Leader Rifat revved up for Medan Rally

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

Gudang Garam Rally Championship leader Rifat Sungkar is relishing the challenge of the notoriously tricky Medan Rally course as rallying returns to the North Sumatra capital for the first time in five years.

"The course is good and very challenging with its treacherous turns and winding sections. The dirt road is very slippery. It's like driving on snow without tread tires," Rifat, who raced here in 1997 and 2000, said during a media conference in downtown Medan on Friday.

The Medan Rally, the second stop of the championship, will start on Saturday, with 46 participants set to tackle the treacherous routes split over 13 special stages (SS) totaling 155.7 kilometers.

Rifat is atop the standings with 20 points after winning the opening leg in Lampung in April. Younger brother Rizal Sungkar is in second with 16 points, with last year's winner Hery Agung three points behind him.

Rifat, 28, will be at the wheel with Muhammad Herkusumah, who is taking over navigating duties from the unavailable Karel Harilatu.

However, Rifat has yet to win in Medan. When he made his debut in 1997, when the rally was known as the World Racing Championship, he crashed early.

He returned for the 2000 Asia Pacific Rally only to exit in the early stages after a collision with another car.

"I guess I am better prepared this time around. It just needs a few finishing touches to my preparation," Rifat said.

The Pertamina Rally Team driver believes Muhammad will be an invaluable help in navigating the hazardous route.

Veteran driver Chandra Alim, who skipped the opening rally, acknowledged the Medan rally's tough course, something he experienced first hand in past rallies.

He believes he know what it will take to handle the course.

"I made a good run during the 1996 race. That's when I managed to restrain myself from excessive speeding. This time I will try to be patient as I was in 1996," the Fuchs Chalim Rally Team driver said.

The race will start at 7 a.m. in Tebing Tinggi, about 40 kilometers southeast of Medan. Participants, including 22 local drivers, open their challenge on seven SS, followed with another six on Sunday.

The third leg will take place in Makassar in September, with the final race in December in West Java.

The Makassar event will also be included in the Asia Pacific Rally series, which, according to race director Jeffrey JP, will be the first step in efforts to bring back the World Rally Championship to Indonesia.

The last international rally was the Asia Pacific Rally in Medan five years ago.

"We are looking to invite the (sport's governing body) FIA to inspect the location in the hope they will once again trust us to stage a world series," Jeffrey said.