Crocker, driving the MotorImage Subaru Impreza WRX STI, took line honours by one minute 23.6 seconds from Japan’s Katsu Taguchi, with Jussi Valimaki third, one minute 59.6 seconds off the pace.
The Victorian driver now sits on top of the series table with the maximum 48 points, 14 clear of Taguchi on 34 points with Valimaki a further two points back on 32.
Crocker and co-driver Ben Atkinson were delighted to take the honours in Japan, the home of Subaru.
Photos c. STi
“Winning is always good, but to be able to deliver a victory for Subaru in its home rally was fantastic,” Crocker said."The car didn’t miss a beat all weekend. We didn’t have to change a part, in fact the only thing we had to change all weekend were the tyres, which says a lot about the say the car is performing at the moment.”
“This is a really tough event. Long, fast and very technical.Someone said us winning is boring, but not for us. Each rally is an enormous challenge, a great test, and at the moment we’ve got the winning formula, and long may that last.”
“We’re developing a healthy buffer in the championship, but each round we have to produce a good result as that can all disappear in one round with a DNF. We’ve still got three events left, so our goal is to win each of those as well.”
Photos c. STi
APRC registered Hiroshi Yanagisawa for CUSCO RACING had flat tire on SS2, the first proper stage of the event, and lost more than 4 minute. He backed 29th overall, however showed superb charge and finished fourth overall eventually.
Also 2005 P-WRC champion Toshi Arai has contend this event, however he retired on Leg 1 by machine trouble. He re-started under Super Rally regulation and show world top-level performance with winning seven of eight stages for Leg 2. Another P-WRC driver Takuma Kamada appeared on his home event in Hokkaido. Takuma was third overall until SS15, the penultimate stage of the event, however he left the course on SS16 and taken more than 8 minute back to the stage. He eventually finished in seventh overall.
