•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

After a mid-season break, the Asia Pacific Rally Championship returns this weekend with Rally of Hokkaido and Rifat Sungkar has vowed to give the fans a reason to cheer.

The Pertamina Cusco driver has yet to win in four series this season, with a runner-up finish in the Rally of New Caledonia as the best result.

As the racing moved to Japan, though, Rifat said he was aiming for victory.

“Japan is my team’s home base, so I want to be the best there,” Rifat, who joined the Pertamina Cusco team this season, said on Thursday. “With two rounds to go, a championship to fight for, our team’s home event and our strongest lineup entered, we have everything to fight for.”

Rifat sits in fourth place in the drivers’ standings with 47 points, 62 points behind leader Christopher Atkinson.

With a maximum of 78 points available in the last two series, he and co-driver Scott Beckwith of Australia have no choice but to win the last two series.

“We would love to deliver an event win for many reasons,” Beckwith told the APRC Web site. “Of course, to be in strong contention for the APRC title at the final round in China, a win is pretty much the only option for us, so maximum attack is our philosophy.”

Rifat missed the Hokkaido series last year, but he finished fifth in 2009.

“Cold weather and black ice will make this race more interesting. I’m looking forward for this,” he said.

The 32-year-old said he had already forgetten his previous poor results, especially an accident in New Zealand when his car hit a curb and turned upside down in the second stage of Rally of Whangarei.

“That was the worst accident of my 12-year rallying career,” he said. “However, we know the car is very fast and reliable, we have top-class support and we have grown together as a team this year. New Zealand didn’t go to plan, so now is our time to shine and to achieve a top result for our team.”

In its home event, the Pertamina Cusco racing team will be out in force. Rifat and Beckwith will be supported by local stars Yuya Sumiyama and Naoki Kase.

The Hokkaido rally starts with a 1.2-kilometer super special stage on Friday in Obihiro, followed by 230 kilometers of mostly gravel track on Saturday and Sunday.

There are 22 APRC registered drivers vying for the trophy, while 38 others will race for Japan Rally Championship points.

The China Rally on Nov. 4-6 will close the APRC season.