"This is a very very good result for us and a good start for our Asia Pacific championship, we got the maximum 16 points. It was not an easy event, quite difficult stages and I must concentrate all the time. I'm now looking forward to Canberra, its an event I like but it will be a big fight with new teams joining the APRC. We have new tyres from MRF for Canberra and hopefully we'll have the opportunity for some testing', Taguchi said at the finish line. In 2nd place was Dean Herridge in a CUSCO Subaru - an excellent result considering this was the Australians first trip to New Caledonia, "this was an event full of firsts, first time with the CUSCO team, first time with Chris (Murphy) and first time in New Caledonia. I said at the start I'd be really happy to get on the podium, 2nd is a great result for us - roll on Canberra!!" said an elated Herridge at the finish.New Caledonian Jean-Louis Leyraud entered in the APRC Pacific Cup was 3rd overall, while kiwi Brian Green was 4th overall and 3rd in APRC.  "We're very pleased with the way the weekend went, we've had a very good car, very good team and Fleur did an excellent job with the notes. The big long stage this morning was very difficult and several competitors went off the road, but in that mud and slippery conditions you just have to be very patient and keep yourself under control and for us it paid off', said Green.

Taguchi's new team-mate Scott Pedder (Australia) was unlucky not to finish. After an excellent first day learning the car, the team, new tyres and the first time in a left-hand drive car Pedder held 2nd spot, 40m seconds behind Taguchi. But on Day 2 the Australian was a victim of the slippery Katrikoin stage and afterwards reflected on his bad luck 'The slowest off in my life, we were really trying to finish and just got caught out by the slippery roads. Canberra is next and my home event - hopefully we can get a good result for the team there".  CUSCO driver Hiroshi Yanagisawa was also a casualty on Katrakoin slipping off on a very slow slippery hairpin, with the Subaru rolling over into a small ravine. Rally of Canberra is the next round of the championship and based in the Australia capital on 10-11th May. There will be a real battle in Canberra (Round 2) where Cody Crocker and Rifat Sungkar will start their 2008 APRC campaign for MotorImage Subaru. A new team from Arai Motorsport will join the APRC in Canberra with a new shaped Subaru for the very fast Takuma Kamada. Rally New Caledonia - Final Overall Results

# : APRC registered
P : Pacific CUP

By - Brian Young www.aprc.tv