FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) drivers Cody Crocker and Katsuhiko Taguchi will battle it out in the oil palm plantations of Johor this weekend as both vie for maximum points towards the title.

Australian Crocker, only six points behind Japanese driver Taguchi, said he is looking forward to a strong finish in the Ancom Malaysian Rally 2008 (MR8) that starts in Johor Baru today and hopes this will be his race.

"We'd really like a good result as this is the home event for the MotorImage team, given that it's the closest rally to Singapore. If we can do well now and in China we can get enough points to take the lead. This is Taguchi's last race for the year, so, all things going well, we will finish strongly," said Crocker.

The seventh and last round of the APRC will be in China in November. Competitors only score points from their six nominated events.

Taguchi has been on the podium in every event except the Rally of Canberra in Australia. Crocker won that event and the New Zealand round but struggled in Indonesia and Japan.


Malaysia's hopes are on 20-year old James Russell of SR Motorsports, the only local driver to compete in the Pirelli Star Driver competition. His local experience may give him an advantage over the international Pirelli Star drivers, most of whom have never driven on Malaysian soil.

Jagdev Singh, a local rally veteran will co-drive for Gaurav Gill and hopes his local knowledge will help Gill finish as strongly as possible.

The current leader of the MRC is Team GSR Pennzoil's Karamjit Singh.

Karamjit only needs two points to secure the Overall championship title for the year ahead of Perodua M5 Racing Team's Lim Leong Onn.

Karamjit is nursing a slipped disc in his back but is still confident he can finish the race in first place.

"I only need two points to win and there is still another MRC round after this. Although I won't be comfortable driving because of my back injury, I will still compete as the MR8 is the biggest and most exciting round of the year," Karamjit said.

Karamjit's teammate and manager, Gunaseelan Rajoo will battle it out with Lim for second place overall.