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With nothing left to prove on the national rally circuit, Indonesian driver Rifat Sungkar is headed down under in search of regional recognition.

The Pertamina Prima XP driver left for Australia on Monday night to compete in the three-day International Rally of Queensland, which is set to begin on Friday.

Rifat said he and Australian co-driver Scott Beckwith were determined to finish in the top three in the hope of moving into title contention in the 2010 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.

Rifat is currently in fifth place in the overall standings, 52 points behind leader Katsuhiko Taguchi of Japan with four series left in the season.

“Of course our target [in Queensland] is a podium finish,” Rifat said on Monday. “We’re confident in our Mitsubishi Evolution IX, and our style of pushing hard but focusing on finishing should serve us well in an event that is known for its tough conditions.”

Rifat has raced in two of the three APRC series this season. He finished third in the Malaysian Rally in April and placed fifth at the International Rally of Whangarei in New Zealand earlier this month, missing only the Rally Hokkaido in Japan in May.

Although the 32-year-old has joined a number of races in Australia, he is competing for the first time in Queensland.

That means he will have to rely a lot on Beckwith, who has previously participated in several Australian Rally Championship series and is more familiar with the terrain in Queensland

“This is a bit of a reversal,” the co-driver told the Rally Queensland Web site. “In New Zealand, Rifat had some history and knowledge of the event having previously competed there, while it was all new to me.

Beckwith added that the racers were looking forward to the rally, which he felt suited Rifat technically, while offering the Australian a chance to go back to Kandanga, one of his favorite stages.

Rifat, who didn’t register in the Indonesian rally series this season because he instead wanted to focus on APRC events, said Australian drivers would “no doubt dominate the race.”

“We expect the local guys to be very fast, because they are familiar with the road conditions and know how to work through them,” he said.

The three-day Rally of Queensland, which takes place just north of Brisbane on Australia’s east coast, will feature 18 stages running a total of 267.94 kilometers.


Antara, JG