Japanese driver Katsu Taguchi has won the APRC Rally of Hokkaido by 2.3 seconds from Hiroshi Yanagisawa after a great battle throughout the final day. Australians Dean Herridge and Cody Crocker came home 3rd and 4th and only seperated by 19.8 seconds. Torrential rain on day 1 caused several stages to be cancelled and stage 6 the most dramatic of all with rivers of water running down the roads. 

At 30 kilometres it turned into a mud bath with all APRC competitors making it through, but number one on the road Cody Crocker had to push his way through the slush loosing over a minute to Taguchi and stage winner Yanagisawa, who ran the last 10km with a rear wheel puncture. Cars further down the order benefitted hugely with less water on the road, including Indian driver Gaurav Gill who moved into 2nd place – a position the MRF driver held until the final morning when his gearbox broke.

A full report will follow…..