With sponsorship from Globalstar, the 2004 ARC looked like it would be a cracker. There were at least eight crews with a good chance of overall victory. From the Subaru camp came reigning champions Cody Crocker and Greg Foletta, and trusty team-mates Dean Herridge and Glenn Macneall. Also in a Subaru was the fast improving Chris Atkinson, with brother Ben, fresh from a moderately successful APRC campaign for Suzuki (5th overall and class winners). The Pedders team of Scott Pedder and Paul Humm, and brother Mark Pedder with Toni Feaver, were all in Subarus. In the Mitsubishi camp were Ed Ordynski and Iain Stewart, and Finnish youngster Juha Kangas with Julia Rabbett. The now well developed Toyota Corolla Sportivo from the Bates operation would be crewed by Neal Bates and Coral Taylor and fast Victorian, Simon Evans, with wife Sue. An interesting entrant in the P5 class was five times Australian champion Ross Dunkerton in an AWD Magna (and he nearly won the class).
There is no doubt that Chris Atkinson was the standout performer of the year and unsurprisingly he moved into a WRC works drive with Subaru the following year. Despite taking the win “on the road” at the first round in WA, he was excluded due to an irregularity in the brake booster. But for that, he and Ben would have been crowned 2004 champions. They went on to take four heat wins to Crocker’s and Foletta’s two. Evans took a win at the first heat, the first victory for the new Corolla, and would place third overall in the championship. Kangas gave some joy for Mitsubishi winning both heats in Tassie and another heat win in SA. Scott Pedder took a heat win in the west but otherwise had a troubled year.
Subaru again won the Manufacturers title which we believe also included Rally of Canberra and possible also Rally Australia.
To see other years of the ARC, go to the series page.
