën Xsara WRC	3:54:18.9	0.0	10
2	Mikko Hirvonen	Jarmo Lehtinen	Ford Focus RS WRC 06	3:57:00.3	2:41.4	8
3	Daniel Sordo	Marc Marti	Citroën Xsara WRC	3:57:46.6	3:27.7	6
4	Xavier Pons	Carlos Del Barrio	Citroën Xsara WRC	3:59:47.2	5:28.3	5
5	Jussi Välimäki	Jarkko Kalliolepo	Mitsubishi Lancer WRC	4:01:27.7	7:08.8	4
6	Kristian Sohlberg	Tomi Tuominen	Subaru Impreza WRC	4:01:55.8	7:36.9	3
7	Manfred Stohl	Ilka Minor	Peugeot 307 WRC	4:02:37.3	8:18.4	2
8	François Duval	Patrick Pivato	Škoda Fabia WRC	4:04:04.7	9:45.8	1
JWRC
1	Patrik Sandell	Emil Axelsson	Renault Clio Super 1600	4:26:25.2	0.0	10
2	Conrad Rautenbach	David Senior	Renault Clio Super 1600	4:31:33.6	5:08.4	8
3	Urmo Aava	Kuldar Sikk	Suzuki Swift Super 1600	4:32:02.0	5:36.8	6
4	Per-Gunnar Andersson	Jonas Andersson	Suzuki Swift Super 1600	4:34:09.2	7:44.0	5
5	Aaron Burkart	Tanja Geilhausen	Citroën C2 Super 1600	4:36:12.2	9:47.0	4
6	Luca Betti	Piercarlo Capolongo	Renault Clio Super 1600	4:36:39.0	10:13.8	3
7	Julien Pressac	Gilles De Turkheim	Citroën C2 Super 1600	4:37:40.3	11:15.1	2
8	Guy Wilks	Phil Pugh	Suzuki Swift Super 1600	4:42:36.6	16:11.4	1

Special Stages[link]

Day	Stage	Time	Name	Length (km)	Winner	Time	Rally leader
1 (19 MAY)	SS1	08:46	Terranova 1	24.1	Marcus Grönholm	17:06.9	Marcus Grönholm
	SS2	09:58	Onani 1	18.46	Marcus Grönholm	12:46.0
	SS3	11:10	Siniscola 1	22.25	Marcus Grönholm	17:29.3
	SS4	14:36	Terranova 2	24.1	Sébastien Loeb	16:32.4
	SS5	15:48	Onani 2	18.46	Sébastien Loeb	12:27.4
	SS6	17:00	Siniscola 2	22.25	Marcus Grönholm	17:12.8
2 (MAY 20)	SS7	09:30	Loelle 1	25.2	Marcus Grönholm	15:30.8
	SS8	10:28	Monte Lerno 1	31.2	Sébastien Loeb	20:32.8	Sébastien Loeb
	SS9	11:13	Su Filigosu 1	12.27	Sébastien Loeb	8:17.8
	SS10	14:40	Loelle 2	25.2	Petter Solberg	15:22.3
	SS11	15:38	Monte Lerno 2	31.2	Sébastien Loeb	20:12.7
	SS12	16:23	Su Filigosu 2	12.27	Sébastien Loeb	8:06.1
3 (MAY 21)	SS13	07:49	S. Giacomo 1	13.46	Petter Solberg	10:09.3
	SS14	08:40	La Prugnola 1	9.59	Chris Atkinson	4:56.0
	SS15	09:17	Campovaglio 1	15.92	Sébastien Loeb	10:53.4
	SS16	10:48	La Prugnola 2	13.46	Petter Solberg	4:50.5
	SS17	11:25	Campovaglio 2	15.92	Sébastien Loeb	10:40.1
	SS18	12:32	S. Giacomo 2	13.46	Jan Kopecky	10:09.2

External Links[link]

Chris Atkinson driving a Subaru Impreza WRC at the 2008 rally.

Three-time winner Sébastien Loeb at the start of a stage.

The Rally di Sardegna is a rally competition that has been a round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) schedule and also the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). The rally is held on narrow, twisty, sandy and bumpy mountain roads around the town of Porto Cervo. The Italian round of the World Rally Championship was previously the Rallye Sanremo, held first as a mixed surface event and later on asphalt roads around the resort of Sanremo, but Rally d'Italia Sardegna replaced it in the WRC schedule from the 2004 season.

The 2008 event was held from 15 to 18 May 2008 and the latest stage, Liscia Ruja (2.69 km, near the five-star hotel Cala di Volpe, well-known as James Bond's favourite resort), was broadcast live. The 2010 rally was the first running of the event under IRC rules and four stages were also broadcast live by Eurosport.

Winners[link]

Season	Event	Driver	Car
2004	1º Supermag Rally d'Italia Sardinia	Petter Solberg	Subaru Impreza WRC 2004
2005	2º Supermag Rally d'Italia Sardinia	Sébastien Loeb	Citroën Xsara WRC
2006	3º Rally d'Italia Sardinia	Sébastien Loeb	Citroën Xsara WRC
2007	4º Rally d'Italia Sardinia	Marcus Grönholm	Ford Focus RS WRC 06
2008	5º Rally d'Italia Sardinia	Sébastien Loeb	Citroën C4 WRC
2009	6º Rally d'Italia Sardinia	Jari-Matti Latvala	Ford Focus RS WRC 09
2010	7º Rally d'Italia Sardinia	Juho Hänninen	Škoda Fabia S2000
2011	8º Rally d'Italia Sardinia	Sébastien Loeb	Citroën DS3 WRC

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rally d'Italia Sardegna

• Official site

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Robert Kubica

Robert Kubica at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix
Born	(1984-12-07) 7 December 1984 (age 27)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Polish
Active years	2006–2010
Teams	BMW Sauber, Renault
Races	76
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	12
Career points	273
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	1
First race	2006 Hungarian Grand Prix
First win	2008 Canadian Grand Prix
Last win	2008 Canadian Grand Prix
Last race	2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Robert Józef Kubica (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɔbɛrt kuˈbit͡sa] ( listen); born 7 December 1984 in Kraków, Poland) is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006. In June 2008, Kubica took his maiden F1 victory in the Canadian Grand Prix, becoming the 99th driver to win a World Championship race.

On 6 February 2011, Kubica was seriously injured in a crash at the Ronde di Andora rally, in which his forearm was partially severed.^[1] He was taking part in the rally for personal enjoyment.^[2] The Renault driver told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport in a bedside interview that he could feel the fingers in his right hand, and is determined to make a swift return to Formula One in 2011.^[3][4] Kubica had to miss the whole 2011 season, and although he is expected to fully recover from his injuries, his future in Formula One racing for the long term remained unclear. In November 2011, Kubica confirmed that he would not be ready for the start of the 2012 season.^[1][5]

Career[link]

Pre-Formula One[link]

Karting[link]

Kubica developed his love for all kinds of cars at the young age of four when he spotted a small off-road vehicle, powered by a 4 bhp (3.0 kW) petrol engine. After long talks with his parents, his father, Artur, bought him the car and young Kubica spent long hours driving around plastic bottles. When he got older it became apparent that he needed better equipment, so his father bought him a go-kart. However, Kubica was too young to start racing in the Polish Karting Championship as he was under the age of ten. When he entered the championship, he won six titles in three years. After his third season, Kubica decided to switch to a more competitive league in Italy. In 1998 Kubica became the first foreigner to win the International Italian Junior Karting Championship.

Kubica also scored second place in the European Junior Karting Championship and won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup held on part of the Formula One Grand Prix track. A year later, he defended his title in Italy and also competed in the International German Karting Championship. He also won the Monaco Kart Cup for the second time in a row, as well as the Margutti Trophy and Elf Masters races. In 2000, his last season in karting, Kubica scored fourth places in both the European and World Championships.

Junior formulae[link]

Kubica with the Epsilon Euskadi team

Kubica started his professional career in 2000, as a test driver for a Formula Renault 2000 car. During his first professional season in Formula Renault, Kubica scored his maiden pole position and also became a member of Renault's driver development programme. In 2002 Kubica won four races and scored a second place in the Italian Formula Renault 2000. He was also seventh in the Formula Renault Eurocup. At the end of the year he took part in a Brazilian Formula Renault 2000 race held at the Interlagos circuit. This one-off appearance resulted in a dominant win.

After Formula Renault, Kubica moved to the Formula Three Euro Series. However, his move was delayed by a road accident which left him with a broken arm, and titanium screws holding it together. At his delayed debut at Norisring, Kubica, driving with a plastic brace and 18 titanium bolts in his arm, won the race. He finished the season in 12th place. At the end of the year, Kubica won a street race in Sardinia and came fifth in races held in Macau and Korea. He ended his second season in the Formula 3 Euro Series, spent with the factory Mercedes team, in 7th position. In November 2004, he scored pole position in the Macau F3 Grand Prix, where he broke the lap record, but finished second in the race.

In 2005 he won the World Series by Renault championship with the Epsilon Euskadi team, earning Formula One tests with Renault.

Formula One (2006–present)[link]

BMW Sauber (2006–2009)[link]

2006[link]

In 2006, Kubica became the official reserve driver for the BMW Sauber Formula One team.^[6] His results in both Friday testing and private test sessions, along with the words of BMW Sauber team principal Mario Theissen, led to speculation that he would become Poland's first ever Formula One racing driver in 2007. In August 2006, Kubica's teammate, Jacques Villeneuve, complained about headaches after his accident during the German Grand Prix; he was deemed unfit to race by the team, against his own belief, and Kubica was chosen by the team management to replace him at the Hungarian Grand Prix.^[7] Kubica qualified ninth, beating his more experienced teammate Nick Heidfeld. In the race, he finished in seventh place, but was disqualified after the race for having an underweight car.^[8] Villeneuve decided to leave the BMW Sauber team soon after the race,^[9] and Kubica's position in the team for the remainder of the season was confirmed by BMW.^[10]

Kubica as BMW Sauber's third driver at the 2006 United States Grand Prix

Kubica had a more disappointing race at the Turkish Grand Prix, finishing in 12th place after a mistake in tyre choice. Heidfeld, who was delayed in a first-corner accident, placed behind Kubica. In his third race, the Italian Grand Prix, Kubica finished in third position, and became the first Polish driver to appear on a Formula One podium, as well as the first Polish driver to lead a Grand Prix. He was the first driver since Alexander Wurz in 1997 to finish on the podium within his first three Formula One starts.

In China, he finished 13th, again after a mistake in tyre choice. After going off track at the first turn of the race, he moved from 17th position to fifth, before pitting. He was the first to change from intermediate tyres to dry tyres after the wet track started to dry. This decision was made too early: a very slow next lap in extremely wet and slippery conditions and another pit stop to change back to intermediates cost him his place in the points.

2007[link]

Kubica driving for BMW Sauber at the 2007 British Grand Prix

Kubica performed well during the 2007 season, finishing consistently in point scoring positions. At the Canadian Grand Prix Kubica had a serious crash approaching the hairpin on lap 27, in which his car made contact with Jarno Trulli's Toyota, and hit a hump in the grass which lifted the car's nose into the air and left him unable to brake or steer. The car then hit the concrete retaining wall and rolled as it came back across the track, striking the opposite wall on the outside of the hairpin and coming to rest on its side.^[11] The speed measured when his car clipped the barrier was 300.13 km/h (186.49 mph), at a 75-degree angle, subjecting Kubica to an average deceleration of 28 g. After data from the onboard accident data recorder had been analysed it was found that he had been subjected to a peak G-force of 75 G.^[12] Under safety car conditions, Kubica was removed from the car and taken to the circuit's medical centre, where he was announced to be "stable", although no information regarding potential injuries was known at this time. Shortly afterwards, his manager Daniele Morelli said Kubica was conscious and talking.^[13] It was initially reported that Kubica could have a broken leg.^[14] However, Mario Theissen later confirmed that he was not seriously injured.^[15][16] Further reports from late evening on race day, directly from the hospital, confirmed that Kubica had suffered a light concussion alongside a sprained ankle. After being kept in overnight for observation, Kubica left hospital the following day.^[17] On 14 June it was announced that as a precaution, Kubica would not race at the United States Grand Prix and would be replaced by test driver Sebastian Vettel.^[18] After missing Indianapolis, he returned for the French Grand Prix where he qualified and finished in fourth place, receiving ITV broadcaster Martin Brundle's driver of the day award. He then went on to finish fourth again at the British Grand Prix.

2008[link]

Kubica's retention as race driver for 2008 was confirmed on 21 August 2007.^[19] Over the first half of the season, Kubica qualified and finished strongly, including his and BMW Sauber's first pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix and second place finishes at the Malaysian and Monaco Grands Prix.

Kubica achieved the first win of his F1 career at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

On 8 June 2008 at the Canadian Grand Prix, Kubica achieved his first Formula 1 victory. He started second on the grid and passed race leader Lewis Hamilton in the first round of pitstops after the BMW Sauber pit crew completed a faster pitstop. On leaving the pits, Kubica and Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari halted at the pit lane exit, waiting for the red pit exit light to change. Hamilton, running immediately behind them, missed the light and crashed into Räikkönen's Ferrari, eliminating both cars from the race. Kubica rejoined the race well positioned for the eventual victory. He passed Heidfeld's sister BMW Sauber, running one refuelling stop to Kubica's two stop strategy, and gained the necessary 24 seconds over Heidfeld to ensure that he maintained the lead after his second stop 22 laps later. The BMW Saubers remained first and second to the end of the race.^[20] Kubica later joked that he should thank Hamilton for electing to crash into Räikkönen instead of him.^[21] The win gave Kubica the lead in the drivers' championship.

BMW Sauber's results were weaker over the second half of the season. At the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, Kubica finished 5th, reporting that this was a lost race, complaining about aerodynamic problems with the car.^{[citation needed]} Kubica's strongest result of the latter part of the year was in Japan where he qualified sixth. At the start, several drivers braked too late for the first corner. Kubica took an inside line overtaking several cars and emerged in the lead. He led for 16 laps, but lost his lead to Fernando Alonso at the first round of pit stops. Kubica finished second after defending his position towards the end of the race against Räikkönen in a faster Ferrari (his fastest race lap was 0.6 seconds quicker than the Pole's)^[22][23] Apart from that, Kubica achieved podiums in the Street race in Valencia and in the rain affected race at Monza. Kubica finished the year fourth in the drivers' championship.

2009[link]

Kubica driving for BMW Sauber at the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix

At the 2009 season opener in Melbourne, Kubica managed to qualify fourth on the grid. During the race, he was in third place and closing the gap to the front two cars before making contact with Sebastian Vettel while trying to overtake him. After the incident, Kubica continued briefly, but crashed into a wall at the next corner because his front wing had become stuck under the car.^[24] Vettel was later deemed responsible for the accident, and given a 10-place penalty on the grid for the next race in Malaysia.^[25]

BMW motorsport director, Mario Theissen, claimed that Kubica would have won the race ahead of Jenson Button had it not been for Vettel.^[26]

Kubica at the 2009 British Grand Prix

At the Malaysian Grand Prix, Kubica qualified in eighth place, but was promoted to sixth following Vettel's ten-place grid penalty for causing the crash in Australia, and Rubens Barrichello's five-place grid drop for changing his gearbox. However, he retired very early in the race with engine problems. The next two races, the Chinese Grand Prix and the Bahrain Grand Prix were disappointing for the BMW Sauber team as both Kubica and his teammate Heidfeld finished outside the points with a non-competitive car. For the next race in Barcelona, BMW Sauber prepared a modified version of the F1.09. The car proved more competitive but a mistake in fitting the tyres to Kubica's car during Q3 meant he could only qualify in 10th position. In the race, after a bad start (due to a clutch issue)^[27] he finished once more out of the points. Kubica suffered from an engine failure during second practice in Monaco, and retired from the Grand Prix due to a brake issue. At the Turkish Grand Prix, the team introduced the double diffuser. The car's performance improved and Kubica managed to score his first points of the season with a 7th place. In the next 3 races both BMW Sauber drivers finished outside the points again, but during the European and Belgian Grands Prix again proved to be competitive, scoring 8th and 4th positions respectively. In Italy, Kubica suffered engine trouble in qualifying and then retired from the race due to an oil leak. At the Singapore Grand Prix, Kubica finished 8th, defending his position from Kazuki Nakajima and Räikkönen in the last laps. He later stated it was "the most difficult point I have ever scored".^[28][29] At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Kubica scored his first podium of the season despite engine temperature problems by finishing in 2nd place, 7.6 seconds behind winner Mark Webber. The podium was BMW's second of the season.

On 29 July 2009, BMW announced that they would leave Formula One at the end of 2009, which made Kubica a free agent for the 2010 season.^[30][31] For the 2010 season, it was announced that he had signed for Renault F1, the team he tested for during his junior career.^[32]

Renault (2010–2011)[link]

2010[link]

Kubica driving for Renault at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening round of the season.

Kubica moved to the Renault team for 2010. His position was briefly put in doubt, however, by the team evaluating its future in the sport following the 2009 season in the wake of the "Crashgate" scandal and the parent company's financial problems. This resulted in a Luxembourg-based investment firm, Genii Capital, taking a 75% stake in the team; Renault retaining the remaining 25%.^[33] Eric Boullier was also appointed as the new team manager. Kubica said he might not stay with Renault, as his contract was only valid if the parent company had a controlling stake in the team, but he then decided to remain with them.^[34][35] On 31 January 2010, it was announced that Vitaly Petrov was to be Kubica's team-mate.

It was reported in Autosport that Ferrari driver Felipe Massa had until the 2010 British Grand Prix to prove the Maranello outfit that he is worth hanging onto or Kubica could take his seat in 2011.^[36] However Ferrari re-signed Massa for 2011, leaving Kubica without a seat at the Italian team.

On 7 July 2010, it was confirmed that Kubica had extended his contract with Renault to 2012.^[37]

Kubica scored both his and the team's best result of the year with second place at the Australian Grand Prix.

At the opening race of the 2010 season in Bahrain, Kubica was tagged by Adrian Sutil and spun on the opening lap but recovered to 11th. At the next race in Australia, he finished second after starting in ninth position. Fourth in Malaysia and fifth in China left him in seventh place in the drivers' championship, 20 points behind championship leader Jenson Button. Kubica felt that had there not been a second safety car period in China he could have finished on the podium. In Spain he finished eighth, but followed this up with another podium in Monaco, holding third throughout after losing second at the start to Sebastian Vettel. At the Turkish Grand Prix, he was held up behind Nico Rosberg for the second time in the season after Malaysia, and finished sixth.

In Canada, Kubica finished seventh after an eventful race and problems with tyre degradation which made his race difficult,^[38] but did set the first fastest lap of his career in the race's closing stages. He added a fifth in Valencia and seventh in Germany before taking his third podium of the season in Belgium. He was competitive throughout the weekend, qualifying third, and only a bungled pitstop cost him second to Mark Webber. In Singapore, he qualified eighth in front of Schumacher. During the late stages of the race, he was forced to pit from sixth place due to a puncture. He was released from the pits to twelfth place, but with the help from superior grip and a series of overtaking moves—his move against Sutil was favourably compared to the incident between Webber and Hamilton—was able to claim seventh place, ultimately gaining a place from his qualifying result. In Suzuka, he managed to trail the Red Bulls throughout the weekend and translated it into a strong third place in qualifying. However, despite getting a good start and overtaking Webber at the start of the race, but would retire during the safety car period after losing one of his rear tyres.

Formula One journalist Mark Hughes remarked that Kubica is currently "arguably the best driver", considering the season so far. He emphasised Kubica's strong showing in tracks where Hughes believes that the differences in driver skills are able to overwhelm the differences in the capability of the cars; namely, Monaco, Spa and Suzuka.^[39] Kubica managed to finish on the podium behind the Red Bulls except in Suzuka where he was strong throughout the weekend nevertheless, despite retiring from the race through no fault of his own.

2011[link]

Kubica during pre-season testing at Valencia in February 2011.

Kubica was retained by Renault – rebranded as Lotus Renault GP through Lotus Cars sponsorship – into the 2011 season, again partnered by Vitaly Petrov.^[40] He tested the team's new car, the Renault R31, for the first time in Valencia on 2 February.^[40] On the last day of testing in Valencia he set the fastest time of the session.^[41]

On 6 February 2011, Kubica was injured in a crash on the first stage of the Ronde di Andora rally. He was driving a Super 2000-specification Škoda Fabia,^[42] in Testico when his car left the road at high speed and hit a crash barrier,^[43] near the church of San Sebastiano.^[44][45] Kubica was trapped in the car for more than an hour before rescue workers were able to extricate him.^[46] He was flown by helicopter to Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure^[47] near Savona, where it was confirmed that he had suffered partial amputation of his forearm, compound fractures to his right elbow, shoulder and leg, as well as significant loss of blood.^[46][48][49] The severity of his injuries was the result of the crash barrier penetrating the car's cockpit, and hitting Kubica, while leaving his co-driver unscathed. Kubica underwent a seven hour operation by seven doctors split into two teams, without complications.^[46] Two more lengthy operations to repair fractures to his leg, shoulder and arm were performed successfully a few days later.^[50][51] The condition of his hand was not clear for some time and as a result he missed the 2011 season.^[52][53][54] As he was unable to start the season, Lotus Renault signed Nick Heidfeld as his replacement on 16 February, while Kubica still remained signed with the team for the 2011 season.^[55] Bruno Senna replaced Heidfeld later in the season, at the Belgian Grand Prix. Kubica was released from hospital to begin his rehabilitation on 24 April 2011.^[56] In November 2011 it was announced that Kubica would not be ready for the beginning of the 2012 season, forcing Renault to begin the season with two other drivers, Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean.^[57]

His recovery was dealt another setback after he re-broke his right leg, when he reportedly slipped on ice near his home in Italy, on 11 January 2012.^[58]

Racing record[link]

Career summary[link]

^† As Kubica was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Complete Formula Three Euroseries results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Robert Kubica

• Robert Kubica f1.com
• Official web site
• Career details
• Kubica statistics in Formula One
• Robert Kubica at the Internet Movie Database
• Pictures of his rally car after the 2011 crash

Chris Atkinson

Atkinson at the Telstra Rally Australia 2006
Personal information
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1979-11-30) 30 November 1979 (age 32) Bega, New South Wales, Australia
World Rally Championship record
Active years	2001 – 2009
Teams	Subaru World Rally Team, Citroën Junior Team, Monster World Rally Team
Rallies	68
Championships	0
Rally wins	0
Podiums	6
Stage wins	41
Total points	122
First rally	2004 Rally New Zealand

Chris Atkinson (born 30 November 1979) in Bega, New South Wales, Australia) is a professional rally driver. In the WRC (World Rally Championship), he drove for the Subaru World Rally Team from 2004-2008. His best finish on an individual WRC event is second, which he achieved at the 2008 Rally México and Rally Argentina. Other podium placings include third place finishes at the 2005 Rally Japan and the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally.

Atkinson is currently driving for Team MRF, and will compete in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 2012 as well as making a guest appearance in the World Rally Championship. Atkinson currently leads the 2012 Asia Pacific Rally Championship having won the openikng round.

Early career[link]

Prior to his motorsport career, Atkinson had a career as a stockbroker. He graduated at Bond University in commerce, majoring in finance and accounting in 1999 after receiving an academic scholarship for studies. Atkinson was a co-driver for his brother Ben, but after attending a rally school with his brother, the pair swapped positions, scoring a class win and third overall.^[1][2] Currently, his brother Ben Atkinson is a co-driver for Cody Crocker in APRC.

For his first full season of competition, Atkinson contested the Australian Rally Championship aboard a privately-entered Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, finishing inside the top ten in Group N and in the overall top 20 on every round he contested, as well as setting two second-fastest stage times. The Atkinsons finished ninth outright to become Privateer Champions. This performance brought Atkinson to the attention of Suzuki, who offered him the opportunity to drive one of its Super 1600 Ignis models with the Suzuki Sport team in the 2003 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.

Atkinson rewarded the team with a class win in the opening round of the championship in Canberra. Next came a second place in New Zealand, a second in Japan and two wins in Thailand and India, culminating in Atkinson winning the Super 1600 title. He finished fifth in the overall championship, ahead of many more powerful, four-wheel-drive, turbo-charged cars.

WRC career[link]

Atkinson at the 2006 Rally Japan.

Atkinson's first world rally was the 2004 Rally New Zealand in a Subaru Impreza WRX STI. For 2005, he was signed by Subaru World Rally Team to drive the Subaru Impreza WRC alongside 2003 world champion Petter Solberg. He finished 12th overall in the drivers' world championship with 13 points. His best results were third in Japan and fourth in Australia.

Atkinson at the 2006 Cyprus Rally.

After finishing the 2006 season tenth overall in the drivers championship with 20 points and a fourth place as his best finish, Subaru told Atkinson that his job was on the line, and if he could not balance his speed with safety and achieve quality results he would be replaced by another driver.

Atkinson-Prevot at Monte-Carlo 2008

At the start of the 2007 season Atkinson finished fourth at the 2007 Rally Monte Carlo, recording three stage wins. On the final day of the rally, Atkinson was 0.8 seconds behind fourth place man Mikko Hirvonen and had to beat him in the super special stage, a 2.4 km run through Monaco which uses part of the world famous Formula One course. Hirvonen set a time of 1:50.9 meaning that Atkinson had to at least set a time of 1:50.1 to beat him, but Atkinson did better and took the stage win with a time of 1:49.9. Hirvonen was the first person over to Atkinson to congratulate him.

At the 2007 Rally Finland, Atkinson posted the fastest time on the short opening super special stage on a horse-racing course at Killeri, to lead the rally for a short time. Atkinson finished the 2007 season seventh overall in the drivers' world championship.

Atkinson at 2008 Rallye Deutschland

At the beginning of the 2008 season, Atkinson took third place in Monte Carlo; while at the 2008 Corona Rally Mexico, Atkinson managed second, 30 seconds ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala. He finished the season fifth in the drivers' standings, and for the first time, outscored hitherto team leader Solberg.

After Subaru's season-ending announcement of its withdrawal from the WRC, Atkinson signed for the new Citroën Junior Team for the 2009 season.^[3] In his only rally for the season with the team in Ireland, he produced a strong showing to finish fifth, despite colliding with a telegraph pole during the first day, and suffering a spin on SS18.

Re-entry into WRC[link]

After signing with Monster World Rally Team in 2012, Atkinson raced along side Ken Block in Mexico.

Atkinson won a stage, SS12 - Leon Super Special but finished with a DNF due to mechanical failure.

Proton R3 Rally Team[link]

In April 2010, Chris Atkinson began a partnership with the Proton R3 Rally Team. Competing in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), Atkinson drove a Proton Satria Neo Super 2000, alongside co-driver Stephane Prevot. Also driving for the Proton R3 Rally Team was former WRC driver Alister McRae.

After making a guest appearance at the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) Monte Carlo Rally, Atkinson has dominated the 2011 APRC, winning the Malaysian Rally, Rallye de Nouvelle Caledonia and the International Rally of Whangarei. However missing round two in Queensland and the final round in Hokkaido saw him finish second to his team mate Alister McRae who competed in all rounds.

MRF Skoda Rally Team[link]

Chris Atkinson will compete in an Indian-run Skoda in the 2012 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Atkinson will drive for the MRF team in a Skoda Fabia S2000, co-driven by regular wingman Stephane Prevot.

The Australian will compete in the Asia Pacific Championship in the team’s second car, with the other car to be driven by regular team driver Guarav Gill of India. The MRF team, based in Chennai, India, has signed Atkinson to drive a Skoda Fabia S2000 to rival the Malaysian Proton factory squad, for which the 32-year-old competed over the past two seasons. ^[4]

Circuit Racing[link]

At the 24 Hours Nürburgring in 2006, Chris made his circuit racing debut driving a Subaru Impreza for the Autosportif Racing UK placing second in class ^[5]. From that lead a drive in the 2007 Bathurst 12 Hour again in a Subaru Impreza where he finished first in class and second outright. In 2009 he competed in the third round of the Australian Mini Challenge co-driving with two time Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series Champion Steve Owen finishing second in the 30 minute endurance race.^[6]

Complete WRC results[link]

* Season in progress.

Career highlights[link]

Atkinson and co-driver Glenn MacNeall in their Subaru Impreza WRC2006 during the 2006 Cyprus Rally.

• 2011 - 2nd, Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
• 2010 - 5th, Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
• 2009 - 14th, World Rally Championship
• 2008 - 5th, World Rally Championship
• 2007 - 7th, World Rally Championship
• 2006 - 10th, World Rally Championship
• 2005 - 12th, World Rally Championship
• 2004 - Winner, Asia Pacific Super 1600 Championship
• 2004 - Second, Australian Rally Championship
• 2003 - Winner, Asia Pacific Super 1600 Championship
• 2002 - Winner, Australian Privateers Cup

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.subaru.com.au/performance/motorsport-home/chris-atkinson/
2. ^ http://enews.bond.edu.au/link/id/6bb0b50d1cff01cf1ef1/page.html
3. ^ "Atko joins Citroen". RallySportMag.com.au. 2008-12-25. http://www.rallysportmag.com.au/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3329&Itemid=2. Retrieved 25 December 2008. 
4. ^ http://www.speedcafe.com/2012/03/09/chris-atkinson-secures-aprc-ride-in-a-skoda/
5. ^ http://www.subaru-msm.com/global/news/060619.html Subaru Motorsport web site. Retrieved 29/9/2011.
6. ^ http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?12/07/2009.TVSC.R7 Natsoft Timing. Retrieved 29/9/2011

• Subaru World Rally Team Official Site
• Plenty of Rallies for Chris Atkinson in 2011

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chris Atkinson

• Chris' official website
• SWRT Profile on Chris Atkinson
• Driver Database stats