S. Koreans to race in Medan Rally

S. Koreans to race in Medan Rally

JAKARTA (JP): Undaunted by all the big names in the Bank Utama
Indonesia Rally '95, two South Korean drivers will try their luck
in Medan, North Sumatra.

Driving a relatively unknown Daewoo Nexia, South Korean
leading driver Oh Young-man and navigator Bae Soo-oh will join an
array of star-studded drivers which includes 555 Subaru's Colin
McRae of England, Finnish Ari Vatanen and Mitsubishi world top
Japanese driver Kenjiro Shinozuka, on a Mitsubishi, for the July
7-9 rally.

The Koreans will directly be involved in the battle of giants
as they compete in the Group N 1,500 cc class.

"We come here to test our driving knowledge as we understand
there will be world class drivers competing in the higher
division. Taking part in a rally already rated among the best in
the Asia-Pacific region is really a good thing to learn," Kim
said.

Oh, champion in the Group N of the Kenya Safari Rally last
April and driving the same car, believes he "can do something in
Medan."

With a team of six mechanics and one service car, the Koreans
have been here since last week, when they directly proceeded to
Medan to get to know the venue.

The Medan event is the opening round of the Asia Pacific
Rally, which will be followed by races in Malaysia, Australia,
New Zealand, Thailand and China.

Vatanen

Ford Motorsport will make its first official appearance in the
Far East when it enters two brand-new Group A Escort RS Cosworths
in Medan.

The four-wheel drive Fords will be driven by World Rally
Champion Vatanen and local rally star Dandy Rukmana, one of
President Soeharto's grandsons. Both cars are currently being
built to the latest specifications at Ford Motorsport
headquarters in Boreham, England.

A third Group A Ford car will be driven by Indonesia's veteran
rally driver Dolly Indra Nasution and his long time navigator
Farryd Sungkar

In a bid to reclaim the title it won in the 1993 but lost
last year, Mitsubishi Rally Art will field five cars, two for
local drivers and three for foreigners.

The two local participants will be seasoned rallyist Oky
Harwanto, co-driver Firman and Bambang and navigator Agung
Baskoro.

"Oky will be fighting in Group A, who will team up with
Kenjiro, Kenneth Eriksson and Tommy Makinen. Bambang will be in
Group N," a Mitsubishi Rally Art Indonesia official said
yesterday.

A record 51 drivers from 18 countries have confirmed their
participation.

Competitors in the three-day race will have to complete 27
special stages covering a stretch of 461.32 kilometers.

Starting from Merdeka square, Medan, the participating drivers
will take on the first eight special stages from Medan to Tebing
Tinggi. They have to survive the longest track on the second day
from Medan to Parapat, before spending the night at the country's
most famous lake, Toba.

The final nine stages will start from Lake Toba and finish at
Merdeka Square.

The organizers have dropped one of the scheduled 27 stages due
to technical reasons. The straight track of the ninth stage at
Rambong Sialang is considered too dangerous, technical commission
official Indrajit Sardjono said. (rsl)