Second place finish points earns top spot

Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage and his co-driver Nathalie Richard finished in second place at this past weekend’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, Round 2 of the Rally America series and the third event counting towards the North American Rally Cup. After a strong second place finish at the first round of the year, the duo from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Qc) arrived to the two-day gravel rally in Missouri five points behind the series leader. Driving their Rockstar Energy Drink Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X to another second place finish this past weekend vaulted the team into top spot on the leaderboard.

Antoine L’Estage finished 21 seconds behind Ken Block, who earned his fifth consecutive victory at this particular rally. “At the end of Friday night, we were comfortably in second place, over forty seconds ahead of Ken. Our plan Saturday morning was to push hard and close the gap between us and first place (Travis Pastrana). On the second stage of the morning, we drove through a watersplash and our windshield completely fogged up, forcing us to stop on the stage. That and a subsequent puncture on the same stage cost us almost a minute and a half, and dropped us down to third place,” explained L’Estage. “Travis eventually didn’t finish the rally and we were unable to make back the time we had lost earlier in the day. We went to the rally with the intentions of winning it and the same still applied for the next event” he added.

“We often don’t know what to expect in terms of weather or road conditions at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood so to be fully prepared, we brought many different reliable Yokohama tires with us. The speeds were really fast on most of those stages and when big rocks get pulled out onto the driving line, they’re sometimes unavoidable. We got caught out twice but it’s just part of the sport,” commented co-driver Nathalie Richard.

Antoine and his five-time North American champion co-driver Nathalie Richard set the fastest time on four of the competitive road sections. This podium finish almost guarantees L’Estage an invitation for his third trip to the ESPN Summer X Games, to be held this August in Los Angeles. It also marks important points for the North American Rally Cup, a championship that L’Estage and Richard are also currently leading. Winning this year would be Antoine’s third North American title in four years.

With the Rally America series lead, and no damage to the competition vehicle, L’Estage and Richard would like to travel out west to Round 3 of the championship, the Olympus Rally, in April. L’Estage has never competed at this Olympia, Washington event but hopes to add the rally to their 2010 programme.

Antoine L’Estage holds two Canadian Championship titles (2006 and 2007), as well as two North American titles (2007 and 2008) and a total of 19 overall victories on both sides of the border. As for Nathalie, she has four national championship titles (Canada and USA) and twenty-eight overall victories. In 2009, Nathalie was crowned North American Rally Champion for an impressive fifth time.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2010 Canadian Rally Championship and select Rally America events with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Yokohama Tires, Mitsubishi Canada, Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes, Garrett Turbos, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear and MBF Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye .

Photo : Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, leaders of the Rally America series and North American Rally Championships

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Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage, co-driven by Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), took part in past weekend’s Rally of the Tall Pines, the final round of the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship and the North American Rally Cup. The Rockstar Royal Group team demonstrated during almost the entire event that they were set to take home the rally victory and the two drivers’ titles at stake. Heart-breaking mechanical issues prevented the couple from claiming their third Canadian and third consecutive North American titles. The team, who was debuting a brand new 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, nonetheless takes away a very positive track record for 2009.

“When the new car was built in January, we planned on this being a developmental year for the Evo X. Our victories at Rallye Perce-Neige and Rallye Defi started to change our minds as we took the lead of the Canadian Rally Championship up until last Saturday night,” explains Antoine. The privateer Rockstar Royal Group team was having a perfect rally, winning five of the first seven stages without so much as a scratch on the car before solidifying their objectives and dialing back their speed.

“I think we proved to the two-car manufacturer’s team that we were there to claim the Canadian Championship. We had a great rally and going into the last stage we had enough of a lead to just drive a steady stage without taking any risks,” explains Antoine L’Estage. “Unfortunately, a clutch problem made it almost impossible for us to make it up the hill to the start line of that last stage and we lost over eleven minutes trying. It was devastating to watch our competitors start the stage as two championship titles slipped through our fingers. We finished the rally in fifth place and finish the season as Canadian Rally Championship runner-ups,” he confides. The two-time Canadian and two-time North American Champion adds, “It’s obviously disappointing when such an incident takes place in the last stage of the last rally of the season, but that’s rally and we have to accept it and move on,” he concludes. L’Estage tied for top points in the North American Rally Cup driver’s title but tie-breaking rules gives his fewer but higher finishing rallies, a second place overall.

2009 was a transition year for the Rockstar Royal Group rally team. With two victories, only one mechanical DNF (did not finish), and a total of five “Top 5″ finishes, the season met all expectations and earned Antoine L’Estage top spot in the Mitsubishi Cup.

“We’re both very competitive and wanted to win this year but we didn’t expect to be in such an advantageous position for both Championships coming into the last event of 2009. Antoine did some of his best driving in Bancroft and didn’t succumb to any of the pressures that were being put on him. He deserved those titles and it was truly a heart-breaking end to the year. We extend a huge thanks to our fantastic crew and all of our partners and we promise to be there even stronger in 2010!” added Nathalie Richard, who finishes the year as the North American Co-Driving Champion as well as the Canadian Ladies’ Champion.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard have won the Mitsubishi Cup this year. They have participated in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the proud support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear, and MBF Racing. For more details on the team or general rally information, please visit the Coyote Rallye Website.

Photo Credit: Neil McDaid

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Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage, co-driven by Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), will contest this weekend’s Rally of the Tall Pines in Bancroft, Ontario, the final round of the Canadian Rally Championship and the North American Rally Cup. This will be a decisive event, one at which the Rockstar Royal Group team could capture both the Canadian and North American titles, as well as the Manufacturer’s title for Mitsubishi. Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, who each have three victories at this rally, are naturally very confident leading up to the final round of the season.

“We’re going to Bancroft confident, with a car that has been meticulously prepared by John Buffum and our crew,” indicates Antoine L’Estage. “We have excellent cards in our hands coming into this rally seeing as we have a six point lead in the Canadian Championship standings. Our main rival could win this rally and we could finish second and still be assured the championship title,” he adds. For Antoine, Nathalie and the entire team, the Canadian title is the main objective but the possibility of claiming another North American title is just as interesting. “In the North American Rally Cup, we have a seven point lead and our main NARC rival needs to win this rally to claim the title. Anything less awards us the championship. One thing is certain, if we win the NARC, it means a third consecutive title for us – something that is exceptional in the history of the sport,” explains the Quebec driver.

The Rally of the Tall Pines, the last round of the 2009 calendar, is infamous for being a very difficult event, whose roads are often made very tricky due to the changing weather conditions – conditions in which the Yokohama tires always excel. It’s also a rally that Antoine and Nathalie have claimed victory at three times since 2004, when Antoine won the first national rally of his career.

Recent winners of the Bertrand-Fabi Trophy, which awards top motorsports competitors for excellence on national and international levels, Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard look forward to the Rally of the Tall Pines with anticipation, as the co-driver describes, “2009 was an excellent year for our team and our sponsors. We debuted a brand new open class Evo X, one of the first of its kind in the world, and we expected a few teething problems. As it stands, we have earned two victories in five Canadian rallies to date and we lead the Canadian and North American championships heading into the final round. It’s nothing but positive and we’re here to cap it off with two more titles!” concludes Nathalie.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear and MBF Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye .

Photo Credit: Andrew Snucins – http://worldrallysport.com

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Performance rally driving champion Antoine L’Estage, and his co-driver Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), were honoured this past weekend by the Federation de Sport Automobile du Quebec (FSAQ) as winners of the Bertrand-Fabi Trophy. The award is presented annually to a driver or team that has accomplished the most on a national and/or international level.

At the wheel of their Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard contest the Canadian Rally Championship, which they currently lead with one remaining event. Antoine has amassed a total of 17 overall Canadian national victories and with strong results on both sides of the border, he is on track for his third consecutive North American Rally Championship title. His co-driver and five-time North American Champion, Nathalie Richard, is the first woman to ever receive this prestigious award.

“For us it’s a great honour to receive the Bertrand-Fabi Trophy, especially since it has not been awarded to a rally competitor in over 20 years,” highlights Antoine L’Estage. L’Estage and Richard now share the company of previous winners including Patrick Carpentier and Alexandre Tagliani but not since 1987 (Alain Bergeron) has this trophy been engraved with the name of another driver from the sport of rallying.

Created in 1986 in honour of Sherbrooke driver Bertrand Fabi, this trophy awards driving excellence for Quebec competitors excelling on national and international levels. Fabi had won three Formula 2000 titles and was considered a future F1 star of his time when he lost his life during a Formula 3 testing session accident at England’s Goodwood track. Questioned about the best drivers he’s ever seen race, Formula 3 team owner Dick Bennetts maintains that he’s only ever seen two – Ayrton Senna and Bertrand Fabi.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard’s 2009 season comes to and end on November 21 with Ontario’s Rally of the Tall Pines Rally, the final round of the Canadian Rally Championship.

Antoine and Nathalie participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the proud support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear, and MBF Racing. For more details on the team or general rally information, please visit the Coyote Rallye Website.

Photo: Dany Flageole/Flagworld.com

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Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana wrapped up his winning 2009 Rally America season with yet another victory this weekend at the year-end Lake Superior Performance Rally.

“This was a great rally for us,” said Pastrana. “It’s one of my favorites because it’s a more technical rally than some of the others on the circuit and it’s great to drive.”

Heading into this event, Pastrana had already secured the Rally America driver’s title for 2009 and said his objective was to earn as many stage wins as possible. With nothing to lose, he admitted he drove hard and took plenty of risks to win all but two stages – falling only about four seconds short of an outright sweep over more than 120 miles of racing.

In second place were Canadians Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard. The team occasionally competes south of the border, largely in pursuit of the North American Rally Championship, which counts events from both Canada and the U.S. Despite a two-minute penalty for a jumped start on Friday, the team put in a consistent performance to land on the podium.

“I’m happy overall,” said L’Estage. “Now we’re going into the final Canadian event of the year leading the North American Rally Championship and that’s what we’re here for.”

In third place overall and taking the Super Production class win, despite an ailing engine, was the Subaru Rally Team USA crew of Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino. The duo have been running in a borrowed Super Production class car for the final rounds of the championship after a bad wreck that put their Open class Subaru out of commission.

“It’s been a horrible year for us,” said Block, who finished the season fourth in the points. “Blown turbos, car overheating, mechanical issues… I’ve been driving the best I ever have and I feel I just can’t get anything to go my way.”

The crowded Super Production class saw Heath Nunnemacher and co-driver Mike Rossey take second place, followed by Pat Moro and co-driver Ole Holter in third. The podium finish wasn’t enough for Moro to overtake Jimmy Keeney in the points for the 2009 class win. Keeney and co-driver Melissa Keeney finished fourth in class at this event to take the Rally America Super Production class championship for 2009.

A stroke of bad luck saw Piotr Wiktorczyk out of the hunt for the class title before the race could begin; his engine blew during practice.

The Polish team of Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski battled engine trouble at this event to finish in fifth-place overall. The result wasn’t what Mancin had hoped for, but it was enough to earn him runner-up status in the 2009 championship after challenger Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey suffered a blown engine late on Day 1. ACP wound up third in the Rally America standings for 2009.

In two-wheel-drive, 17-year-old driver Dillon Van Way locked up the two-wheel drive Rally America title with a start here this weekend.

All results are considered informational pending official race processes.

The fall colors are brilliant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at this time of year. It was cold and drizzly on Friday as cars headed out for the opening stages, with snow reported in some areas. It was a picture-perfect autumn day when the rally finished Saturday.

As the season ender, this rally also plays host to the Rally America awards banquet, presented by BFGoodrich Tires, at the Rockhouse Grill & Tavern on Sunday. Awards for the season will be handed out at the Sunday ceremony.

Considered the extreme sport of automobile racing, rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Among the marques typically represented in Rally America events are Subaru, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Ford and Volkswagen.

Top teams in the Rally America National Championship series are also invited to compete in ESPN’s annual Summer X Games competition, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

Rally competition resumes January 29-30 with the 2010 Rally America season opener, Sno*Drift, in Atlanta, Michigan.

Photo: Lars Gange

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Teams competing in the Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama Tire, will be heading west to Merritt, British Columbia for the fifth event in its six round series. For some, it could be the last chance to mount a challenge for the championship title.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, from Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec are currently leading the points standings. L’Estage has been dominant at Pacific Forest Rally in the past, winning the event three of the last four years. “We’re in an interesting spot in the points standings because we don’t have to win here to keep the lead,” says L’Estage. “We will see how close we are, and if we can fight for the win we will do that for sure. I prefer trying to go flat out, but I have to keep the championship in mind.”

Reigning Canadian Rally Champions, Pat Richard and co-driver Alan Ockwell are keen for a strong result after a mechanical problem at the previous event moved them to second place overall.

“We had a freak incident with a rock that destroyed the transmission at Rallye Defi,” said Richard. “As far as the championship goes, we’ve been in this position before in 2005 against Stig Blomqvist in the Rally America series. I just need to stay ahead and get a little luck, and we’re right back in it.”

Simon Losier and Francois Morin are aiming to move up the leaderboard with a solid finish at PFR. Losier’s closest competitors, Andrew Comrie-Picard and Craig Henderson, will miss the event, giving an opportunity to earn valuable points. They are currently tied for fourth with Comrie-Picard, and trail Henderson by nine points.

In Production GT, western regulars Colin Armstrong and Keith Morison will be fighting against Hardy Schmidtke and Adam Vokes for the class win.

Two-wheel drive is a popular class in the Canadian Rally Championship, and a number of contenders will be fighting for top honours.

Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junnila of Calgary are out to secure the overall two-wheel drive title in their VW Golf, but it will be a close battle with Jan and Jody Zedril in their Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. However, both teams will have their eyes on series veterans Gord and Kathy Olsen. After a few years in the all wheel drive Open class, Olsen has decided to return to his championship-winning Group 2 VW Golf for this event.

Known for changeable weather and fast, technical roads, the Pacific Forest Rally is also presenting the Eco Challenge – an optional contest awarding honours to the team that goes the fastest using the least amount of fuel. This is the only event in the Canadian Rally Championship to offer such a challenge.

The event, held from October 1-3, 2009, includes more than 150 kilometers of competitive stages run near the town of Merritt, BC. Falling late in the year, sunlight is at a premium at this event, and teams who are comfortable driving in the dark will have a strong advantage.

Rally car racing is often described as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” The all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometres of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Tire Canada and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings.

For more information: www.CARSrally.ca ; www.pacificforestrally.com

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This past weekend, reigning North American Rally Champions Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Qc), won the Rallye Defi, the fourth of six rounds in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship. This was a particularly important win for the Quebec team and their Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X because it enabled them to regain command of the championship as well as to equal North American rally legend John Buffum’s record of four victories at the Rallye Defi.

“Everything played out like a dream !” exclaimed Antoine as he descended from the podium. “Our Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X was perfect and it allowed us to push at the start of the rally. After that, it was just a matter of managing our lead and making it to the end of the rally. If we could’ve written our ideal scenario for the weekend, this would’ve been it. It’s fantastic and everything played out in our favor. We’ve had our share of bad luck this year so it’s great to finally have some good luck on our side,” he added.

“The battle for first place was very intense on Friday night and early Saturday morning,” confided Antoine. “We were exchanging fastest stage times with our primary adversary, it was really a battle of mere seconds.” Benefiting from a very reliable Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X, Antoine L’Estage took the lead of the rally after the ninth stage and never looked back. This victory at the Rallye Defi is the team’s second out of four outings thus far in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship. “The quality of the car preparation is top notch and I have to applaud our entire team, as well as Yokohama for the quality of their tires in such a challenging event. Everything went according to plan and it allowed Nathalie and I to concentrate on the rally without worrying about anything else. Defi is a difficult rally and for many teams, just finishing is an accomplishment but for us, we were here to come away with the win,” added L’Estage.

This success gives Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard the absolute lead of the championship with eleven points over second place and only two remaining rounds. It’s the duo’s fourth victory at the Rallye Defi, equaling the 1987 record held by John Buffum and co-driver Tom Grimshaw. “Tying such a prestigious record is really sentimental for Antoine, especially since he now shares it with his mentor and good friend. The weekend’s result was also imperative in our fight for this year’s championship title. We’re now back in the lead and we’ll do everything we can to keep it that way until the end of the season,” commented co-driver Nathalie Richard.

The next stop in the Canadian Rally Championship is in three weeks in British Columbia. On October 2nd and 3rd, Merritt will host the Pacific Forest Rally, to which Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard are the defending champions.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the proud support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear, and MBF Racing. For more details on the team or general rally information, please visit the Coyote Rallye Website .

Photo Credit : Maxime Poirier

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For the last ten years, the best Canadian rally crews have headed for the Quebec Laurentians to compete in one of the longest events of the season, the Rallye Defi. As the fourth round of the Canadian Rally Championship, this event spans over two days and uses some of the most challenging roads in the country. This coming weekend, Mitsubishi will be represented by no less than ten teams looking for an overall victory or a class win. Leading the 41-car grid in their Lancer Evolution, the defending North-American champions, Antoine L’Estage and codriver Nathalie Richard from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, will seek a record tying fourth victory. Both won the maiden event in February and are only ten points from leading the 2009 standings.

A trio of Evolutions will be fencing for a spot on the podium: defending Mitsubishi Cup winner, Simon Losier is fifth in the series’ standings and will be co-driven by Francois Morin in his Synchro Autosport Evolution 8RS. First Group N winners in the Canadian rally history, Jean-Sebastien and Jacques Besner will campaign a similar Evolution edition. Finally Mathieu L’Estage, Antoine’s brother, will be back in his older Evolution5 teamed up with Yanick Napert.

Two more crews are contending for class victories: former Production class champions, Jan and Jody Zedril from Winnipeg are leading the 2WD open class after three events while Albertans Zbigniew Szewczyk and Tomasz Karzynski will regroup in a Group 5 Ralliart model.

“It’s wonderful to see so many Mitsubishi vehicles in the top starting order”, says Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. “With our increased commitment in the series this year and a heritage rich in rally sports, these events provide our customers and fans with an opportunity to see what Mitsubishi is really all about”.

Other entries include Martin and Maxime Losier, each steering a Synchro Evolution, Philip Deans in a Production model and Michelle Laframboise in her Evolution 4.

Antoine L’Estage (left) shows his magic in front of a huge crowd at Rallye Baie des Chaleurs last June and Jan Zedril presently leading the 2WD open class. Photos by Marie-Lyse Tremblay

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Next weekend, Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage, co-driven by Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), will contest the Rallye Defi, a key event in the Canadian and North American rally championships. Reigning North American champions, the L’Estage/Richard duo’s plan is to finish this competition with their Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X at the top of the podium, giving Antoine his fourth Rallye Defi victory and equalling the long-standing record of rally legend John Buffum.

“Defi is an important race to us … It launches the second half of the season and it’s also our home event. It’s the closest rally to where we live and we have plenty of family, friends, and sponsors that come out to support us,” explains Nathalie Richard. The champions’ goal will be two-fold at this rally. “First and foremost we will attempt to reclaim top spot in the Canadian Championship, and the secondary goal is to win the event once again,” she adds.

If Antoine and Nathalie win the 2009 edition of the Rallye Defi, Antoine L’Estage will have accumulated his fourth victory at this event, equalling the Defi record held by the legendary John Buffum, who is also Antoine’s mentor. “John Buffum prepares our Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X so it would be an honour for me to tie his record in a car he built,” highlights Antoine, who anticipates this rally with confidence. “We were very competitive and had a fantastic battle with the current four-time US champion at July’s New England Forest Rally. The car was great and we had an almost perfect rally.” Antoine L’Estage and the entire team now rest assured that the teething problems of their new car, one of only a few in the world, are over. “We have crossed that bridge and we can now fully concentrate on our performance,” confides the Quebec driver.

Taking place in the Laurentians region (Ste-Agathe) on Friday, September 11th and in the Petite Nation region (Montpellier-Duhamel-Ripon) the following day, Mother Nature is often an uncertainty at the Rallye Defi, something that doesn’t bother Antoine L’Estage. “I hope for nice weather for the thousands of spectators that come to support us and the sport but in terms of the competition, rain doesn’t bother me at all. I do well in adverse conditions and I have Yokohama tires that I can trust to do the job regardless of whether it’s wet or dry”. With a reputation as being one of the toughest rallies in North America, the Rallye Defi is also one of the most popular amongst fans and competitors alike. Close to fifty teams will start the first leg of the rally in Ste-Agathe on Friday at 2pm. On Saturday, the competition will resume in the Petite Nation region between 7:30am and 6 pm.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the proud support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear, and MBF Racing. For more details on the team or general rally information, please visit the Coyote Rallye web site.

Photo: Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, impressing the crowds at the Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs.

Photo by Gordon Sleigh

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Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom sailed to their fourth win of the season at the New England Forest Rally Saturday, to further extend their lead in the national championship.

Pastrana entered Round 6 of the Rally America championship with a 21-point lead over his closest challenger, and said his strategy from the start was to avoid taking unnecessary risks and get his car to the finish in one piece.

“It’s hard to know you’ve got that little more speed in reserve and not use it, but it’s that little more that can get you,” he said. “We weren’t the fastest here this weekend, but I’ll take the win however I can get it.”

Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino set a blazing pace at the start, but lost more than 20 seconds to a spin early Saturday afternoon, then had a flat tire. They were unable to make up for lost time in the final stages of the day and finished in second-place overall.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” said Block at the finish. “I put myself in the right position to win and it didn’t work out for us.”

Even so, the result moves Block into second place in the championship, behind teammate Pastrana.

Canadians Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard were also in the running for a win early in this event, but they lost time to a power steering failure in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Saturday afternoon and finished in third.

“It’s good to taste champagne again, but I really wanted to win,” said L’Estage after the ceremonial champagne spray. “I thought this morning we had a shot at it.”

L’Estage is developing a new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X that debuted with Tanner Foust in the US earlier this season under a sharing arrangement. He hasn’t had much luck with the car so far, battling the teething problems that are typical with a new car build. But he says the car has potential and he’s looking forward to the next round.

Bill Bacon and co-driver Peter Watt finished in fourth place; Art Gruszka and co-driver Lukasz Wronski rounded out the top five.

The Super Production class win went to Roman Pakos and Maciej Sawiki in their Subaru STi, while John Conley and Keith Rudolph took the two-wheel drive win in their 2003 Dodge SRT-4.

The roads on this event are generally wide and fast, but peppered with massive rocks that can do big damage to competition cars. As is typical, attrition claimed a number of contenders. Subaru Rally Team USA’s Dave Mirra and co-driver Derek Ringer were out with engine trouble on Saturday, while Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski retired after Day 1, apparently with engine issues of their own.

It was tough luck for both drivers. This event presented a good opportunity for Mirra to make up some ground in the championship against Super Production rivals Piotr Wiktorczyk, Jimmy Keeney, Matt Johnson and Pat Moro – all drivers who are sitting out this round as they prepare for X Games.

The X Games contest is the biggest event on the calendar for invited teams and cars are due on the other side of the continent in just over a week. Open class drivers Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and Tanner Foust have also opted to sit this event out while they prepare for the Los Angeles contest.

The two-wheel drive competition was fierce this weekend, with more than two-dozen drivers running the weekend’s two regional events: Friday’s “Drive Your Future Rally,” presented by the National Guard, and the “I Can’t Drive 55″ Rally on Saturday.

Among those teams is the interesting last-minute entry of Lucy Block and Chrissie Beavis in a Volkswagen Golf. Block is married to Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block and this was her first-ever event as a competitor. Chrissie Beavis is a regular championship co-driver for Foust and competes in California as a driver in the regional series. The duo swapped driving and co-driving duties over the weekend.

Twenty-one teams also signed up to run this event for the MaxAttack! subseries, designed to raise the level of two-wheel drive rally competition. Chris Duplessis and Catherine Woods set the fastest two-wheel drive times in their 1990 Volkswagen GTi during the weekend’s regionals.

For 2009, organizers will pay out a total cash purse of $15,000 USD to be divided among the fastest teams competing in the MaxAttack! events.

All results are considered informational pending official race processes.

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Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage, co-driven by Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Quebec), earned twelve critical championship points at this weekend’s Rallye Baies-des-Chaleurs and remain among the top contenders for the overall 2009 Canadian Rally Championship title.

Reigning North American champions, Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard competed in this extremely popular event for the first time at the wheel of their new Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X. “Everything started out well and we were among the fastest on the first few Friday night stages. We were absolutely flying on the fourth stage and I was confident we were going to take over the lead right there … but then the motor started to get very hot and we were forced to really back off,” explains Antoine.

Ranked second at the start of Day 2, Antoine and Nathalie were the fastest on the first loop of three stages, closing the gap to two seconds behind top spot. “I pushed really hard to make up some time. We had a problem with fifth gear but only towards the end of each of two stages so we were still able to clock some pretty good results,” adds Antoine.

Any hopes of taking over the lead were gutted during Saturday’s second loop of stages as the Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi team experienced extreme visibility problems that slowed them down by over five minutes. L’Estage confides, “A small leak in the heater core caused steam to come in through the vents just below the windshield, fogging everything up – it was nearly impossible to keep the car on the road. It was very frustrating and dangerous to continue. I was ready to park the car on the side of the stage but Nathalie pushed me to keep going.” Nathalie Richard explains her decision: “Everybody works so hard to get to where we are and coming away from this rally without any championship points wasn’t really a viable option. We had to persevere. We came close to crashing a few times but we really had to pull together as a team in those trying conditions and Antoine was forced to rely on me more than ever before. He did an awesome job of getting us to the end of that loop of stages without a scratch on the car”.

The problems dropped the team to fifth place before a valiant effort – completely without fifth gear – brought them to within seven seconds of the podium. “It was maximum attack on the last two stages. We won half of the stages on Saturday and I’m getting more and more comfortable with the new car.” explains Antoine. “This rally is known for its sometimes rough surfaces but my Yokohama tires didn’t let me down. At Baie-des-Chaleurs, having reliable tires in non-negotiable,” concludes L’Estage.

The duo of Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard will compete next on July 17th and 18th in Maine and New Hampshire at the New England Forest Rally, Round Six of the Rally America series. The Canadian Rally Championship continues with the Rallye Defi, starting in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts (Quebec) on September 11th.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear and MBF Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye .

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard impressing the crowds at the Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs. Photo credit : Maxime Poirier

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A close championship battle will be contested by a deep field at the 2009 Rallye Baie-Des-Chaleurs in New Richmond, Que., third round of the Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama. Just six points separate the top four teams, with a win earning 22 points. Every move up the order is critical for the teams vying for the title of 2009 Canadian Rally Champion.

Subaru Rally Team Canada’s Pat Richard, of Squamish, BC, and co-driver Alan Ockwell share the championship lead and are defending 2008 Canadian Rally Champions.

“We really need to manage our speed at this event,” says Richard, “The championship is so close that you can’t really back off to save the car, but this event is rough and you need to be careful.”

Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard of St-Jean-sur-Richlieu, Que., share the lead with Richard and Ockwell. The pair won the opening round of the series in the debut of their Mitsubishi Evolution X, but suffered development problems at the Rocky Mountain Rally in May.

“Baie-Des-Chaleurs is going to be a really interesting rally for the fans and teams, with so much competition,” said L’Estage. “I don’t want to let Ken Block win again!”

Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino both hail from California, U.S., and will be the entry from the Subaru Rally Team USA. The pair won the rally in 2008, their first time at Baie.

“The atmosphere is something very close to what you see in a WRC or European championship event and that makes Baie quite unique in North American rally,” said Gelsomino. “Those are truly world class roads, really enjoyable to drive but they don’t give much of a chance if you make a mistake.”

Canadian Andrew Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jen Horsey will be in their Mitsubishi Evolution X. Andrew is a close contender just four points behind the leaders in the Canadian Rally Championship.

“It’s great to have such a hotly contested event,” said Comrie-Picard. “The depth of the field will really enhance the pleasure of the event for teams and fans alike.”

Sylvain Erickson of Gatineau, Que., will also be mixing it up at the front, and sits just six points back from the championship leaders. Erickson has teamed up with veteran co-driver Brian Maxwell of Port Hope, Ont., in an effort to find more speed.

“This will be the first time working with a co-driver who is really good with stage notes,” said Erickson. “Brian has a lot of experience that should help me go even faster.”

This year’s entry nears 50 cars, and will be highlighted by Martin Gauvin and Daniel Duchesneau of New Richmond, Que., and Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy also of New Richmond, Que. Both have earned podium finishes in the past and are viable threats on their hometown roads.

Nick and Kelly Mathew of Caledon, Ont., will aim for more valuable championship points after a third place finish at the Rocky Mountain Rally.

Jan and Jody Zedril are entered after a bad crash at the Rocky Mountain Rally in late May left their two wheel drive Mitsubishi Lancer in need of repairs. Currently second place in the Two Wheel Drive Championship, and their rivals not entered, the Zedrils have a great opportunity to move up in the standings.

“Work started on the car as soon as we got home from Rocky, and we’re all set to go,” said Jody Zedril.

The event, held June 26-27, 2009, includes 190 kilometers of competitive stages run near the town of New Richmond on the south shore of the Gaspe Peninsula.

Rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” The all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometres of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Tire Canada and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings.

For more information: www.CARSrally.ca and www.rallyebdc.com

PHOTO: Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino of the Subaru Rally Team USA fly over the infamous jump at the 2008 Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs. Photo by Andrew Harvey/Flatovercrest.com

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The next step on the road to the Canadian Rally Championship is the Rallye Baie des Chaleurs in the Gaspe Peninsula. This coming weekend, Mitsubishi will have no less than nine teams entered looking for a second victory this season and a third consecutive podium finish. Winners of the first event in February, Antoine L’Estage and codriver Nathalie Richard from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, will be first on the road Friday evening in their 2009 Lancer Evolution while Torontonian Andrew Comrie-Picard is third in a very impressive 48-car starting grid.

The Boisvert Mitsubishi Synchro team from Blainville will have four Evolution Lancers entered, all manned by members of the Losier family: defending Cup champion Simon and father Rejean in their familiar Evolution 8RS, Martin and rookie Maxime in similar EVO 5 models. Meanwhile, brothers Jan and Jody Zedril from Winnipeg will again compete in the Group 2 class. Phil Deans and codriver Carmel Burke from Kingston are leading the Production Sport category and looking for a second class win. Finally, Michelle Laframboise from Picton will be the first female driver to compete for the Mitsubishi Cup in 2009. She will start 47th.

“All the crews have been working overtime to get their cars ready for the toughest event of the year,” said Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. “We have two teams among the top three in the country, and this event could be a turning point in the season.”

Event profile: Baie des Chaleurs Rally

Threading its way through the country roads of New Richmond, Quebec, the 32nd edition of the Rallye Baie des Chaleurs will kick off its first leg on Friday night. Several thousand spectators are expected for the two-day event which resumes Saturday morning at 9:00 AM and runs until a 5:30 PM podium ceremony. Of the 400 kilometre total distance, more than 190 will be speed stages. For more information, please visit the event web site at www.rallyebdc.com or visit our password free media website at www.mitsubishi-motors-pr.ca

Andrew Comrie-Picard (left) claimed a podium finish at the Rocky Mountain Rally in May in his new Lancer 09 Evolution while Simon Losier came in a superb fourth overall.
Photos by Barry Giles

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Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage, co-driven by Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), will participate in the Rallye Auto Baie-des-Chaleurs June 26th and 27th, round three of the Canadian Rally Championship. Once again at the wheel of their 2009 Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X, Antoine and Nathalie will attempt to bring home their third victory from this extremely popular competition.

“I expect a big battle – the talent and potential winners will be bigger and better than ever before at this rally,” confides Antoine. “We are presently tied for first place in the championship but our objective is clear – to leave from this rally standing alone atop the leader-board,” he adds.

The team has worked very hard the past few weeks to bring the Rockstar Royal Group Evo X back to fighting form after suffering inevitable teething problems at back-to-back rallies in Calgary and then Pennsylvania earlier this month. “It was a disappointing couple of rallies for us but that’s part of the sport. John Buffum and the boys did another excellent job preparing the car and we’re now ready for Baie des Chaleurs. I am also really confident that on the gravel roads in and around New Richmond, our Yokohama tires will once again do the job,” explains the Quebec driver, two-time Canadian and North American champion.

Antoine L’Estage is enthusiastic leading up to this rally. “The Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs is a fantastic event that’s always great to be a part of. We feel so supported and appreciated by all the fans and it’s clear that they are very familiar with the sport and are as passionate as we are,” shares Antoine.

Co-driver Nathalie Richard looks forward to another rally in which two-pass reconnaissance is used for each team to create their own pacenotes. “Antoine and I each have two wins at the event,” she explains. “The fact that we have two-pass recce is invaluable – I’m really looking forward to a good rally in our Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi on roads that Antoine knows well and enjoys driving. I’m confident that we can reach our goals for the weekend,” she adds.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear and MBF Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye.

Photo: Andrew Snucins, http://worldrallysport.com
Antoine L’Estage & Nathalie Richard battling for victory at the Rocky Mountain Rally.

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Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Quebec), participated in this past weekend’s Rocky Mountain Rally, the second of six rounds in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship. Overall leaders after the first rally of the season, the duo was unable to complete Calgary’s event due to mechanical problems. Their performance prior to stopping was confirmation of their competitiveness, despite competing on gravel for the first time in the new Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.

Often contested in winter-like weather conditions, the 2009 Rocky Mountain Rally was blessed with sunny skies and mid-summer temperatures. Antoine and Nathalie started the rally as first car on the road, forcing them to “sweep” the thin layer of gravel coating the competition roads, much to the advantage of their adversaries. “We knew we would drop some time on the first couple of stages but our Yokohama tires allowed us to excel under these conditions,” explains Antoine. “This is also the first time I drove my new Rockstar Royal Group Evo X on gravel and to see that were we mere seconds – or tenths of seconds – off the pace confirms our competitiveness and is reassuring for the future,” he adds.

Under blue skies the following morning, the L’Estage/Richard team closed the gap to within four seconds of eventual winners Pat Richard/Alan Ockwell. Everything came to halt after the fourth stage of the day, during which the team’s rear differential broke, causing them to drop a minute off the lead. “Our mechanics attempted repairs during the service break but on the penultimate stage of the rally, we were sidelined in spite of our minute and a half lead ahead of third place. It’s disappointing because our objective was to earn valuable championship points but now I leave Calgary tied for the championship lead with Pat. The good news is that I learned a lot about the car and how it handles and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season,” concludes L’Estage.

Before heading to Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs later this month, Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard will compete in round 5 of the Rally America series, Pennsylvania’s Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR). L’Estage and Richard won this rally in 2008 and commencing Friday, June 5th, they will attempt to defend that victory amongst a talented field of US and international drivers.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the proud support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear, and MBF Racing. For more details on the team or general rally information, please visit the Coyote Rallye Website.

Photo: World Rally Sport, http://www.worldrallysport.com/

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In hot and dusty conditions, the Subaru Rally Team Canada pairing of Pat Richard of Squamish, B.C., and Alan Ockwell of Toronto won the 2009 Rocky Mountain Rally, round two of six in the Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama.

The win earned critical championship points for Richard, who failed to finish the first event of the season. Richard and Ockwell are the defending Canadian Rally Champions and won this event in 2008. This event also marks the ten-year anniversary of Richard’s rally career.

The pair took advantage of road position on Friday to take an early lead and held their first place position to the end.

“With us earning maximum points, this is the best possible result for the championship,” said Richard.

Andrew Comrie-Picard of Toronto and co-driver, Robbie Durant of England finished second in their Mitsubishi Evolution X. The two recently teamed up and have showed impressive speed in American events. The 2009 Rocky Mountain Rally was their first Canadian event together.

“We came here with the car still needing a lot of development, so this is a really fantastic result for us,” said Comrie-Picard. “We learned a lot about what we need to develop on the car to be even faster at the next event.”

Third place went to Nick Mathew of Calgary and his sister Kelly Mathew of Caledon, Ont. The pair started rallying just last year, but have matured quickly and earned their first national podium finish.

“I’m floored. We ran a great, smooth rally, and we’d love to just keep running more stages,” said Nick Mathew. “Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.”

While battling for the lead, Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., suffered a mechanical failure, ending their event, and costing them valuable championship points. Coming into the Rocky Mountain Rally, L’Estage was leading the Championship, but now sits tied with Pat Richard.

Eric Grochowski and co-driver, Leanne Junnila, of Calgary won top points in the two-wheel drive championship in their Volkswagen Golf. The two struggled through the final stage after a rear wheel fell off, but were still able to cross the finish line with a nine-second lead.

“We didn’t hit anything, the part just failed, but we made enough time earlier in the day to keep our win,” said Grochowski.

“This was a tough event with some unique challenges thrown at the crews,” said Terry Epp, the National Series Manager for the Canadian Association of Rallysport. “The high altitude stages rob the cars of power, making drivers really work for their results.”

Rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” The all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometers of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Canada and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.

The series heads East for the next round of the championship, the Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs, in New Richmond, Que., June 26-27, 2009.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. The 2009 Rallye Perce Neige premieres on TSN on Saturday, June 13 at 11:30 EST, and the 2009 Rocky Mountain Rally premieres on TSN on Saturday, June 20 at 11:30 EST. Check local listings for more details.

Rocky Mountain Rally Final Results (full results at www.rockymountainrally.com)

1) Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1 hours 32 min. 34 sec.
2) Andrew Comrie-Picard – Robbie Durant (Mitsubishi EVO X) – 1:38:50
3) Nick Mathew – Kelly Mathew (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:41:03
4) Simon Losier – Francois Morin (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 1:41:42
5) Colin Armstrong – Keith Morison (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:41:45
6) Gord Olsen – Todd Patola (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:42:06
7) Hardy Schmidtke – Adam Vokes (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:42:57
Rejean Losier – Maxime Losier (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 1:43:26
9) Piotr Kadlubowski – Krystian Ostrowski (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:44:04
10) Bruno-Pierre Allard – Lyne Murphy (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:45:49

PHOTOS: Warwick Patterson/Flatovercrest.com

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The Canadian Rally Championship is moving west to Calgary for the Rocky Mountain Rally this coming weekend and Mitsubishi will have some of its winningest crews enter the second round of the season. North American and twice Canadian champions and winners of the first round earlier in February, Antoine L’Estage and codriver Nathalie Richard, will take to the roads Friday evening in their 2009 Lancer Evolution. Albertans Zbigniew Szewczyk and Tomasz Karzynski will follow in a Group 5 Ralliart model while returning Production champions, brothers Jan and Jody Zedril from Manitoba are now entering the Group 2 class. These three teams are looking for an outright victory, a podium finish and a class win.

Presently 3rd in the Rally America standings, Andrew Comrie-Picard and Brit codriver Robbie Durant will charge as well for a podium place in another 09 Evolution. Synchro Autosport from Blainville, Quebec is also fielding a couple of Evolution 8 RSs with the usual Losier father and son crews. First, Rejean with codriver Maxime, then Simon, the 2008 Mitsubishi Cup winner, will pair up with Francois Morin. Finally, Mike Elhard and Thomas Chichak will vie for top rookie title in a first generation Evolution.

“We were very pleased with Antoine L’Estage taking a first win with the new Evolution this winter”, stated Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. “We hope he repeats this feat again in the Rockies. But other Mitsubishi crews are also very deserving and we hope our Rally Program helps them in their quest for titles in their own classes. The standings for the Mitsubishi Cup show Antoine leading but we know it is a long season and Andrew and the Losier family will attack every event.”

Event profile: Rocky Mountain Rally
After the usual Friday afternoon procedures before the official start, Antoine L’Estage will head out first on the road for a few spectator stages before the cars enter Parc ferme for night. Saturday morning will see the southern trek to the Porcupine Hills where most of the event will be held. This area in the past has offered every possible scenario, from hot and dusty roads to heavy snow. At the end of the long 12-hour day, teams will gather in Pincher Creek for the podium ceremony. For more information, please visit www.rockymountainrally.com or visit our password free media website at www.mitsubishi-motors-pr.ca

Photos by Philip Ericksen and Rally America

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The Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama heads West to Calgary this weekend for the two-day Rocky Mountain Rally. After a four-month break since round one, teams are eager to resume the championship fight.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., lead the championship after winning the season-opening Rallye Perce Neige in February. The pair will be in their new Mitsubishi Evolution X.

“We had a great start to the season,” said L’Estage. “We haven’t had a lot of time testing on gravel, but I’ve won Rocky twice before and I feel really confident.”

L’Estage and Richard will have to fight off defending Canadian Rally Champions Pat Richard of Squamish, B.C., and Alan Ockwell of Toronto. Last year, the pair debuted a new Subaru Impreza STI at the Rocky Mountain Rally and won the event despite brake issues.

“Every event is do-or-die in terms of the championship,” said Richard, who failed to finish the opening rally of the season. “We want to win, but we do need to finish to earn points.”

This event also marks the ten year anniversary of Richard’s first rally, when he debuted in a stock Subaru complete with snowboard roof rack! His current factory-backed Subaru will sport a new graphics package for this Rocky Mountain Rally.

Andrew Comrie-Picard of Toronto will be on hand in his Mitsubishi Evolution X, which is still in development. Comrie-Picard is fresh off two strong events in the U.S., and hopes to continue that trend with a strong finish at the Rocky Mountain Rally.

“We’re going to go as hard as possible,” said Comrie-Picard.

Nick Mathew of Calgary and sister, Kelly Mathew from Caledon, Ont., are coming to Rocky Mountain Rally for the first time as competitors. The pair won the most recent event on the Ontario Performance Rally series and have been working on improving their techniques.

A number of Calgary based teams will be contesting the event, including the two wheel drive entries of Zbigniew Szewczyk and Tomasz Karzynski in their Mitsubishi Lancer, and Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junnila in their VW Golf. Gord Olsen is always a threat for a top finish at this event in his Subaru Impreza STI, and relative newcomers, Hardy Schmidtke and co-driver, Adam Vokes will be aiming to repeat their top five finish from the Rocky Mountain Rally in 2008.

Held May 29-30, 2009, the Rocky Mountain Rally is the first gravel rally in the Canadian Rally Championship and takes place in the mountains that give the event its name. The higher altitude creates special challenges for the crews as engines struggle in the thin air.

Rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” The all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometres of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Tire Canada and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings.

For more information: www.CARSrally.ca; www.rockymountainrally.com

PHOTO: Andrew Harvey

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Round 2 – Rocky Mountain Rally

Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), will take to the start of Calgary’s Rocky Mountain Rally on May 29th and 30th. This is the second round of the Canadian Rally Championship, which is currently led by L’Estage and Richard following their victory at the Rallye Perce-Neige earlier this season. L’Estage and Richard, two-time Canadian and North American champions, will once again be at the wheel of their 2009 Rockstar/Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X.

Already twice victorious at the Rocky Mountain Rally, an event renown for its fast gravel roads often covered in snow or mud, Antoine L’Estage arrives as the championship leader. “Nathalie and I know this rally well and we’re both very confident,” indicates the Quebec driver, who relies on a well-prepared car by rally legend John Buffum, as well as Yokohama tires specifically suited for these challenging conditions. “It’s a rally that’s always full of surprises. It could just as easily be warm and sunny as it could be cold with a foot of snow or muddy and hailing! I like the challenges that Mother Nature imposes on us and I perform well on difficult roads.” L’Estage adds, “I won’t be disappointed if it rains but the long-term forecast is calling for nice weather. We’re car number one and as first car on the road, we’ll be at a disadvantage as we sweep the thin layer of gravel for the teams behind us,” he confides.

The Rocky Mountain Rally starts at noon on Friday, May 29th at the Deerfoot Inn & Casino in Calgary, Alberta and concludes Saturday evening. This rally marks the end of the Canadian Rally Championship’s longest break of the year with almost three months since the Rallye Perce-Neige in February, an event that saw the L’Estage/Richard duo victorious in their Rockstar/Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo Lancer X’s maiden outing.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the proud support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear, and MBF Racing. For more details on the team or general rally information, please visit the Coyote Rallye Website.

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