Chris Atkinson
Australian professional rally driver known for World Rally Championship podiums and success in Asia-Pacific and Chinese rallying.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Christopher James Atkinson is an Australian professional rally driver whose career has spanned national rallying, the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, the World Rally Championship, endurance events and rallycross. Born in Bega, New South Wales, on 30 November 1979, he initially pursued a career in finance and worked as a stockbroker after graduating from Bond University with a commerce degree focused on finance and accounting. Motorsport became his principal career after he and his brother Ben experimented with rallying together, initially with Atkinson as co-driver. A rally-school experience led the brothers to exchange roles, and Atkinson quickly demonstrated the pace needed to progress as a driver. His early competition was in Australian rallying with a privately entered Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. During his first full season he achieved consistently strong results, including top-ten Group N finishes and overall top-20 results on the rounds he contested. The Atkinson crew also won the Privateer Championship, helping attract Suzuki's attention. In 2003 he drove a Suzuki Ignis Super 1600 for Suzuki Sport in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, establishing himself as a leading regional prospect. His early career highlights included success in the Australian Privateers Cup and the Asia-Pacific Super 1600 category. Atkinson made his World Rally Championship debut at Rally New Zealand in 2004 in a Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Subaru subsequently signed him for its factory World Rally Team, where he partnered the established driver Petter Solberg from 2005. Atkinson developed into a reliable front-running driver in the highly competitive WRC era. He scored his first WRC podium with third place at Rally Japan in 2005 and added another third-place finish at the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally. His strongest individual WRC results came in 2008, when he finished second at both Rally México and Rally Argentina. He ended that season fifth in the drivers' championship, ahead of Solberg, after finishing seventh in 2007 and recording notable stage wins and near-podium performances. Subaru's withdrawal from the WRC at the end of 2008 changed the direction of Atkinson's career. He joined the Citroën Junior Team for 2009 and finished fifth at Rally Ireland in his only event for the team. He then shifted attention toward regional and manufacturer-development programmes. From 2010 he competed for Proton R3 in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, using a Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 with co-driver Stéphane Prévot. He finished second in the 2011 championship after winning several rounds, despite missing events. In 2012 he drove a Škoda Fabia S2000 for Team MRF and won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, one of the principal titles of his career. Atkinson also returned periodically to the WRC. In 2012 he drove for Monster World Rally Team, including a Mexico appearance alongside Ken Block, and made a one-off start for Qatar World Rally Team in a Citroën DS3 WRC. He was then appointed lead driver of the factory-supported WRC Team MINI Portugal operation for the final five rounds of the season. His best result was fifth at Rally Germany, and he finished 13th in the championship. Citroën selected him for Rally México in 2013, where he finished sixth. Hyundai later recruited him as a test driver during development of its i20 rally car and gave him a part-time competition programme in 2014, including Rally México and Rally Australia. A later phase of Atkinson's career centered on China. He joined FAW-Volkswagen Rally Team and drove a Super 2000 car before helping introduce the Golf 7-based Super China Rally Car. He won the penultimate round of the 2014 China Rally Championship at Longyou by a substantial margin and followed it with another victory at Wuyi. In 2015 and 2016 he won most of the Chinese championship events he entered, although championship points rules excluded foreign drivers from the official driver standings. His record included victories at Guiyang, Beijing, Dengfeng, Longyou and Wuyi in 2015, and at Dengfeng, Zhangye, Jinzhong and Changchun in 2016. Beyond stage rallying, Atkinson competed in circuit endurance and rallycross. He finished second in class at the 2006 Nürburgring 24 Hours, won his class and finished second overall at the 2007 Bathurst 12 Hour, and later entered the Australian Mini Challenge. In 2016 he contested the final four rounds of the Global RallyCross Championship, including a finals appearance in Seattle. His professional identity is therefore associated not with a consumer product brand, but with high-level driving, manufacturer development, international rally competition and technical versatility across multiple forms of motorsport.
History
Atkinson began in motorsport through a family connection, co-driving for his brother Ben before the pair changed roles after attending a rally school. His first full season as a driver was contested in a privately entered Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution in the Australian Rally Championship. Consistent finishes, including a Privateer Championship result, led to a Suzuki Sport opportunity in the Asia-Pacific Super 1600 category. His regional performance established the basis for an international career. He entered the WRC in 2004 at Rally New Zealand with a Subaru Impreza WRX STI and was soon promoted to Subaru's factory team. From 2005 through 2008 he competed alongside Petter Solberg. His first major WRC podium came at Rally Japan in 2005. He finished tenth in the 2006 championship and seventh in 2007, with the latter season featuring a fourth-place Monte Carlo result, stage wins and a brief rally lead in Finland. In 2008 he reached a career peak in the WRC: third at Monte Carlo, second in México and second in Argentina, finishing fifth in the championship and outscoring Solberg. After Subaru announced its WRC withdrawal, Atkinson moved to the Citroën Junior Team for 2009. A fifth-place finish in Ireland was his only event for the team that season. He then concentrated on regional competition and manufacturer projects, joining Proton R3 in the APRC in 2010. He won multiple rounds in 2011 but finished second overall after missing events. In 2012 he drove for Team MRF in a Škoda Fabia S2000 and secured the APRC title. Atkinson's WRC return in 2012 involved several teams and cars. He drove for Monster World Rally Team in Mexico, entered Finland for Qatar World Rally Team in a Citroën DS3 WRC, and was later appointed MINI Portugal's lead driver for the final five rounds. His best result was fifth in Germany, producing a 13th-place championship finish. In 2013 he appeared for Citroën in México, finishing sixth. Hyundai then used his experience as a test driver for its i20 rally programme and entered him in selected 2014 WRC rounds. From 2014 onward, China became an important part of his competitive activity. Driving for FAW-Volkswagen, he helped demonstrate the performance of the Golf 7-based Super China Rally Car and won events in the China Rally Championship. He won nine of eleven entered events across 2015 and 2016, although foreign-driver eligibility rules prevented those results from translating directly into the official championship title. He also broadened his experience through endurance racing, the Australian Mini Challenge and Global RallyCross, where he competed in the final four rounds of the 2016 season.
- 2016
Competes in Global RallyCross
[1]He entered the final four rounds of the Global RallyCross Championship and reached a final in Seattle.
- 2012
Wins the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
[1]Atkinson and Stéphane Prévot won the APRC for Team MRF in a Škoda Fabia S2000.
- 2009
Finishes fifth for Citroën Junior Team
[1]In his only WRC event for the Citroën Junior Team, Atkinson finished fifth at Rally Ireland.
- 2008
Reaches WRC career peak
[1]Two runner-up finishes and a third in Monte Carlo helped Atkinson finish fifth in the championship.
- 2007
Finishes seventh in the WRC
[1]Atkinson recorded a fourth-place Monte Carlo result, several stage wins and his best championship ranking to that point.
- 2005
Scores first WRC podium
[1]He finished third at Rally Japan and ended the WRC season twelfth in the drivers' championship.
- 2004
Makes WRC debut
[1]Atkinson contested Rally New Zealand in a Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
- 2003
Moves into Suzuki Sport's regional programme
[1]Suzuki offered Atkinson a Super 1600 Ignis drive in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.
- 2002
Wins Australian Privateers Cup
[1]The Atkinson crew won the Australian Privateers Cup during his early national rally career.
- 1999
Graduates from Bond University
[1]Atkinson completed a commerce degree with finance and accounting specializations before establishing himself as a professional driver.
Products and positioning
An internationally experienced Australian rally specialist positioned around competitive driving, technical feedback and adaptability across factory WRC, regional rally and rallycross programmes.
Motorsport services
Professional rally driving
Atkinson's principal professional offering is competitive driving for factory, manufacturer-backed and privateer rally teams. His career includes WRC, APRC and Chinese championship programmes across four-wheel-drive rally cars from Subaru, Proton, Škoda, Citroën, MINI, Hyundai and FAW-Volkswagen.
Automotive development · 2013
Rally-car testing and development
His technical experience has also been used in vehicle testing and development, notably through Hyundai's i20 rally-car programme. The role combines competitive driving with feedback on handling, reliability and performance.
Brand decisions
2012
Returns to the WRC through multiple team programmesStrategyBackground
After regional APRC competition, Atkinson received opportunities to return to top-level WRC competition.
Action taken
He combined a Monster World Rally Team appearance, a Qatar World Rally Team entry and a five-round lead-driver appointment with WRC Team MINI Portugal.
Aftermath
He finished fifth at Rally Germany and thirteenth in the 2012 WRC drivers' championship.
2008
Moves from Subaru to Citroën after Subaru's WRC exitStrategyBackground
Subaru announced that it would leave the World Rally Championship at the end of the 2008 season, ending Atkinson's factory contract with the team.
Action taken
Atkinson signed with the new Citroën Junior Team for the 2009 season.
Aftermath
He finished fifth at Rally Ireland in his only event for the team before shifting toward regional and manufacturer-development programmes.
Recent events
- 2014
Atkinson expands competition in China[1]
Product launch · Other
He joined FAW-Volkswagen Rally Team competition and won late-season China Rally Championship events in a Golf 7-based rally car.
- 2013
Atkinson returns to Hyundai as an i20 development driver[1]
Product generation · Leadership change
Hyundai hired Atkinson for testing and subsequently used him in selected 2014 WRC events while developing its i20 rally programme.
- 2012
Atkinson appointed lead driver for MINI Portugal[1]
Leadership change
He was announced as the number-one driver for WRC Team MINI Portugal for the final five rounds of the 2012 WRC season.
- 2012
Atkinson wins the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship[1]
Other
Driving a Škoda Fabia S2000 for Team MRF, Atkinson and Stéphane Prévot won the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.
- 2008
Atkinson records two WRC runner-up finishes[1]
Other
He finished second at Rally México and Rally Argentina, ending the season fifth in the WRC drivers' standings.
- 2008
Subaru withdraws from the World Rally Championship[1]
Other
Subaru's withdrawal ended Atkinson's factory programme with the team and preceded his move to the Citroën Junior Team.
- 2005
Chris Atkinson joins Subaru World Rally Team[1]
Leadership change
Atkinson became a Subaru factory driver alongside Petter Solberg after establishing himself in regional rallying.
Sources2 sources
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