Chris Atkinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chris Atkinson |
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Chris Atkinson in 2013
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| Nationality |  Australian |
| Born | 30 November 1979 Bega, New South Wales, Australia |
| Global Rallycross career | |
| Debut season | 2016 |
| Current team | Subaru Rally Team USA |
| Car no. | 55 |
| Starts | 15 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Best finish | 7th in 2017 |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 2004–2009, 2012–2014 |
| Co-driver | Benjamin Atkinson Glenn Macneall Stéphane Prévot |
| Teams | Subaru World Rally Team, Citroën Junior Team, Monster World Rally Team, WRC Team Mini Portugal, Abu Dhabi Citroën Total WRT, Hyundai Shell World Rally Team |
| Rallies | 77 |
| Championships | 4 |
| Rally wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 6 |
| Stage wins | 41 |
| Total points | 165 |
| First rally | 2004 Rally New Zealand |
| Last rally | 2014 Rally Australia |
Christopher James Atkinson (born November 30, 1979) is a professional rally driver from Bega, New South Wales, Australia. He is famous for competing in the World Rally Championship (WRC). From 2004 to 2008, Atkinson drove for the Subaru World Rally Team.
He achieved his best WRC finishes by coming in second place at the 2008 Rally México and Rally Argentina. He also earned third-place finishes at the 2005 Rally Japan and the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally. In 2012, Atkinson won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Later that year, he became the main driver for the WRC Team Mini Portugal for the last five races of the 2012 WRC season.
Contents
Chris Atkinson's Early Career
Before becoming a rally driver, Chris Atkinson worked as a stockbroker. He studied finance and accounting at Bond University, graduating in 1999. Chris first started in rallying as a co-driver for his brother, Ben. After they attended a rally school together, they switched roles. Chris then drove, and they won their class and finished third overall in a race. His brother, Ben, later became a co-driver for Cody Crocker in the APRC.
In his first full season, Atkinson competed in the Australian Rally Championship. He drove a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. He consistently finished in the top ten in his group and the top 20 overall. This strong performance caught the eye of Suzuki. They offered him a chance to drive one of their Super 1600 Ignis cars. He joined the Suzuki Sport team for the 2003 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.
World Rally Championship Journey
Chris Atkinson's first race in the World Rally Championship was in 2004. He competed at the Rally New Zealand in a Subaru Impreza WRX STI. In 2005, he joined the Subaru World Rally Team. He drove the Subaru Impreza WRC alongside the 2003 world champion, Petter Solberg. He finished 12th overall in the drivers' championship that year. His best results were third in Japan and fourth in Australia.
After the 2006 season, where he finished tenth overall, Subaru challenged Atkinson. They wanted him to balance his speed with careful driving to get better results.
At the start of the 2007 season, Atkinson finished fourth at the 2007 Rally Monte Carlo. He also won three special stages during the event. On the last day, he was just 0.8 seconds behind Mikko Hirvonen for fourth place. He needed to beat Hirvonen in the final super special stage in Monaco. Atkinson not only beat Hirvonen but also won the stage.
At the 2007 Rally Finland, Atkinson set the fastest time on the opening super special stage. This briefly put him in the lead of the rally. He finished the 2007 season seventh overall in the drivers' championship.
The 2008 season started well for Atkinson. He took third place in Monte Carlo. At the 2008 Corona Rally Mexico, he finished second, 30 seconds ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala. He ended the season fifth in the drivers' standings. This was the first time he scored more points than his teammate, Solberg.
After Subaru announced they were leaving the WRC, Atkinson joined the new Citroën Junior Team for the 2009 season. He competed in only one rally with them, the Ireland rally. He performed well, finishing fifth, even after hitting a pole and spinning once.
Return to WRC in 2012
In 2012, Atkinson joined the Monster World Rally Team. He raced alongside Ken Block in Mexico. Atkinson won one stage, but he had to stop the race early due to a mechanical problem.
He also had a one-time drive in a Citroën DS3 WRC for the Qatar World Rally Team at Rally Finland. Later, it was announced that he would replace Armindo Araujo. He became the main driver for the factory-supported WRC Team MINI Portugal. This deal covered the last five rallies of the 2012 season.
Atkinson competed in the final five rounds of the 2012 WRC season with the MINI team. He finished the year 13th in the Championship. His best result was 5th place at Rallye Deutschland (Rally Germany). He drove a MINI John Cooper Works WRC car.
In 2013, Atkinson joined the Citroën team. However, they only used him for Rally Mexico, where he finished 6th. Later that year, Hyundai hired him as a test driver for their i20 rally car. This led to a part-time deal for 2014. In 2014, he raced in Mexico and his home event in Australia. He finished 7th and 10th respectively. In both races, he was the last of the Hyundai drivers to finish.
Regional Rally Series
In April 2010, Chris Atkinson started working with the Proton R3 Rally Team. He competed in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). Atkinson drove a Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 with co-driver Stephane Prevot.
After a guest appearance at the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) Monte Carlo Rally, Atkinson performed very well in the 2011 APRC. He won the Malaysian Rally, Rallye de Nouvelle Caledonia, and the International Rally of Whangarei. However, he missed two rounds, which meant he finished second overall to his teammate Alister McRae.
In 2012, Atkinson competed in the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship again. He drove a Skoda for the MRF team, with Stephane Prevot as his co-driver. They were crowned the 2012 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Champions.
In 2014, Atkinson signed with the FAW-VW Rally Team in China. He competed in two rallies with an S2000 car. By the end of 2014, with the new FAW-FW Golf 7 SCRC, Atkinson became very successful in the CRC (China Rally Championship). He won the penultimate rally of 2014 CRC in Longyou by 25 minutes. He also won the final rally in Wuyi. In 2015 and 2016, Atkinson won 9 out of 11 races in the CRC. Even though he often won, the CRC rules do not count points for foreign drivers. So, he could not officially be the Driver's Champion in 2015 and 2016.
Other Racing Adventures
In 2006, Chris Atkinson tried circuit racing for the first time at the 24 Hours Nürburgring. He drove a Subaru Impreza for Autosportif Racing UK and finished second in his class. This led to him driving in the 2007 Bathurst 12 Hour race, also in a Subaru Impreza. He finished first in his class and second overall. In 2009, he competed in the third round of the 2009 Australian Mini Challenge. He co-drove with Steve Owen and finished second in the endurance race.
Atkinson competed in the last four rounds of the 2016 Global RallyCross Championship. He finished the championship in 11th place. This included reaching the finals in Seattle. He continued in rallycross in 2017, competing in the GRC.
Career Highlights
- 2012 – Winner, Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
- 2011 – 2nd place, Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
- 2010 – 5th place, Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
- 2009 – 14th place, World Rally Championship
- 2008 – 5th place, World Rally Championship
- 2007 – 7th place, World Rally Championship
- 2006 – 10th place, World Rally Championship
- 2005 – 12th place, World Rally Championship
- 2004 – Winner, Asia-Pacific Super 1600 Championship
- 2004 – Second place, Australian Rally Championship
- 2003 – Winner, Asia-Pacific Super 1600 Championship
- 2002 – Winner, Australian Privateers Cup
Images for kids
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Atkinson and co-driver Glenn MacNeall in their Subaru Impreza WRC2006 during the 2006 Cyprus Rally.
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by Alister McRae |
Asia-Pacific Rally Champion 2012 |
Succeeded by Gaurav Gill |
See also
In Spanish: Chris Atkinson para niños
