L’Estage, the Rockstar Royal Group team driver, is looking for his fourth victory at the Rallye Perce-Neige after winning this challenging winter event three times in the past five years. “The Rallye Perce-Neige is an event that I always enjoy and the time I’ve had in my Mitsubishi Evo X in the past two weeks has left me really excited to contest this rally ” indicates Antoine L’Estage, who adds : ” even with a such a fantastic season last year, Perce-Neige was the only rally that we didn’t score points at. I want to redeem myself this year and come away with top points. Winning is obviously a main objective but the priority, as always, remains our need for important championship points “.

The Perce-Neige rally is known for its tricky snow and ice-covered roads, something that does not stress Antoine L’Estage, who relies on his Yokohama tires : ” having this lineup of Yokohama tires available to us is key, including the best intermediate winter tire for performace rallying ” he indicates.

At the wheel of his Rockstar Royal Group Evo X, Antoine L’Estage knows that repeating his record-breaking 2010 season will be difficult, but anything’s possible : ” winning the “Triple Crown” (Canadian, American, and North American titles) does not come by easily. I’d like to do it again but my priority is the Canadian championship. My entire team is geared up and highly looking forward to the Perce-Neige rally ” he explains.

Last weekend in the United States…

The Rockstar Royal Group team took part in last weekend’s Sno*Drift Rally in Michigan, Round 1 of the 2011 Rally America season, the premier American series that was won last year by the L’Estage/Richard duo. After winning the first three competitive stages of the rally and building up a 20 second lead, the team’s rally was ended early in a small snowbank. The contact resulted in a damaged radiator, causing the motor to overheat once the team got going again. ” It was a very positive start to the rally because we were able to show our speed but we couldn’t risk continuing after the car started overheating ” shared the Quebec driver. L’Estage’s main rival in the Rally America series also retired early from the rally, denying either team a points advantage in their hunt for the title. Antoine and Nathalie return to the American season at the end of February for Missouri’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.

Antoine L’Estage holds three North American championship titles (2007, 2008, 2010), three Canadian titles (2006, 2007, 2010), one American title (2010), and twenty-five overall victories in Canada and the US. Nathalie Richard holds six overall national championship titles (3 in Canada and 3 in the USA), as well as thirty-one overall rally wins on both sides of the border. She is also a six-time North American Co-Driving Champion (2004- 2010, excluding 2006).

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2011 Rally America and Canadian Rally Championships with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Yokohama Tires, Mitsubishi Canada, Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes, Garrett Turbos, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, Driver’s Edge Autosport (OMP), and VP Racing Fuels. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit antoinelestage.com.

2010 champions Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, while leading Michigan’s SnoDrift Rally in their Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X.

Photo: Tim Williams

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“This race is about putting your foot down and keeping it there,” said Comrie-Picard. “The course is high-speed and it’s a battle of the brave to the finish.”

After a strong start in the NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, the team is third in Rally America’s overall points standings and optimistic about this next round. Comrie-Picard finished on the podium at this event in 2007 and wound up a narrow fourth last year while nursing an ailing transmission during a fierce podium battle.

The early-spring event takes teams through a through Missouri’s scenic Ozark foothills. The course roads are consistently fast and flowing, but the big question mark is the weather. In previous years, conditions have run the gamut from balmy and sunny to below freezing, with pelting ice and snow.

“Bring it on,” said Comrie-Picard. “We’ve got the car and the tires for whatever Mother Nature can throw at us.”

The team will be keeping a close eye on Subaru Rally Team USA’s Ken Block, who has chalked up three wins in three previous starts at this contest. “Ken’s the guy to beat, for sure,” said Comrie-Picard. “It’s time for somebody to end his winning streak and we’d like it to be us.”

ACP Rally is back in U.S. competition following a stop in Canada, where the NOS Energy Mitsubishi rally car was on display at a prestigious automotive exhibition, the Toronto Auto Show.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and 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 hundreds of miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

The sport is also featured in the annual X Games, the premier action sports event on the globe, featuring athletes competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally. Comrie-Picard has been among the dozen invited drivers every year since the rally discipline was introduced to the contest, and he has already secured an early invitation to return in 2009.

The Rally America national championship includes nine events in a cross-continent season that extends from January to late October. Canadian Rally Championship has six events from coast to coast. ACP Rally will contest a busy season, with championship events on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, and the X Games.

The ACP Rally program is made possible by: NOS Energy (www.drinknos.com), K&N (www.knfilters.com), Mitsubishi Canada (www.mitsubishi-motors.ca), Yokohama Canada (www.yokohama.ca), Motul (www.motulusa.com), AMS (www.amsperformance.com), Works (www.worksevo.com), Brian Crower (www.briancrower.com), JE (www.jepistons.com), Exedy (www.exedyusa.com), Ohlins (www.ohlinsusa.com), Pfitzner Performance Gearbox (www.ppgearbox.com.au), Mishimoto (www.mishimoto.com), Oakley (www.oakley.com), Innovate Motorsports (www.tuneyourengine.com), Team Dynamics (www.teamdynamicsracing.com), Endless (www.endlessusa.com), NBB (www.nbblights.ca), Sparco (www.sparcousa.com), NGK (www.ngksparkplugs.com), Piloti (www.piloti.com), and Skull Candy (www.skullcandy.com).

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Starting the second year of its National Rally Support Program for the Canadian Rally Championship, Mitsubishi has never before been represented by so many individual entrants and so many competitive teams for a Canadian event. The season opener for the Canadian Rally Championship will take to the logging roads this weekend with the 42nd edition of Rallye Perce-Neige in Maniwaki, Quebec. No less than 13 of the 40 entries will be competing in Mitsubishi products and 10 of the top 15 seeded teams will use Lancer Evolutions of various generations, with four of them being previous event winners.
First on the road will be defending North American champion Antoine L’Estage, debuting a brand new 2009 Evolution RS prepared by rally icon John Buffum. With 36 overall victories and four national championships, Frank Sprongl from Toronto will drive an EVO VI. Fresh from a podium finish in Michigan at the first Rally America round, will be 2007 winner Andrew ‘ACP’ Comrie-Picard with a 2008 Evolution GSR. The other former winner and previous national title holder is Peter Thomson with an EVO VIII.

“Based on our initial objectives, the first year of the Mitsubishi National Rally Support Program was a qualified success”, stated Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada.”Most importantly, we officially got involved as a company with the Canadian Rally Championship and began to develop ongoing relationships with the participants and the volunteers who make this great series possible.For 2009, we have increased our commitment to the series and the participants, and are very pleased that the number of competitors using Mitsubishi products has increased dramatically over last year. Mitsubishi, as a brand, has been involved in competitive rallying for many years and our Canadian program reflects the excitement and athleticism of our current products.”

Other strong entries will vie for a place on the podium. Jon Nichols from Montreal was 4th overall last year; Mathieu L’Estage (Antoine’s brother) lead the Mitsubishi Cup for a long time last year and was 5th at Perce-Neige. The first title won by a Mitsubishi product in Canada was due to Jean‑Sebastien Besner back in 2001 and Besner is making a comeback this year in a Synchro Racing EVO. Boisvert Mitsubishi with three more teams have been regular top 10 finishers: defending Mitsubishi Cup winner, Simon will head the Evo posse with Rejean and Martin in hot pursuit. Finally, 2008 Production class champions, Manitobans Jan and Jody Zedril will be back to defend their title again.
Event profile:
Perce-Neige is the longest event of the 2009 schedule. The 14 stages total close to 200 kilometres on narrow icy logging roads out of 430 kilometres for the whole distance. The 40 cars entered will leave Maniwaki Saturday morning at 9:30 and will return late in the evening around

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Rallye Perce Neige Maniwaki is the snowy season opener for the
Canadian Rally Championship
STOUFFVILLE, Ontario (CARS Media) – The Canadian Rally Championship is set to start this
weekend on the snowy roads of the Rallye Perce Neige Maniwaki, presented by Subaru and
supported by Yokohama and takes place in Maniwaki, Que., north of Ottawa. The event has run for
over 40 years and has been on the national calendar for close to 35 years.
Canadian Rally Champions Patrick Richard of Squamish, B.C. and co-driver Alan Ockwell from
Toronto finished third at Rallye Perce Neige last year in the debut event for the Subaru Rally Team
Canada.
“This year we have a developed car, a year of working as a team and are the Canadian Rally
Champions,” said Richard. “We’re in a great position to start the year with a win.”
This will be no Sunday drive for Richard and Ockwell who face a strong field of experienced
competitors. Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard – both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. – are
defending North American Rally Champions, and are set to debut a brand new Mitsubishi EVO X. The
pair won this event last year.
“There will be a lot of unknowns with the new car,” said L’Estage. “We’ll hope to battle for the win, and
are confident we can do well.”
Sylvain Erickson of Gatineau, Que., is a legend at Perce Neige and will be paired with his brother
Philip Erickson, also from Gatineau, Que., for the event. Erickson has won this event twice, both times
with Philip as co-driver. Sylvain has a legendary ability to bend the rules of physics on ice and snow
and will be a serious threat this weekend.
The top of the order will be filled out by Andrew Comrie-Picard from Toronto, fresh from a podium
finish at the Sno*Drift rally – the season opener in the Rally America series. Multiple Canadian and
North American rally champion Frank Sprongl of Georgetown, Ont. will be on hand in a Mitsubishi
EVO 6. Sprongl is known to be a star talent in ice and snow and could challenge for the win.
Nick Mathew of Calgary and sister Kelly Mathew from Caledon, Ont., will be competing in their 2005
Subaru STI and are a team to watch in 2009. Peter Kocandrle from Acton, Ont., and Jimmy Brant of
Lake Odessa, Mich., will be out in Kocandrle’s Suzuki Swift after surprising many people with their
performance at the 2008 season finale.
Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junnila are making the drive East from Calgary, to compete in their
Group Two Volkswagen Golf. The pair will be up against tough competition from Jan and Jody Zedril
from Winnipeg, who have moved into Group Two from the Production classes with their Mitsubishi
Lancer.
This year, the Canadian Rally Championship is introducing a new two-wheel drive championship.
Rewarding the fastest team in any two-wheel drive entry, the championship requires teams to
participate in events from coast to coast.
The Rallye Perce Neige is the only winter rally in the Canadian Rally Championship and is home to
some of the longest stages on the continent. The event, held Feb. 6-7, 2009, includes 195 kilometers
of competitive stages.
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: Terry Epp, National Series Manager, 905-640-6444, or
crc@carsrally.ca On the web: www.CARSrally.ca; www.rallyeperceneige.com
PHOTO: 2008 Canadian Rally Champions and 2008 Rally Perce Neige winners, Patrick Richard and
co-driver, Alan Ockwell, of Subaru Rally Team Canada.
Mandatory Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey/Flatovercrest.com

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