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 |
Chris Atkinson (born 30 November 1979) is a professional rally driver from Australia. He is famous for racing in the World Rally Championship (WRC). He drove for the Subaru World Rally Team from 2004 to 2008.
Chris achieved his best WRC finishes by coming second in the 2008 Rally México and Rally Argentina. He also placed third in the 2005 Rally Japan and the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally. In 2012, Chris won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.
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Early life and start in racing
Before becoming a race car driver, Chris Atkinson worked as a stockbroker. He studied finance and accounting at Bond University. He even got a scholarship for his studies.
Chris first started in rallying as a co-driver for his brother, Ben. But after they went to a rally school, they switched roles. Chris became the driver, and they won a class race and finished third overall! His brother, Ben, still works as a co-driver for another racer, Cody Crocker.
In his first full racing season, Chris drove a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo in the Australian Rally Championship. He finished in the top ten in his group. This great performance caught the eye of Suzuki. They offered him a chance to drive for their Suzuki Sport team in 2003. He raced a Super 1600 Ignis in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.
World Rally Championship career
Chris Atkinson's first big world rally race was in 2004. He competed in the Rally New Zealand with a Subaru Impreza WRX STI. In 2005, he joined the Subaru World Rally Team. He raced alongside Petter Solberg, who was a world champion. Chris finished 12th overall that year. His best results were third place in Japan and fourth in Australia.
After the 2006 season, Subaru told Chris he needed to improve. He had to balance his speed with being safe to get better results. If not, he might be replaced.
In 2007, Chris started strong at the Rally Monte Carlo. He finished fourth and won three stages. He had to beat another driver, Mikko Hirvonen, by a tiny amount of time. Chris did it, winning the stage! He finished seventh overall in 2007.
The 2008 season was very good for Chris. He took third place in Monte Carlo. Then, he finished second in the 2008 Corona Rally Mexico. He also got second place in Rally Argentina. He ended the season in fifth place overall. This was the first time he scored more points than his teammate, Petter Solberg.
After Subaru left the WRC, Chris joined the new Citroën Junior Team for 2009. He only raced once for them in Ireland. He finished fifth, even after hitting a pole and spinning!
Returning to WRC in 2012
In 2012, Chris Atkinson returned to the WRC. He joined the Monster World Rally Team and raced with Ken Block in Mexico. Chris won one stage but had to stop due to a car problem.
He also raced for the Qatar World Rally Team in Rally Finland. Later, he became the main driver for WRC Team MINI Portugal. He raced in the last five rallies of the 2012 season.
Chris finished 13th in the 2012 Championship. His best result was fifth place at Rallye Deutschland (Rally Germany). He drove a MINI John Cooper Works WRC car.
In 2013, Chris joined the Citroën team. He only raced in Rally Mexico, finishing sixth. Later that year, Hyundai hired him as a test driver for their new i20 rally car. This led to him racing part-time for them in 2014. He raced in Mexico and his home event in Australia. He finished seventh and tenth in those races.
Regional racing series
In 2010, Chris Atkinson started working with the Proton R3 Rally Team. He competed in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). He drove a Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 with his co-driver Stephane Prevot.
In 2011, Chris did very well in the APRC. He won the Malaysian Rally, Rallye de Nouvelle Caledonia, and the International Rally of Whangarei. He finished second overall that year.
In 2012, Chris raced for the MRF team in the APRC. He drove a Skoda Fabia S2000. He and Stephane Prevot became the 2012 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Champions!
From 2014 onwards, Chris raced in the China Rally Championship (CRC) for FAW-VW Rally Team. He won many races, including the last two rallies of 2014. In 2015 and 2016, he won 9 out of 11 races in the CRC. Even though he won a lot, the CRC rules meant foreign drivers' points didn't count for the championship title.
Other types of racing
Chris also tried circuit racing. In 2006, he raced a Subaru Impreza at the 24 Hours Nürburgring and finished second in his class. In 2007, he raced in the Bathurst 12 Hour with a Subaru Impreza. He won his class and finished second overall!
In 2016, Chris competed in the 2016 Global RallyCross Championship. He raced in the final four rounds and finished 11th overall. He is expected to continue in rallycross in the future.
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
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by Alister McRae |
Asia-Pacific Rally Champion 2012 |
Succeeded by Gaurav Gill |
Images for kids
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Chris Atkinson at the 2006 Rally Japan.
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Chris Atkinson at the 2006 Rally Australia.
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Chris Atkinson at the 2008 Rallye Deutschland
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Chris Atkinson at the 2012 Rallye Deutschland
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Chris Atkinson and co-driver Glenn MacNeall in their Subaru Impreza WRC2006 during the 2006 Cyprus Rally.
See also
In Spanish: Chris Atkinson para niños
