Sizzling Valimaki grabs lead in Rally Indonesia
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post/Makassar, South Sulawesi
Birthday boy Jussi Valimaki battled through heat and dust to take the lead at the end of the first day of the Gudang Garam International Indonesia Rally 2005 on Saturday.
Valimaki, with fellow Finn co-driver Jarkko Kalliolepo, clocked a total of two hours and 18.3 seconds over 148.14 kilometers in the eight special stages (SS) at Takalar sugarcane plantation.
It was also a perfect start for the MRF Tyres team with Katsuhiko Taguchi of Japan, with Australian co-driver Mark Stacy, who finished 57 seconds behind. In third place, five minutes and 21 seconds behind the leader, was Silverstone driver Geoff Argyle of New Zealand.
Thin cloud cover did little to cool temperatures, with the dusty route adding to the challenge of the race, the sixth stop in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship.
Valimaki is far ahead in the championship standings, and a win on Sunday would bring him the title.
"It's very hot," Valimaki, who turned 31 on Saturday, said after completing the fourth stage. "I've got to keep my position. The competition is very hard."
Argyle, with co-driver Jane Black, also found it a tough challenge, calling the dusty conditions "annoying".
Indonesian competitor Rifat Sungkar, who is back with co- driver Karel Harilatu, had to be content with fourth place, five minutes and 40 seconds behind Valimaki.
Rifat's compatriots Hery Agung and Subhan Aksa, both from the Bosowa Rally Team, were in fifth and sixth place, ahead of New Zealand's Brian Green, in seventh, and Dermott Malley in eighth.
The dominant performances by Valimaki and Katsuhiro left Argyle and Rifat fighting for third place throughout the race, which is also the third series of the national championship.
Rifat came out on top provisionally after the first four stages, clinging to a slim 3.2 second lead. The Indonesian driver clinched the third fastest time of 8:16.3 in the 9.95-kilometer SS1 and 20:14.4 in the 25.40-kilometer SS4.
But Argyle fought his way up to third place in SS5 with Rifat struggling five minutes behind. The Pertamina Prima XP driver clocked the third best time on the SS8 but he still ended up 19 seconds behind the New Zealander.
Eight of the 28 starters crashed out of the race, including Rifat's younger brother and teammate Rizal.
Rizal, with co-driver Anthony Sarwono, made up for the lost time of a flat tire in the fourth stage only to suffer a second tire puncture in the eighth stage.
The puncture caused a break to the shock absorber of his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.
Herry was in second place in the national category behind Rifat with Subhan in third.
The competitors will switch to the Bili-Bili sugarcane plantations on Sunday, racing on another five stages covering a total distance of 83.64 kilometers.