Alister McRae of Team Proton Motorsports won his first title of the year at the 2011 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC)Â China (Longyou) Rally on Sunday. The victory also helped McRae to be crowned with the APRC's 2011 drivers championship title. Jari Ketomaa of the Soueast Motor Kumho Team, and McRae's Proton teammate, Chris Atkinson, finished second and third on Sunday.
Six stages were contested on Sunday in Muchen, Maojiapu and Luojia with a total distance of 124.74 kilometers. With a 58.8-second advantage after Saturday's six stages, McRae played steady on Sunday and eventually won the Longyou Stop of the season-ending APRC championship, leading second-placed Ketomaa by one minute and 14.3 seconds.
"I am very happy to win the annual drivers title in China," Scot McRae said after the race. "I have to admit that Team Proton Motorsports was superb throughout the Longyou competition, without leaving any chance for other drivers. It's a great weekend for everyone of us because the team also won the manufacturers title and the team crown, needless to say today's victory was my first of the year."
Soueast Motor Kumho Team's Ketomaa of Finland pulled out all of the stops on Sunday, but still could not find a way against the more powerful Proton S2000. Atkinson, at the wheels of Proton S2000, was fantastic on Sunday winning four of six stages but the Australian had lost too much time a day earlier because of an engine problem. Third-placed Atkinson said he had tried his best and was happy that the team won the manufacturers' title and congratulated teammate McRae for winning the drivers' title. And Team Proton was the most successful in the 2011 APRC Championship after the two drivers finished first and third.
Indonesian driver Rifat Sungkar of Pertamina Cusco Racing, lying in 10th place overall after a flat tyre a day earlier, fought back to sixth on Sunday. Among the APRC drivers, he was fifth behind McRae, Ketomaa, Atkinson and teammate Yuya Sumiyama.
Fan Fan of Soueast Motor Wanyu Team returned to action on Sunday after a brake pipe burst on Saturday, while teammate Yuan Hao had to withdraw due to a steering failure.
In the China Rally Championship (CRC) group, Guizhou Bailing continued its fine form in the past three stops with foreign import Mark Higgins winning a hat-trick and the team's Wei Hongjie emerging as the best among the Chinese driver.
The APRC ended its season with the successful completion of the Longyou event. On the International Automobile Federation's newly-announced calendar, there will again be six rounds of the APRC next year. Longyou will again be the China round, from November 2 to 4.
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