Just past the halfway mark in the 2009 season, Canada’s top rally teams descend on the Mont Tremblant region of Quebec, September 11-12, to resume an exciting points battle in the Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama.

Defending Canadian champions Pat Richard (Squamish, B.C.) and co-driver Alan Ockwell (Toronto, ON) come to Rallye Defi with a ten point lead in the championship. The two are in their second year competing together as the Subaru Rally Team Canada.

“We stabilized the development of the car at Rallye Defi last year,” said Richard about the level of preparedness within the team. “The car is ready to go, and so are we. A win will really help us towards wining the championship by getting a bigger points lead.”

Top competition for Richard and Ockwell come in the form of Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard. L’Estage won this event three years straight from 2005-2007, but suffered a mechanical failure that took him out of the rally in 2008. Back with a new Mitsubishi Evolution X, the pair from Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, consider this their home rally, and are confident about their chances.

“This is my home event, and I know the roads very well,” said L’Estage “We made a few more changes to the car this summer, and at our last event in Maine, everything was perfect. A win here will really help to close the championship standings.”

Andrew Comrie-Picard (Toronto, ON) will be joined by co-driver Robbie Durant (Oxford, UK) for the event. The pair have shown impressive speed since teaming up early in 2009, including finishing second at the Rocky Mountain Rally in May. Comrie-Picard and Durant will be competing in a Mitubishi Evolution X, and sit six points behind L’Estage and Richard in the standings.

“The car has been developing well, and we’re really confident about our level of performance,” said Comrie-Picard. “A win here could move us into second place in the championship.”

A number of crews will be on hand showing just how fast two wheel drive cars can be. Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junnila (Calgary, AB) will be making the long haul east to challenge the current class leaders, Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg, MB). The young sensation Peter Koncandrle (Toronto, ON) and co-driver Jimmy Brandt (Lake Odessa, MI) in their diminutive Suzuki Swift will also be looking to improve on their current series standing. The Zedrils lead with 19 points, with Grochowski and Koncadrle chasing with 13 and 12 points respectively.

Sure to mix things up, Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino of Subaru Rally Team USA will be leaving the Impreza in the states and competing in a rear-wheel drive Ford Escort MkII. Block is an occasional competitor at Canadian events, having won the 2008 Rallye Baie des Chaleurs.

The fourth of six rounds, the Rallye Defi poses an endurance challenge for teams. With competitive stages getting longer on the second day of the event, competitors are forced to push faster just as they get more fatigued.

The event includes more than 150 kilometers of competitive stages run in the scenic Mont Tremblant region. One of the toughest events on the calendar, Rallye Defi is known to be hard on cars and crews alike.

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.rallyedefi.com

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With a dominating win at the 2009 Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs, Pat Richard (Squamish, B.C.) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto, Ont.) of Subaru Rally Team Canada leap into the lead of the Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama.

Richard and Ockwell came into the event fresh from a win at the Rocky Mountain Rally in Calgary in May, and were tied for the championship lead. The team suffered multiple flat tires through the weekend, but still managed to set the fastest overall time.

“This is great for the championship, and it’s also my third career win here,” said Richard. “We had some troubles, but we were able to set competitive times.”

A career-high second place went to the local team of Martin Gauvin and Daniel Duchesneau of New Richmond, Que., who consistently perform well at their home event.

“This event is very rough, and you have to drive clean and fast to do well,” said Gauvin. “We pushed very hard and never hit anything that would cause a problem. This is also the best finish for a Gaspesie team, so we’re very proud of that.”

Third place went to Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy, also of New Richmond. “We had some real problems over the last two stages with smoke coming into the cabin, and losing power steering,” said Henderson. “We found the problem and pushed very hard on the last stage – maybe 150% – and knew we had the podium.”

Top contenders Ken Block (Encinitas, California) and Alex Gelsomino (Los Angeles) of Subaru Rally Team USA crashed out of the event late Friday. Championship contenders, Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec suffered mechanical problems and dropped down the order, clawing back to fourth place at the finish for valuable points.

In the two wheel drive class, a tight battle formed between the Mitsubishi Lancer of Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg, Man.) and the Suzuki Swift of Peter Kocandrle (Acton, Ont.) and Jimmy Brandt (Michigan, U.S.). The veteran Zedril brothers traded times with the rookie Kocandrle, and managed to keep a lead to the end for the class win. Alberta competitors, Hardy Schmidtke and Adam Vokes brought their Subaru WRX to a top ten overall finish and a class win in Production GT. “It was a great competition with Peter,” said Jan Zedril. “We saw how much time we lost on the second last stage and knew we were going to have to really fight to keep the lead.”

Rally organizer Marc-Andre Leblanc was excited about the quality of the event. “I’m very proud of the quality of the entry and of course the results for the local teams,” said Leblanc. “I am also proud of the level of this event in Canada and in North America.”

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 stays in Quebec for the next round of the championship, the Rallye Defi, in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts and Montpellier, Que., September 11-12, 2009.

Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs Final Results (full results at www.rallyebdc.com)
1-Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1 hours 34 min. 48 sec.
2- Martin Gauvin – Daniel Duchesneau (Subaru Impreza WRX ) – 1:37:10
3- Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:38:17
4- Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard (Mitsubishi EVO X) – 1:38:24
5- Andrew Comrie-Picard – Jen Horsey (Mitsubishi EVO X) – 1:40:27
6- Joel Levac – Laurence Fanny L’Estage (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:41:54
7- Simon Losier – Francois Morin (Mitsubishi EVO IX) – 1:42:22
8- Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal (Subaru Impreza) – 1:43:34
9- Hardy Schmidtke – Adam Vokes (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:44:09
10- Leo Urlichich – Martin Headland (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:44:41

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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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BC-based driver wins almost every stage to finish 6 minutes ahead

Calgary, AB, JUNE 1, 2009 – Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Patrick Richard led from the start at the Rocky Mountain Rally held this past weekend near Calgary, AB, to claim his first victory of the season and the overall lead in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship.

Winning all but one of the event’s 13 scheduled stages, Squamish, BC based Richard and his co-driver Alan Ockwell, of Toronto, ON, cruised to the win in their Subaru WRX STi with a stunning margin of over six minutes to their nearest competitor, Andrew Comrie-Picard of Toronto, ON.

“This is a great way to rebound after our last event,” explained Richard, referring the previous round of the championship where the team had a win snatched from their grasp when they were forced to retire with just two stages remaining. “This puts the team in a great position for the rest of the season.”

Richard’s victory this weekend puts him and his co-driver at the top of the Canadian Rally Championship overall standings, tied with Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean sur Richelieu, QC. For the majority of the event, this Quebec based duo fought hard to keep up with Richard and Ockwell. “With the championship lead on the line, we knew Antoine wanted to win,” explained Ockwell. “He kept us honest until he slowed with mechanical problems.” L’Estage, driving a Mitsubishi Evo X, was over a minute behind Richard when he eventually failed to finish the event with differential failure.

“The car ran flawlessly and I have to credit both Subaru Canada, all of our associate sponsors Motul Lubricants, Vision-X Lighting, Crawford Performance and ACT, and our Squamish, BC-based Rocket Rally crew,” exclaimed Richard. Rocket Rally Racing is based in Squamish, BC, Canada and operates the Subaru Rally Team Canada on behalf of Subaru Canada, with associate sponsors Motul Lubricants, Vision-X Lighting, Crawford Performance and ACT providing product support for the 2009 championship campaign. “Everything ran perfectly and I can’t wait for the rest of the season.”

All rounds of the Canadian Rally Championship are televised nationally on TSN, TSN2 and RDS, and internationally. For television times, please check your local listings. More information about the Canadian Rally Championship can be found at the Canadian Association of Rallysport’s website www.carsrally.ca. Photos, videos and more information about the team can be found at the team’s website www.rocketrally.com.

Photo by Andrew Snucins, World Rally Sport

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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 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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