The season finale for the 2007 Intercontinental Rally Challenge is upon us. The China Rally, originally scheduled for the last weekend of the month, was just recently confirmed and moved up three weeks. Couple that with the distance for most IRC regulars and Peugeot already clinching the Manufacturer's Championship and you have a very scant IRC crowd. None of the championship contenders or familar faces will be in China. Hideaki Miyoshi, finished third on the Safari rally, is the only participant to make a previous IRC start this season.
Personally, I think the IRC got it all wrong putting the China Rally as the series finale. Due to lack of participation, there will be no dramatic title fight between Enrique García-Ojeda and Nicolas Vouilloz. The Peugeot team mates performed well this season to help their marque to the makes title, and were just five points apart heading to the final round. Honorable mention goes to the lead Abarth driver, Andrea Navarra who notched a victory in the opening round and lead the championship for a good portion of the season until a string of 4 starts were he scored a total of only 3 points. For the complete 2007 IRC point standings through 8 events, click here.
Still there are many interesting stories on the China Rally. It is also the 7th and final round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. There will be a big fight in the APRC for the Manufacturer's title (Subaru leads 74-72). Jussi Välimäki and Kastuhiko Taguchi will lead the way for Mitsubishi while battling for second in the championship. Meanwhile Cody Crocker, who can win his second title just by starting the race, will head the Subaru attack. For the complete 2007 APRC point standings through 6 events, click here.
Add in the Chinese Rally Championship fights where David Higgins and Martin Rowe (former BRC champs) are looking to aid their respective team's push for a title. There is also all the locals as they fight for the Chinese drivers championship.
This rally will deterimine a number of titles in multiple rally series, so stay tuned to the Official IRC website for all the results this weekend.
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