I've still got it, says Atkinson

Chris Atkinson says that he still has the speed to compete in the top echelons of rallying.

"Anybody who thinks I can't drive anymore should think again. This has been a fantastic season so far with Proton; the car's really come good this year, thanks to some fantastic work from the team, and I feel I'm driving better than ever.”

The Aussie is an ex-World Championship star, formerly driving for the Subaru World Rally Team alongside now privateer Petter Solberg. Atkinson's WRC career started in 2005 when he shared his points nomination with ex-Formula 1 test driver Stéphane Sarazzin. Atkinson scored his first podium on the Rally Japan in 2005, Sarazzin was dropped at the end of 2006, with Atkinson taking over the second car full time. Atkinson, and team-mate Petter Solberg had a long run of horrid luck until 2008, when Atkinson took 5 podiums, including one in Finland with the then-new Impreza WRC2008, the car's only third event. Solberg scored a second place on the car's début & fought for victories for the rest of the season. Atkinson ended his career with Subaru on a low note, after crashing spectacularly at the season-ending Wales Rally GB. Days after, Subaru announced their withdrawal from the WRC, leaving Atkinson & Solberg out in the cold.

Atkinson made a one-off appearance with the Citroen Junior World Rally team at the start of 2008, on the season opening Rally Ireland. He took fifth place after a few off's, one spectacular one in which he cut a telephone pole in two. After his Citroen outing, he went quiet for a while before signing with the Proton team. He drove the car in some APRC events in 2010, and in 2011 will take part in 10 IRC events and the entire APRC calendar.

Atkinson, 30, says that driving the S2000 Proton Satria Neo has made him a better driver, citing that you must drive the car hard to extract it's full potential, saying: "Driving a Super 2000 car like the Satria Neo has made me a more complete driver. You absolutely have to commit to everything with these kind of cars and we're doing that. I've got a lot to give in this sport, but right now I'm focused on winning the APRC title with Proton."

Atkinson's next event is the Rally Hokkaido in Japan, which runs from 1st-2^nd October. Atkinson currently leads the drivers standings by 21 points over his Proton team-mate Alistair McRae, and Proton Motorsports currently commands a substantial lead in the teams table, 77 points to be precise. It's a similar story in the manufacturers standings, with Proton holding 14 points over nearest rivals Mitsubishi. Currently, it looks like Proton and the driving partnership of Atkinson/McRae seem to be the one's to beat in this Championship.