Mitsubishi leads Manufacturers Championship with Convincing Win at Perce-Neige

The 47th running of Rallye Perce-Neige, the first round of the 2012 Canadian Rally Championship, was won by Antoine L’Estage of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec and co-driver Nathalie Richard of Halifax, in their new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

Reigning Canadian and North American champion, L’Estage becomes the all-time record winner at Perce-Neige with a fifth win. L’Estage and Richard clinched best time in seven of the first ten stages and motored to an outright 8-minute victory in a demanding event that saw only 18 of the 42 cars reach the finish. The Production Sport class was won by defending champion Yavor Klostranec with Emily Dowell in the co-driver seat in their two-wheel drive Mitsubishi Lancer.

Two other teams of the Mitsubishi Brigade were among the finishers. Synchro Racing saw Simon Losier partnered with veteran co-driver Brian Maxwell in his EVO VIII clinch a rewarding fifth place. Alvin Fong and Billy Machin of Danbury, Connecticut were second among the novice crews in their new Lancer Evolution IX.

“The Mitsubishi Brigade teams dominated Rallye Perce-Neige to earn a record-winning victory. It is also exciting to see a base Lancer finish such a difficult event and win its class”, said Mr. Kenji Toh, VP Sales/Marketing & Corporate Planning for Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. “We look forward to continuing the momentum in Calgary.”

Rocky Mountain Rally preview

The next Canadian Rally Championship stop for the teams will be in Calgary, Alberta in the last week of May. The challenging Rocky Mountain event is always unpredictable, as roads can be dry and windy as well as snowy and slippery, which makes it a real challenge. Last year winners were Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard in their Lancer Evolution. More information is available at www.rockymountainrally.com.

Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard (left) started their season on a high note with an outright victory in their new Lancer Evolution X at Rallye Perce-Neige. Right is defending Production Sport champion Yavor Klostranec with co-driver Emily Dowell taking Production Sport in their stock Lancer.

Credit : Philip Ericksen

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Smart tire choice and road position allowed L’Estage and Richard to open up a small lead over rivals Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) of Subaru Rally Team Canada. Richard and Ockwell landed heavily on a jump on the second stage, damaging the car and losing boost, and then losing brakes. Despite this, the pair was only 27 seconds back from the lead at the first service. They would only run a few more stages before parking their car with driveline problems.

“We led from the first stage, and spun and lost time on the fourth stage, and then got back on track,” said L’Estage. “We didn’t make any other mistakes for the rest of the day and it’s a great way to start the season. I don’t know [why we're so successful]. Things are clicking and it works.”

For Nathalie Richard, the Rallye Perce-Neige is her 100th career start, a fact that makes the win even more gratifying. “We both really wanted to come here and win this one,” said Richard. “These weren’t easy conditions, and it’s a great way to start the season. We’re just doing what we’re doing and it seems to work.”

Podium regular Leo Urlichich (Toronto) and co-driver Carl Williamson (Swansea, GB) got off to a rough start. Timing mistakes on the first few stages led to six minutes in penalties, and the pair were pushing to make up time and positions – perhaps a bit too hard. A spin on a fast straight damaged the back end of the car, but the two were luckily able to continue. Incredibly, between a fast pace and misfortunes of rivals, the pair were able to climb up the order, finishing second overall.

“It is amazing. We tried hard,” said Urlichich. “Everyone made mistakes, the car had a few problems, I definitely made mistakes, Carl unfortunately made a mistake, but we all fought back for a second place on the podium.”

Sylvain and Simon Vincent (Terrebonne, QC), who were aiming for a top five finish, also benefitted from other’s troubles, and the cagy veteran was well aware of what strategy leads to success. “You have to pace yourself at a rally like this,” said Sylvain at the midday service stop. “It’s such a long event, you need to make sure you don’t get too tired, too early. You can lose concentration and make mistakes.” A mistake is exactly what destroyed the podium hopes for Bruno Carre and Yvan Joyal, both of Laval, QC. The pair rolled late in the rally, and though they managed to finish, they dropped from second overall to eighth. That allowed Sylvain Vincent to move up to third overall, earning valuable points towards his goal to rank in the top ten lifetime driver rankings.

“I was aiming for a top five, as that would be perfect,” said Sylvain. “It means good points, which is really important! It is really hard with the competition we have, to get into the top five at a gravel event, but on ice and snow, it is a bit easier.”

In Two Wheel Drive, a battle appeared to be brewing early on between the team of Peter Kocandrle and Angela Cosner, and Thierry Menegoz and Guillaume Bechard. After two stages, the teams were just 0.1 seconds apart. However, Menegoz struggled to find grip and dropped down the order before retiring. Kocandrle took advantage of his growing lead and lessened pressure to open a lead of more than 20 minutes over his closest competitor.

“Everything was great until the last four stages. I had my first flat on stage, and a bit of an off, but someone helped us out. Then we got stuck behind a car and followed for a while and then backed off, and then they spun and backed right into us, breaking one of our lights,” said Kocandrle.”We came here to set some points in place for the year and try to build things for this year and maybe run the North American championship. The guys at Open Road Motorsports have been awesome, and they’ve really looked after us.”

The Rallye Perce-Neige is the first round of the six event Canadian Rally Championship, and is made up of 16 stages, totalling 248km of competitive distance. Canada’s only true winter rally, roads are covered in ice and snow, but teams are forbidden from using studded tires, requiring a smooth hand at the wheel for a driver to be successful.

“The roads are fantastic. Tortue is already the biggest challenge in Canadian rally, just to make it to the end is an accomplishment,” said Sylvain Erickson, Clerk of the Course. “This year, teams had to do it twice. The speed of the guys was really great, everything worked out to be very impressive.”

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.

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.

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

For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.rallyeperceneige.com

Rallye Perce Neige Final Results

1. Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard – two hours, 45 minutes, 18.8 seconds
2. Leo Urlichich – Carl Williamson – 2:53:56.0
3. Sylvain Vincent – Simon Vincent – 2:59:11.5
4. Mathieu Dube – Eric Losier – 3:01:01.2
5. Simon Losier – Brian Maxwell – 3:02:43.7
6. Joel Levac – Stephanie Lewis – 3:02:58.8
7. Steeve Hobbs – Jean-Mathieu Tremblay – 3:03:38.9
8. Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal – 3:04:17.2
9. Warren Haywood – John Hall – 3:15:07.9
10. Maxime Rochefort-Laframboise – Jerome Milette – 3:17:47.0

Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey Photography

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“Wow, this is incredible,” said Urlichich, who literally jumped around on the podium in excitement. “All season the whole team has been working hard to get to this point, and so this win really proves how much the team has put into the effort.”

With the Canadian Rally Championship already decided in favour of L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard (Halifax), no teams had to hold back for the sake of strategy, and right from the first stage, each team was attacking.

L’Estage won the first four stages, taking control of the event, until disaster struck at the end of SS5. The transmission in their car shattered with large pieces of the casing falling off.

“Well, it’s too bad. We were leading the rally, and had a good lead, but it’s ok,” said L’Estage. “The important thing is we are Canadian Rally Champions.”

Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) of Subaru Rally Team Canada took over the lead, with David Higgins and Craig Drew (Gloucestershire, England) taking over second place. Both teams would go on to suffer punctures, dropping down the order and handing Urlichich the lead. Richard and Ockwell would later suffer transmission failures and retire from the event.

“This was a really tough event, probably the hardest I’ve done in my entire career,” said Higgins, who went on to finish second. “Primarily, we came here to test the car, but when you’re a competitive person, you want to push for the win.”

Third place went to Bruno Carre (Laval, QC) and Yvan Joyal (Terrebonne, QC). The two were desperately trying to hang on to their podium position, with an overheating car threatening to end their event. With a large margin over fourth placed Ugo Desgreniers (Orford, QC) and Erik Kirby (Sherbrooke, QC), Carre was able to make his car last to the finish.

“The car started overheating with about five stages left,” said Carre. “We had to stop at lakes to get water to fill up the rad. It’s been a difficult end to the rally, so we’re very happy and lucky to be on the podium.”

In two wheel drive, the entry was equally impressive. Series regulars Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg) faced off against local talent Peter Kocandrle (Kitchener-Waterloo, ON) and co-driver Alex Kihurani (Philadelphia, PA), as well as Simon Dube (Jonquiere, QC) and Pat Lavigne (Montreal). 2011 Rally American 2WD Champions Wyatt Knox (Franconia, NH) and co-driver Ole Holter (Long Beach, CA) entered in a Ford Fiesta R2, while 2009 RA 2WD Champ Dillon Van Way (Baton Rouge, LA) and co-driver Jake Blattner (Salem, OR) were also on hand in a Fiesta.

Just as it did in all wheel drive, attrition took a toll on the 2WD cars as well. Kocandrle set fast stage times but struggled with half shaft problems that eventually ended his rally. The Zedrils also retired from the event, and Van Way retired with a broken half shaft, the rough conditions especially hard on the 2WD cars.

Dube and Knox traded stage times and the class lead, and heading into the final stage, Dube and Lavigne had a lead of just over one minute, 30 seconds. However, on the final stage, Egan Creek, Dube had an electrical fault that cut the engine, costing the team six minutes and handing the lead to Knox and Holter.

“This was my first time at this rally, and my first time driving the R2,” said Knox. “It was a really hard event. In the US, we do the same distance, but split over two days, so this really was a marathon. We had a great battle with Dube, and it worked out for us, but we’ll see what happens next time.”

“It’s been an incredible event,” said organiser Ian Wright. “The record entry isn’t just about volume, but of quality, with some really talented teams competing. Everything went really well, and we’re happy to introduce Canadian rally to all the first time teams and fans who came out in person or watched at home.”

Production company TV2Go offered fans a home a unique opportunity with a precedent setting high definition live stream to web. Three live shows covered the ceremonial start and first stage, a mid day service and the podium finish. Those who wish to watch the shows on demand can do so on Flatovercrest.com.

The 2012 Canadian Rally Championship season is only a few short months away. Kicking off with the Rallye Perce Neige in Maniwaki, QC teams will take on the classic winter rally February 4-5, 2012. Massive snowbanks offer both help in staying on the road, and a threat in their ability to pull a car off the road. Icy conditions require a special talent as studded tires are not permitted. The Rallye Perce Neige is perhaps Canada’s most remote rally with very long and challenging stages.

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.

Rally 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.

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

For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.tallpinesrally.com

You can also follow the series on Twitter @CRCRally or at facebook.com/CRCRally

Rally of the Tall Pines Final Results

1. Leo Urlichich – Martin Brady – One hour, 59 minutes, 4.8 seconds
2. David Higgins – Craig Drew – 1:59:36.7
3. Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal – 2:07:51.7
4. Ugo Desgreniers – Erik Kirby – 2:12:25.7
5. Steeve Hobbs – Jean-Mathieu Tremblay – 2:13:19.7
6. Simon Losier – Brian Maxwell – 2:16:24.0
7. Nick Mathew – Kelly Matthew – 2:17:59.1
8. Michelle Laframboise – Dean Hopkins – 2:20:04.8
9. Wyatt Knox – Ole Holter – 2:20:19.7
10. Ryan Huber – John Vanos – 2:21:16.1

Photos: Andrew Harvey Photography

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In the 2WD class, returning champions Jan and Jody Zedril from Winnipeg gave a driving clinic in their Group 5 Lancer with a convincing victory by more than 7 minutes. Jeffrey Dowell and Yavor Klostranec in their 2009 Lancer DE model were the eventual winners in Production Sport class. Both lead their category and all have but clinched the title at this point of the season. Mitsubishi is the leading manufacturer in more than 4 classes.

Synchro Racing was also impressive with two of their EVOs in the Top 10: Maxime Losier and Philippe Poirier in their EVO VIII took fourth overall, a mere 21 seconds away from a podium finish. Simon Losier and new co-driver Anick Madon earned ninth place while Martin and Patrick Losier had to settle with 15th overall. The lady crew of Michelle Laframboise from Picton and Elise Racette from Mirabel were one position behind them in 16th spot. Of the nine crews entered, eight completed this demanding event.

“Our Mitsubishi Brigade did exceptionally well this weekend and their success shines upon Mitsubishi who is leading many categories in the championship, a testimony to the liability of our products”, said Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. (MMSC). “We thank them for their constant efforts and hope they will do as well for the rest of the season.”

End of September in British Columbia

Merritt, B.C. will be the host of the next round of the Canadian Rally Championship with the Pacific Forest Rally just three weeks away, on September 30th and October 1st. Rally teams will run a few stages on Friday night before entering Parc Ferme until an early Saturday morning start for a total trek of almost 500 kilometres. For more information, please visit the event web site at www.pacificforestrally.com.

New North American champions, Antoine L’Estage and codriver Nathalie Richard (right) in their Mitsubishi Evolution will be looking to stretch their victory string to eight in British Columbia. Jan and Jody Zedril from Winnipeg are on the way to other titles but are already Group 5 champions.

Pictures by Philippe Ericksen

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“That’s what happened last year,” said L’Estage. “We took maybe 45 seconds lead there last year and managed that to the end.”

This year, the team opened up a lead over the first two stages, though only 3.9 seconds over Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Leanne Junnila (Calgary). However an error forced Richard and Junnila to cover extra distance prior to the first stage, and the team ran out of fuel after the first stage. They were towed to the refueling location – against the rules – and continued in the rally.

“We broke the suspension on the second stage, and fixed it in service,” said Richard, who was able to get back on pace over the afternoon stages. However, at the end of Friday’s action, L’Estage had opened up a 10 second lead on Richard, but that would become moot, as Richard and Junnila were excluded from the event for getting the tow.

“Everyone on the team worked really hard to get here, and to be excluded is really frustrating,” said Richard after the event. The DNF puts Richard at a huge disadvantage in the Canadian Rally Championship points.

Richard’s exclusion meant L’Estage’s lead opened up to two minutes, 20 seconds over “Crazy” Leo Urlichich (Toronto), who had problems of his own.

“I broke an axle on the first stage, as is becoming tradition,” joked Urlichich. “Then we had problems with the differentials and so I was going pretty slowly.”

Urlichich and co-driver Martin Brady (Meath, Ireland) regained their pace on Saturday’s stages winning multiple stages, but still struggling with pacenote issues and a bad flat tire on the fourth stage of the day.

“We have been trying a new system, and initially it was good, but now that I’m getting faster, it doesn’t seem as consistent.”

Leo and Brady eventually finished second, matching his career best finish.

L’Estage and Nathalie Richard spent most of the second day managing their lead to a winning margin of 3:39.2 minutes, marking L’Estage’s sixth career win at Defi, and the team’s seventh consecutive win in Canada.

“We’ve clinched the North American Rally Cup here as well,” said L’Estage. “That makes it my fourth, and for Nathalie, her seventh.”

Steeven Hobbs, who finished on the podium at Defi in 2009, after starting 29th, appeared to be on a similar run, moving up to third by midday Saturday, party through his own speed and attrition in the field. Hobbs crashed out on the Montepellier stage, retiring from the rally.

Rounding out the podium were Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy, both of New Richmond, QC. The pair had struggled early in the event, with the car being down on power, but once they had it fixed, they worked up through the order to finish a comfortable third place.

“We had problems on the first two stages, the car was only on three cylinders,” said Henderson. “Once that was solved, then we were able to drive much better.”

The 2010 edition of Rallye Defi saw an incredible two wheel drive battle that finished with just 2 seconds separating the first and second place teams. This year, no such battle emerged. Jan and Jody Zedril of Winnipeg, MB, won the two wheel drive class after their strongest competitors had problems.

“We really were looking forward to a great battle,” said Jan Zedril. “When we knew that Eric Grochowski (Calgary) was out and Simon Dube (Jonquiere, QC) was so far back after damaging his car, it took some of the fun out of it. Instead, we just have to see how we can do against the all wheel drive cars.”

The Zedrils suffered a flat tire on the second stage, and intermittent intercom problems, but with no threat to their position, stayed smooth and calm to finish 14th overall, nearly nine minutes ahead of Simon Dube and co-driver Pat Lavigne.

“After we knew Dube was off the pace, it was ok,” said Jan Zedril. “We had a few problems, but didn’t have to push, and just tried to match last year’s times, which we did.”

The 2011 season continues with the Pacific Forest Rally, in Merritt, B.C., September 30 – August 1, 2011. This event can be considered Richard’s home rally, but L’Estage won the event in 2010.

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.

Rally 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.

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

For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.rallyedefi.com

You can also follow the series on Twitter @CRCRally or at facebook.com/CRCRally

Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs Final Results

1. Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard – One hour, 17 minutes, 28.0 seconds
2. Leo Urlichich – Martin Brady – 1:21:07.2
3. Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy – 1:23:30.9
4. Maxime Losier – Philippe Poirier – 1:23:51.2
5. Marc Bourassa – Daniel Paquette – 1:24:25.8
6. Ugo Desgreniers – Erik Kirby – 1:24:34.9
7. Maxime Labrie – Robert Labrie – 1:25:01.4
8. Nick Mathew – Kelly Mathew – 1:25:19.6
9. Simon Losier – Anick Madon – 1:26:09.9
10. Sylvain Vincent – Simon Vincent – 1:26:42.6

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“The crew are the ones who made us win this event,” said L’Estage. “On Friday they had to rebuild the differentials, and then today they replaced the transmission in record time – just 40 minutes. There’s no way we’d be here without their work.”

L’Estage’s main rivals Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Leanne Junnila (Calgary) also suffered multiple problems during the rally. “We lost boost and damaged our lights on Friday, and then today, broken suspension, damaged differentials,” said Richard. “It’s been a real roller coaster of an event. This is what happens though when you’re trying to fight for a win. Things break.”

Richard and Junnila finished second. The pair had dropped well back of L’Estage when troubles hit early in the rally, but fought back to within 20 seconds of first place, after L’Estage encountered difficulties of his own. “I know where I could have found 20 seconds today, so it’s a frustrating result,” said Richard. “The main thing is we got points towards the championship.”

Leo Urlichich (Toronto) and Martin Brady (Meath, Ireland) finished third, repeating their podium position from the Rocky Mountain Rally, despite problems of their own. “The car has been very difficult to drive. The throttle response is like an on/off switch, so it has been difficult to commit to corners fully,” said Urlichich, who had to battle back after a flat tire and boost problems on day one set them well down the order for the start of the second day.

Urlichich was able to claw back enough time to pass Bruno Carre (Laval, QC), who was also struggling. Max Riddle (Vancouver) and Aaron Neumann (Anmore, BC) finished fifth, a personal best for the rookie driver, who is having success in his very first rally season.

Two wheel drive cars were not immune to the tough conditions. Simon Dube (Jonquiere, QC) was fastest early in the event, until two flat tires cost he and co-driver Pat Levesque (Baie Comeau, QC) approximately five minutes. The pair battled back over the next day and a half, eventually beating main rivals David Berube and co-driver Yves St-Pierre (Quebec City) after Berube and St-Pierre suffered suspension problems that forced them to slow down over the final two stages.

“The rally went through some changes after last year,” said organiser Stephane Roussel. “Although we lost some old stages that were favourites, we came up with a new stage that will become a favourite soon.”

The 2011 season resumes at the Rallye Defi, September 9-10, 2011, held in Ste Agathe, Quebec. L’Estage has won the rally more than anyone else, but Richard will need to win to keep hope alive for the 2011 Canadian Rally Championship title.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held across the country 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.

Rally 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.

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

For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.rallyebdc.com

You can also follow the series on Twitter @CRCRally or at facebook.com/CRCRally

Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs Final Results

1. Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard – One hour, 58 minutes, 10.1 seconds
2. Pat Richard – Leanne Junnila – 1:58:30.7
3. Leo Urlichich – Martin Brady – 2:00:27.4
4. Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal – 2:01:09.1
5. Max Riddle – Aaron Neumann – 2:03:30.3
6. Joel Levac – Stephanie Lewis – 2:06:49.6
7. Marc Bourassa – Daniel Paquette – 2:07:58.6
8. Nicola Narini – Massimo Narini – 2:08:10.4
9. Maxime Losier – Philippe Poirier – 2:08:24.8
10. Michel Bois – Anick Madon – 2:10:36.9

Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey Photography

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The Mitsubishi Brigade saw three more teams complete the snowy drifting fest. Maxime Losier with codriver Philippe Poirier were the best of the Synchro Racing team with a 13th place. Ontarians Ian Crerar and Doug Draper on board their EVO 6 placed 19th. And the rookie team of Peter Guagenti and James Drake steering an EVO IX kick started their career and were happy just to cross the finish line.

“Our leaders stood up again and got off to a brilliant start of the 2011 season. Another outstanding performance from the L’Estage and Richard duo and remarkable accomplishments from the other teams in production Lancers,” said Kogi Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada Inc. “Winter events are always very difficult. Our brigade will now have a few months to get ready for the summer rounds.”

Next round: Rocky Mountain Rally
The second round of the Canadian Rally Championship will move out West to Calgary at the end of May with the Rocky Mountain Rally, a two-day event held in altitude in the Porcupine Hills. This event is highly unpredictable in terms of weather: in the past editions, competitors were faced with road challenges like snow, deep mud and dust ! More information is available at the event web site www.rockymountainrally.com.

Antoine L’Estage and his codriver Nathalie Richard (right) ran flawless in their Lancer Evolution for an outright win, their first in 2011. For their maiden start in Group 5 class, Jan and Jody Zedril, captured another class victory for 2WD cars.

Photos: Philip Ericksen

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Teams started from downtown Maniwaki in the morning, running two in-town stages before heading into the forest roads west of town. Short and fast, the in-town stages rarely present an opportunity to win an event, but ample chance to lose.

Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and stand-in co-driver Leanne Junnila (Calgary) were the first team to tackle the stages in their Subaru Impreza STI. Attacking right from the start, they set the pace to beat for rivals L’Estage and Nathalie Richard in the Rockstar Mitsubishi. Both drivers hold multiple national titles, and after eight stages, the two teams were separated by less than one second.

“Running first on the road can be really hard, but maybe Pat had the right tire choice” said L’Estage, referring to the Subaru driver’s choice of his Yokohama snow tires heading into a midday stage. Conditions were a difficult mix of snow and ice, and start order played heavily into what tires would work best.

A timing error arriving at the first service resulted in a one minute penalty for the Subaru team, who broke a wheel a few stages later, losing a massive seven minutes while replacing the wheel. Taking a gamble on tire choice, Richard hoped to make up some time to get back into a points scoring position, vital in his hunt for the 2011 Canadian Rally Championship title.

“I can’t make the same choice as Antoine because we’re so closely matched, we’ll get similar times. To make up any time I need to gamble on tire choice and try something different,” said Richard.

With the pressure off, 2010 Canadian, North American and Rally America champion L’Estage was finding it challenging to drive at the correct pace to keep his first place position secure.

“I have to find the right rhythm. I can’t go too fast and make mistakes, but it can be harder to keep focus when you slow down.”

Further down the order, a battle was shaping up for the other podium positions. Bruno Carre and Yvan Joyal (Laval, QC) drove cleanly and smoothly all day, a style that earned the team their first National win at this event in 2010. The team finished second, nearly 30 seconds ahead of third place.

“It’s a great feeling, and our approach was similar to last year,” said Carre at the finish. “We tried hard to keep out of trouble, and that paid off.”

Swap Shop teammate Craig Henderson (Saint Constant, QC) and co-driver Peter Watt (Peterborough, ON) were struggling to find the right pace and were uncharacteristically further down the order, making space for 2010 Canadian Novice Champion Ugo Desgreniers (Orford, QC) and Erik Kirby (Sherbrooke, QC) to move up the leaderboard, in turn battling with “Crazy” Leo Urlichich (Toronto) and Martin Headland (Caledon, ON). In the final stages, Desgreniers moved into a comfortable third after Urlichich drove off the road. For Desgreniers, the result is a career best, and one year anniversary of the his first rally finish.

“It wasn’t a perfect rally,” said Desgreniers. “The shifter broke and we had to drive with just a short piece sticking up from the gearbox until we could fix it. I’m so happy for the result, it’s amazing to have come so far in just one year.”

Richard and Junnila finished just off the podium in fourth place.

“It’s not what we wanted, and was a tough event, but still, there’s no excuses,” said a frustrated Richard after the rally. “I had a four minute gap to make up to get to the podium, and we made up about three minutes in two stages, but it wasn’t enough.”

Road conditions were especially tough for the two wheel drive teams. Covered in slick ice, the roads made for slow progress and rough sections also took a toll on the cars. Just one team, Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg) finished in their two wheel drive Mitsubishi. The brothers managed their pace carefully through the entire event, showing why they are reigning champions.

“This event was so much about survival, just getting to the end.” said Jan. “Once we knew that we were the only 2WD car left, we slowed down to make sure we would finish.”

Interim rally coordinator Terry Epp was very positive about the event, where remote locations and limited communications prove very challenging for organizers. The event has a 46 year history and the reputation of being a marathon event, demanding of teams and volunteers alike.

“We’ve been in a rebuilding process for this event, trying to ensure it has a long future. I’m happy to say that the rally ran extremely well this year and is good hands moving forward.”

The 2011 season continues May 26-27, at the Rocky Mountain Rally, headquartered in Calgary. Though the event has been changed for this season, it still features the high mountain roads and unpredictable conditions that make the event so compelling.

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.

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.

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

For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.rallyeperceneige.com

Rallye Perce Neige Final Results

1. Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard – two hours, 22 minutes, 33.6 seconds
2. Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal – 2:28:35.9
3. Ugo Desgreniers – Erik Kirby – 2:29:04.3
4. Pat Richard – Leanne Junnila – 2:29:51.1
5. Craig Henderson – Peter Watt – 2:30:07.8
6. Mathieu Dube – Eric Losier – 2:34:05.5
7. Marc Bourassa – Daniel Paquette – 2:34:59.2
8. Nicola Narini – Massimo Narini – 2:38:48.6
9. L. Maxime Rochefort – Jerome Milette – 2:38:54.4
10. Sylvain Vincent – Simon Vincent – 2:40:22.2

Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey Photography

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“We had the perfect Yokohama tires for the event,” said L’Estage, driver of the Rockstar EVO X. “We took mud tires for the first stages and built a big lead that we kept through the rally. It is our first win since last year, so it feels fantastic.”

Rival team and defending Canadian Rally Champions Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) of Subaru Rally Team Canada suffered from a poor tire choice at the start of the rally and struggled to find their pace, eventually finishing second, more than two minutes back from L’Estage.

“The stages were super haywire,” said a dejected Richard, who holds four national overall driver titles and a North American driver’s title. “It’s been disappointing, I don’t know the last time I came second.”

Bruno Carre and Yvan Joyal (Laval, QC) benefited by using tall and narrow snow tires that cut through the sloppy conditions, driving to a third place finish. Their result was good enough to retain the top spot in the point standings for the Canadian Rally Championship.

“We found the secret weapon in terms of tires for these conditions,” said Carre, who worked his way to second place before dropping behind Richard and Ockwell on the final stages. “We’re still leading the Championship, which is great, especially against guys like Antoine and Pat.”

Tire choice proved vital for every team as massive snow dumped onto the stage roads leading up to and during the event. Some roads at altitude in the Porcupine Hills region of Alberta had up to 30 cm of snow, mixing with mud and water to create a slippery, difficult and unpredictable surface.

Leo Urlichich (Thornhill, ON) and Christine Beavis (San Diego) drove a disciplined rally to finish fourth overall. Craig Henderson (St-Constant, QC) finished third at the season opener, Rallye Perce Neige, but struggled to find his pace on Friday. A blown head gasket slowed his progress on Saturday, but he and co-diver Lyne Murphy continued to finish a hard earned fifth.

Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg) opened a minute lead on the first day, and drove conservatively to manage the lead. The strategy nearly failed when hard charging Kris and Jaclyn Schofield (Calgary) made up all but 11 seconds by the end of the final stage. The Zedrils finished 13th overall, also the top ranked two wheel drive car. The Schofields came in 14th overall, second in their class.

“We had a few big moments, but it was a lot of fun to be back in the car after a year and a half out of competition,” said Kris Schofield.

Conditions created challenges for rally organisers. Saturday’s schedule had to be completely redesigned when the road surface proved impassible on the southern stage roads. Organisers created a new schedule with the remaining roads, and teams tested themselves on five stages, finishing the rally late Saturday afternoon.

“It was a collaborative effort,” said Shabir Haji, organiser of the Rocky Mountain Rally, of the decision to rewrite the schedule. “We knew when the forecast was bad we may have to change the route. This morning when marshals were getting stuck, the decision was quick. We had to develop a format to get the stage distances for the teams.”

The championship battle continues at the Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs in New Richmond, Quebec. Thrilling roads and huge jumps combine with some of the biggest spectator crowds on the calendar, making Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs an event not to be missed.

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.

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.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings. The Rocky Mountain Rally is scheduled to premier Sunday June 27 at 11:00am EDT on TSN and Sunday July 11, at 11:00am EDT on RDS.

For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.rockymountainrally.com

Rocky Mountain Rally Final Results

1. Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard – one hour, 11 minutes 48.8 seconds
2. Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell – 1:14:05.6
3. Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal – 1:14:25.5
4. Leo Urlichich – Christine Beavis – 1:15:33.20
5. Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy – 1:18:25.4
6. Hardy Schmidtke – Adam Vokes – 1:18:25.0
7. Simon Losier – Philippe Poirier – 1:19:13.1
8. Graham Bruce – Leanne Junnila – 1:23:48.3
9. Mark Jennings-Bates – Jennifer Daly – 1:24:04.2
10. Ian Crerar – Ray Felice – 1:25:11.5

Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey Photography

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Calculated and cautious driving by Bruno Carre (Laval, QC) and co-driver Yvan Joyal brought the pair their first National Championship win. “You couldn’t push too hard because you would get caught somewhere” said a happy Carre at the finish, “The snowbanks were very small and you couldn’t lean on them.”

Without special tractionized ice tires, Mathieu L’Estage (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) and Yanick Napert were hoping just to stay on the road. A cautious approach and skilful drive landed them second place, the highest overall finish of their career. “I think Bruno and I are the two guys who never went off the road today, so that was the key to doing well here,” said L’Estage, “It’s a good start for the season, so now we’ll try and get the car ready for Rocky Mountain Rally.”

Rounding out the podium, Craig Henderson (St-Constant, QC) and Co-Driver Lyne Murphy had resigned themselves to a mid-pack finish after getting stuck in a snowbank, then stopping to help pull Antoine L’Estage back on the road later in the day. The good karma must have paid off, because the duo found themselves in third place at the finish.

Defending champions Patrick Richard (Squamish, BC) and Co-Driver, Alan Ockwell (Toronto, ON) of the Subaru Rally Team Canada were struck with bad luck early in the event. The pair left the first stage on a corner that later claimed several cars, but they were able to get back on the road after losing only two minutes. In their push to reclaim the lost time they posted a string of stage wins before retiring from the rally early with a mechanical problem.

Their main rivals, Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard (Ste-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, QC) looked set to repeat last year’s win until they also suffered a series of setbacks. A two-minute lead was dashed when they spun into a snowbank on the treacherous Kitigan Zibi stage. Mechanical problems followed and led to a small fire that thwarted their comeback fight on the penultimate stage. They finished out of the points in sixteenth position.

With the attrition at the front of the rally, Leo Urlichich (Thornhill, ON) and Co-Driver Martin Headland, who are always contenders for the podium, led the rally for three stages also went off the road. While the incident only caused light damage to their car, the team took too much time in the ditch and finished in 13th place.

With Urlichich and other competition by the wayside, defending North Americain Rally Cup Champion Andrew Comrie-Picard (Toronto, ON) and Jeremy Wimpey drove flat out to try and reel in Bruno Carre for the win. Their charge ended when they slid off on the road on the challenging final stage. The team got back on the road, finishing the rally in 12th place.

With an impressive drive in a two-wheel drive car, Jon Nichols and Carl Shenk (Lachine, Quebec) beat a lot of high-powered all wheel drive cars to a sixth place overall finish. The series veterans hadn’t competed in a two-wheel drive car since 2006, but drove hard to make up for the lack of traction, finishing nearly six minutes ahead of their closest two-wheel drive competition.

The championship battle will resume at the Rocky Mountain Rally near Calgary, Alberta in May. New faces on top of the championship standings should bring a lot of teams out west for the second round of the championship.

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.

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.

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

For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.rallyeperceneige.com

Rallye Perce Neige Final Results

1. Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal – 2 hours 26 minutes 17 seconds
2. Mathieu L’Estage – Yanick Napert – 2:29:39
3. Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy – 2:36:41
4. Mathieu Dube – Eric Losier – 2:37:57
5. Marc Bourassa – Daniel Paquette – 2:38:12
6. Jon Nichols – Carl Shenk – 2:39:26
7. Steeve Hobbs – J-Mathieu Tremblay – 2:39:29
8. Erik Gaudet – Pascal Longpre – 2:43:47
9. Ugo Desgreniers – Erik Kirby – 2:44:04
10. Simon Dube – Pat Lavigne – 2:45:25

Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey Photography

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