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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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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Rally driver Andrew Comrie-Picard overcame failing brakes throughout the Baie des Chaleurs Rally to finish fifth overall, clawing back from 11th overall after the first night.

“From almost the first corner of the rally it was apparent the braking system wasn’t up to handing the weight of the car on these high-speed Baie roads. We have the best pads and fluid in the business, but the rotors and calipers couldn’t take the heat” said Comrie-Picard.

With the brake calipers weeping fluid and the rotors overheating and cracking throughout the event, the team had to drive carefully to use the brakes as little as possible and brake very early.

Guest co-driver Jen Horsey said the situation made for a wild ride. “Andrew is usually very calm behind the wheel and I’ve never even heard him take a sharp intake of breath going into a corner — but there were a few here when the pedal hit the floor.”

After dropping to 11th place after the Day 1 stages, the team upped the pace on Day 2, putting in top three stage times to move ahead of rivals on every stage. Eventually they ran out of time and distance to move any higher than fifth overall, in a very competitive rally. Fortunately they had no flats on their Yokohama rally A035 tires while many of their rivals suffered punctures on the rough roads.

The finish solidifies the team’s third overall position in the Canadian Rally Championship and keeps them in shooting distance for the championship — now at its halfway point.

“We have our work cut out for us for the rest of the year, but the new Mitsubishi Evolution 10 is getting better with every event as we develop it system by system. We expect to be competing for the win at the next round,” said Comrie-Picard.

The team also scored the biggest air over the event’s famous big jump with a distance of 112 feet, recorded by rally website www.flatovercrest.com.

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 secured a first-round invitation to return in 2009.

The Canadian Rally Championship has six events from coast to coast. The Rally America national championship includes nine events in a cross-continent season that extends from January to late October. ACP Rally will contest a busy season, with rally events on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, select drift events — and the X Games. The team will return to the Canadian championship in September for Round 4, Rallye Defi, outside Montreal.

The team’s next event will be the X Games in Los Angeles.

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), Seibon Carbon (www.seiboncarbon.com), Piloti (www.piloti.com), and Skull Candy (www.skullcandy.com).

For more information and video highlights, visit: www.acprally.com.

Find us on YouTube or Facebook under ACP Rally.

Photo by Andrew Snucins, www.worldrallysport.com.

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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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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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Rally driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard took a second-place finish at Round 2 of the Canadian Rally Championship over the weekend and is now set to return to U.S. competition in Pennsylvania in a few days.

Comrie-Picard and co-driver Robbie Durant took their new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X to the Rocky Mountain Rally, based in Calgary, Alberta, for the high-speed May 29-30 event.

“It was an intense two days of competition, especially with the gravel debut of the new car” said Comrie-Picard. “The 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is a strong platform and we’re working to improve its performance with every event. The Evo X will be more and more competitive through the year.”

The new car is under development this season in Canada, while the team continues its aggressive campaign in their 2007 NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX south of the border.

In addition to the rally, the team welcomed key partners, including a number of local Yokohama Tire dealers, for ride-along sessions the day before the event – giving their supporters the ride of a lifetime on a gravel course east of Calgary.

Special thanks to Calgary’s Platinum Mitsubishi for hosting the team at the dealership during the contest.

The result brings the team into third overall in the Canadian championship. Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Pat Richard and Rockstar Energy’s Antoine L’Estage are tied for the lead – with one win and one DNF apiece after the opening two rounds.

“We had some luck on our side this weekend that allowed us to podium despite some inevitable teething trouble with the new car,” said Comrie-Picard. “It was an excellent learning event for us and now we know what we’ll be working on before the next Canadian round.”

Meanwhile, Comrie-Picard is narrowly in third-place overall after five rounds in the Rally America championship, behind Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana and Rockstar Energy’s Tanner Foust.

“The Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally is close to home for us and we know it well,” said Comrie-Picard. “We’re looking forward to resuming our US championship campaign – as well as facing off against some series newcomers.”

The event is expected to feature the American rally debut of Swedish World Rally competitors Patrik Sandell and Emil Axelsson, and Freestyle motocross champion Brian Deegan — winner of 11 X Games medals.

The Susquehannock Trail event has long been known as one of the most demanding events on the U.S. calendar. The 2009 running of the contest features a return to the popular two-day format, with a spectator-friendly daylight schedule and super special stages on each day.

Teams will take on over 100 miles of competitive stages this coming weekend (June 5-6) on a tricky course that’s fast-paced, yet technical. Narrow but very fast roads, with the potential for slick mud if wet, translate to plenty of challenges for competitors.

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. The Canadian Rally Championship has six events from coast to coast. ACP Rally will contest a busy season, with rally events on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, select drift events — 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), Seibon Carbon (www.seiboncarbon.com), Piloti (www.piloti.com), and Skull Candy (www.skullcandy.com).

Photo by Warwick Patterson

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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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