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Chris Atkinson
Date of Birth : 30/11/79
Place of Birth : Bega, New South Wales, Australia
Lives : Oxfordshire, UK
Marital Status :Single
Role : Driver
Co-Driver : Glenn Macneall
Hobbies : Running, gym-training, jet-skiing, wake-boarding
Website : www.chrisatkinson.com.au
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HISTORY
First Rally : 1995
WRC Debut : 2004 Germany
Career highlights :
2005 - 12th Drivers' World Rally Championship
2004 - Second, Australian Rally Championship
2004 - Winner, Asia Pacific Super 1600 Championship
2003 - Winner, Asia Pacific Super 1600 Championship
2002 - Winner, Australian Privateers Cup
Chris is the first Australian to become a full-time WRC driver, and proved his potential throughout 2005 by setting the fourth highest number of fastest stage times. The only people to beat him were world champions Petter Solberg, Sebastien Loeb and Marcus Gronholm! The vast majority of rallies were new to him last year, but in 2006 Chris hopes to capitalise upon his new-found experience with a full programme of 16 events.
From speed freak to stockbroker
It s fair to say that rallying is in Chris Atkinson s blood. As a youngster in Bega, New South Wales, he spent much of his time watching his father, John, competing in the New South Wales Rally Championship. From that point on he became hooked on the sport. A born competitor, Chris excelled at a variety of other sports including football, running, rugby and tennis, but was undoubtedly happiest when travelling under power and preferably at speed. As a teenager, Chris spent much of his time enjoying the thrills and spills of motocross riding until 1995, when he was awarded an academic scholarship to Bond University and the dirt-track action was put on hold. On successfully completing his commerce degree, majoring in finance and accounting, Chris s future as a stockbroker looked assured. And it was. Until he decided he wanted to go rallying.
A family affair
Chris s first attempts at rally driving were from the co-driver s seat, navigating for his brother, Ben, aboard a 1972 Toyota Corolla on regional championship events in Australia. However, after only a couple of rallies, Chris decided he wanted a shot behind the wheel himself, so the pair swapped seats for the final round of the 2000 Queensland Rally Championship. Although it was only meant to be a one-off experiment, Chris proved to be rather handy as a driver and the brothers stuck with their new disciplines. Lessons at the Rick Bates Rally School followed, as well as more experience at club level, before his first major rally on the opening round of the 2001 Queensland Rally Championship. Remarkably, and with less than 80km of competitive driving under his belt, Atkinson was first in his class and third overall. That instant success convinced him to, despite his lack of experience in the sport, tackle the Australian Rally Championship (ARC) the following year.
Championship debut
At the wheel of a privately-entered Group N Mitsubishi Lancer, Chris impressed in his first full season of competition in the ARC. He finished inside the top ten in Group N and well inside the overall top 20 on every round he contested. During the year, Chris set second-fastest stage times on two occasions which, considering his age and experience, gave an indication of his tremendous potential. In one of the most competitive Australian Rally Championships ever, the Atkinson boys finished ninth outright and were crowned Privateer Champions. This performance brought Chris to the attention of Suzuki, who offered him the opportunity to drive one of its Super 1600 Ignis models with the Suzuki Sport team in the 2003 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.
Chris rewarded the team with a class win in the opening round of the championship in Canberra. Next came a second place in New Zealand, a second in Japan and two remarkable wins in Thailand and India. Atkinson was duly crowned Asia-Pacific Super 1600 Champion, but perhaps of more significance was his position of fifth overall, across all classes, in the Asia-Pacific Championship ahead of many more powerful, four-wheel-drive, turbo-charged cars.
Making an impact
The success story continued in 2004, when Atkinson was the dominant driver in the Australian Rally Championship, winning three of the six rounds. His success wasn't limited to the Australian shores as he successfully defended his Asia-Pacific Super 1600 title and showed exceptional pace on rounds of the World Rally Championship in New Zealand, Finland and Japan. In November, and with new co-driver Glenn Macneall sitting alongside him, Atkinson finished his year on a high by winning the Group N category and finishing fifth overall on his first attempt at the 2005 WRC finale, Rally Australia. That astonishing fifth place was the highest finish by a Group N entrant in the 17-year history of the event.
His achievements were rewarded by a contract from the Subaru World Rally Team for 2005. He made his debut on possibly the most specialised event on the calendar Sweden but despite having rarely seen snow he set a fourth-fastest stage time. Plenty of fastest times followed, but it was on the events where he had some previous experience that Chris really shone. The Rally Japan was familiar from the Asia-Pacific Championship and he duly took his first podium. Chris was in the lead of Rally Australia when he suffered a freak steering-arm breakage, but still finished fourth. That is why both he and the team believe that 2006 will be an exceptional year. A little experience goes a long way.
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