APRC: Proton ready to roar in New Caledonia, PG Andersson aims to bounce back from Kiwi misfortune

The second round of this year’s FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) will happen in New Caledonia this weekend. Defending champions Proton return to the Pacific island in search of their first win of the year, after finishing second and fourth in the opening rally in New Zealand.

The drivers in action are APRC reigning champion Alister McRae and Swedish driver PG Andersson – the latter is in his first full APRC season and will be competing in New Caledonia for the first time. Proton’s main rivals will once again be the Skoda Fabia S2000s of Team MRF.

As defending champion, McRae will again be in the unenviable position of having to start the rally first, clearing the road for the other drivers behind him.

“Winning the championship last year means I am first on the road on all the rounds this year and that was quite a disadvantage on the first round in New Zealand, but I don’t think it will be so much in New Caledonia. The rain is likely to have washed away much of the loose gravel from the surface before we got there and it’s possible that running at the front might even give us a small advantage,” said the optimistic Scot.

Teammate PG is ready to bounce back from the Kiwi bad luck which cost him an outright victory in the opening round. Comfortably setting fastest times en route to winning 11 of the 16 special stages in New Zealand, Andersson caught a puncture to surrender the lead. “One thing for sure is that I’m starting this event as I start every event – to win. I have never been to this rally before, so it’s always exciting to try some new roads,” he said.

Based in Noumea on Grande Terre, the largest island in New Caledonia, Rally New Caledonia moves through beautiful lush vegetation and farming plains, and will be contested over a competitive distance of 252.82 km covering 19 special stages.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Fri, 27 Apr 12 01:40:29 +0000.

Related posts:

1. Rally of Whangarei: PG Andersson finishes second for Proton in his APRC debut, Chris Atkinson wins the event
2. Rally Sweden LIVE: Proton’s PG Andersson and Alister McRae are ready for the ultimate snow challenge!
3. Proton celebrates APRC title clean sweep, we’re told to expect a special edition “yellow” Satria Neo soon!
4. Proton wins China Rally – Alister McRae takes APRC driver’s title, Proton clinches manufacturer’s title
5. Rally of Hokkaido – Gaurav Gill excluded from results, Proton assured the FIA APRC Driver’s crown
6. Proton at Rally Hokkaido – Alister McRae finishes third, and APRC driver’s title goes down to the wire
7. APRC: Proton heads to New Zealand in mid winter
8. Proton wins Rally De Nouvelle Caledonia – Chris Atkinson takes top honours again, Alister McRae finished third
9. Team Proton R3 aims to extend lead in MSS this weekend
10. Proton aiming for more APRC glory in Australia

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