Motorsport: Aussie out to smash European dominance

Chris Atkinson will want to show what Australasian drivers can do on "home" soil.

Chris Atkinson may not have scored a drivers' championship point this season, but the 25-year-old Aussie is a standard-bearer for competitors in this part of the world.

For years world rallying has been dominated by Scandinavians, with a sprinkling of drivers from other European countries.

In the past 20 years the title has been won by drivers from Finland (11 times), Italy (2), Spain (2), Britain (2), France (2) and Norway. The works teams have been filled with drivers from those countries.

Despite considerable international success, Possum Bourne never achieved a full-season works drive in the main championship, even though a future world champion, Richard Burns, was his number two in the Asia Pacific championship.

But Subaru were so impressed with Atkinson's drive to fifth in the last Rally Australia that they offered him their second car for all but the opening round this year. He finished 19th in Sweden but crashed out in Mexico.

Atkinson is familiar with New Zealand roads after campaigning here in a Suzuki and a Subaru, and his co-driver, Dunedin-based Glenn Macneall, is hugely experienced.

New Zealand's national champion, Chris West, welcomes the chance that the young Aussie has received.

"It raises the profile of the drivers out here in the Southern Hemisphere. It emphasises all the good talent," he says.

"There are good drivers in New Zealand and Australia and they're finally recognising it.

"No doubt there's been a lot of push and hard work to get Chris to where he is. I think they've got a lot of respect for what he did, especially in Rally Australia. That was very well timed and it worked well for him.

"I guess they will be looking at competitors from New Zealand and other smaller countries but you've got to back it up with your budget and have the resources and catch the eye of the right people at the right time."

In his early years, Atkinson, who comes from the Gold Coast, played almost every competitive sport available before taking up motocross. His parents called a halt when injuries were hampering his school work.

He got the rallying bug after co-driving for Steve Orlando in a 1976 Toyota Corolla in a state rally on the Sunshine Coast. He made his debut as a driver in December 2000 in his brother Ben's Toyota Corolla.

Atkinson's first event was far from a success. He spun twice on the opening stage and became stuck in a ditch on the second, breaking a wheel off.

But he has since become a dual Asia Pacific Super 1600 champion and the dominant driver in the 2004 Australian rally championship, winning three out of the six rounds. Only an exclusion on a technicality stopped him claiming four wins and the overall championship.

The fifth placing in Rally Australia in Perth late last year caught the eyes of the World Rally Championship teams and the Subaru team have provided Atkinson with the opportunity to take on the best drivers in the world.

The Super 6

* Petter Solberg (Subaru), aged 30

World champion in 2003, he has Subaru's full commitment for another drivers' title. He leads the points after wins in Sweden and Mexico, where the new Impreza WRC made its debut. The personable Norwegian is at his best on gravel and will be tough to beat, even with the disadvantage of running first today.

* Marcus Gronholm (Peugeot), aged 37

World champion in 2000 and 2002, the tall Finn struggled last season with an unreliable car but still came within a few seconds of repeating his New Zealand victories of 2000, 2002 and 2003. Second in Mexico, he has told Peugeot that the championship is in his sights for their farewell year.

* Markko Martin (Peugeot), aged 29

When Ford seemed likely to drop out of the championship, the Estonian moved to Peugeot only to discover they were planning only one more year. He gave Ford some highlights, including wins in Greece and Finland and was third in New Zealand. He is one point behind Solberg in the championship after podium finishes in Mexico and Sweden.

* Toni Gardemeister (Ford), aged 30

Inherited Ford's top job and rewarded them with second place at Monte Carlo and a third in Sweden. One of the highlights of his career came in New Zealand, where in 1999 he finished third in a SEAT Cordoba. The following year he crashed spectacularly. For the last couple of seasons the Finn has been driving for the Skoda team.

* Francois Duval (Citroen), aged 25

Another Ford refugee, the young Belgian emerged as a star of the future towards the end of last season when he finished second in Germany and third in Australia. But this season he has yet to score a point, crashing in Monte Carlo and Sweden and suffering engine problems in Mexico. In New Zealand he has finished out of the points for the past two years.

* Sebastien Loeb (Citroen), aged 31

The reigning world champion began the year in his usual style by winning the first round in Monte Carlo. But the Swedish and Mexican rounds proved less productive. The Citroen Xsara has never been at its best in New Zealand but Loeb finished fourth last year and he has shown that he is a quick learner on surfaces other than his favourite tarmac.