Chris Atkinson has at last secured a full time drive for season 2010 with the British based Proton MEM team in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship.
Atkinson will be driving the teams Satira Neo S200 car for the whole Championship which kicks off in Malaysia on the weekend of April 24-25.
His teammate will be another ex WRC driver in Alister McRae.
At the announcement Atkinson admitted it had been tough being out of the sport for over a year "I've been out for a year and that was tough,
"but to be out of the sport for two years would have been way too much. I really appreciate this opportunity to work with Proton, it's going to be great to get behind the wheel and go racing again."
Team boss Chris Mellors was delighted with the signing "We've got a strong team here with Chris and Alister, both of those guys have a great deal of experience," said Mellors. "There's no doubt the competition in APRC is going to be tough, but we're really looking forward to getting out there and starting the season."
The move will also see Atkinson once again race on Australian roads, with the Australian Rally Championship Rally of Queensland being part of the Asia Pacific series also. Atkinson is a former winner of the Queensland event.
In a interview with Autosport, Atkinson denied the move should be seen as a sideways or backwards step "How can it be a sideways step? I'm coming back with one of the few manufacturer seats available in the sport.
"And I'm going to be doing rallies in a great Super 2000 car, which is really important to me. And I'm going to be experiencing a lot of different conditions this year, which is also really good news. At the end of the day, I'm going to be competing in a great car with a great manufacturer - which is fantastic news for me and for Stephane [Prevot, co-driver].
