Subaru Canada Rally Team driver Patrick Richard and his co-driver Alan Ockwell made an impressive start in their campaign to win their third consecutive Canadian Rally Championship, at the 2010 Rallye Perce Neige, held this past weekend near Maniwaki, QC, Canada. Overcoming an early deficit, the pair clearly demonstrated that they were the fastest team in the field, but an unknown mechanical issue on the events 9th stage forced the team to withdraw, meaning the defending Canadian champions failed to score any points at the first event of the 2010 championship season.

“We were running pretty strong, and we were getting ready to re-claim the lead,” explained co-driver Alan Ockwell, of Toronto, ON. “But on a road section we noticed an odd sound coming from the engine bay. Despite that, we started the stage, but when the warning lights came up on the instruments, we pulled over and that was that. We still dont know what caused the problem but the mechanics will be going over it when we get back.”

Despite retiring from the event, Richard and Ockwell both remained buoyant for the remainder of the season. Driving a Subaru Impreza STI prepared by Rocket Rally Racing, of Squamish, BC, the team was able to dramatically claw back an early deficit, putting on a great show for fans and specatators lining the ice covered roads. An off-road excursion on the first stage of the event saw the team momentarily lie in 50th position out of a total of 55 entires. Once repairs were effected, the team dominated the remainder of the event, winning every stage but one, and at times being nearly 2 seconds per kilometer faster than their nearest championship rivals. This raw demonstration of speed put the team firmly into a podium position and in contention for the lead of the event when they had their problem.

“As usual, if I put myself in a position where I need to respond with really fast times, its not a problem, but it puts a lot of stress on the equipment, and the co-driver,” joked four time Canadian Champion Patrick Richard. “Its too bad we couldn’t finish the event, as we had already reclaimed all of the time we had lost at the beginning, and we were having a lot of fun in the process.”

It was also a fantastic debut for the team’s new tire supplier, Yokohama Tire Canada. Having recently signed a deal with Yokohama to run ADVAN Motorsport tires for the entire 2010 Canadian Rally Championship, the driver was adamant that running their tires was the right choice. “In Canada, unlike in most other rally championships world-wide, drivers must compete on ice covered roads without using any studs, meaning tire choice and selection is critical. On the ice and snow, the Yokohama product clearly gave us an advantage over the rest of the field, and we wouldn’t have been the fastest car out there without them.”

Despite not scoring any points at this seasons’ opening event, the team’s primary championship rivals also did not fare very well, with the 2009 Championship runner up also failing to score points due to an off-road excursion. “With all the championship contenders falling to finish, the championship is basically going to re-start at the next rally, and with the speed we’ve shown we’re confident for the rest of the season.”

The next round of the 2010 Canadian Rally Championship will be the Rocky Mountain Rally, held in Calgary, AB. All events of the 2010 Canadian Rally Championship are televised nationally in English on TSN and TSN2, and in French on RDS. The Canadian Rally Championship is also internationally broadcast in Europe/Asia on MotorsTV, please check your local listings for details.

Rocket Rally Racing is based in Squamish, BC, Canada and operates the Subaru Rally Team Canada on behalf of Subaru Canada, with associate sponsors Yokohama Tire, Gulf Lubricants, Vision-X Lighting, Crawford Performance and ACT providing product support for the 2010 championship campaign.

Photo: Andrew Harvey / www.andrewharvey.ca

Bookmark to:

BC based team overcomes adversity to claim 2009 Canadian Rally Championship title, and claim manufacturer’s championship for Subaru Canada

Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Patrick Richard and his co-driver Alan Ockwell are the new 2009 Canadian Rally Champions, by virtue of their win at the Rally of the Tall Pines held this past weekend near Bancroft, ON. Their top finish also secured the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship manufacturer’s title for Subaru Canada.

Their stunning victory marked the fourth win of the season for rally driver Patrick Richard, of Squamish, BC, and his co-driver Alan Ockwell, of Toronto, ON. As reigning 2008 Canadian Rally Champions, this is their second consecutive overall rally championship win driving their Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

“We came into this event knowing that we needed a win to claim the championship title,” explained Ockwell. “The heavy rain and muddy conditions ensured it was going to be a very tough event.” During the final practice before the rally start, the team snap rolled the car into a swamp on a slippery left hand corner, and the car was unable to drive under its own power. “After Friday night, we didn’t even know if we could make the start of the event, and winning the championship seemed far, far away.” A frantic battle ensued for the team’s service crew from Rocket Rally Racing in Squamish, BC. “After three hours of gruelling work by our crew, the car was ready to drive, and in fact it was almost impossible to tell that we had rolled it – a new windshield, hood, fenders, radiator, you name it, they fixed it.”

And fixed it they did. Richard went on to take the lead of the rally by the event’s second stage, ultimately winning 8 of the 15 individually timed stages.

“With no options for us except to win, and no second chances if we had crashed or broken, we made sure that we were going as fast as we needed to in order to stay in front,” said Richard. At the start of the event’s 10th stage, Richard and Ockwell had a 13 second lead over their second placed rival, and were looking firm for the win. “We didn’t have to push too hard, but we were slowly ratcheting up the pace, and by the ninth stage we were putting in about a second per kilometer on our main rivals. We were feeling confident about the win.”

But it all came apart on the 10th stage, where a transmission problem forced the team to first slow, then ultimately stop on the stage. “We lost about a minute on that stage, and with that, the championship faded before our eyes.”

The team’s BC based service crew sprung into action, and performed a miracle 17 minute transmission change which kept the pair in the rally. “Our crew was amazing. After staying up all night repairing the roll damage, they then came through with a 17 minute transmission change. Incredible.” Despite having a new transmission installed, it was in fact a standard, production gearbox. Richard and Ockwell’s other racing gearbox was installed in the team’s second car, which was being driven by six-time Canadian Champion Frank Sprongl, who was also entered into the event to secure manufacturer points for Subaru Canada. Sprongl went on to eventually finish third.

“We won every stage after the transmission swap, and had whittled down the time lost with the transmission problem to just 25 seconds, with one 25km stage to go. It was going to be an epic finish.” But alas, the team’s primary rivals had a clutch problem on the very last stage of the event, handing the event and the championship title to Richard and Ockwell.

“We had a roller coaster of an event. From the roll, to comfortably leading the event, to losing the lead – and the championship – with the transmission issue, to fighting back and leading it again. All this in a 24-hour period!”

After taking a two year hiatus from the sport, Richard is now a four-time Canadian Rally Champion (2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009) and is now poised to break the all-time championship record of six, jointly held by Frank Sprongl and Tom McGeer. Richard has also previously won the Rally America Championship several times, including the overall North American Rally Championship.

“Aside from driver-induced damage the car ran flawlessly and I have to credit both Subaru Canada and all of our associate sponsors including Vision-X Lighting, Crawford Performance, 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 Vision-X Lighting, Crawford Performance and ACT providing product support for the 2009 championship campaign. “Everything ran perfectly and I can’t wait to do it all over again in 2010.”

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.

Photos by Andrew Harvey

Bookmark to:

In a dramatic season finale, Pat Richard (Squamish, B.C.) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) won the Rally of the Tall Pines in Bancroft, Ontario to clinch the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama.

“It’s fantastic to repeat as champions,” said Richard, who in winning the event, took his fourth overall title. “Now I have to win two more titles and tie the record!”

Transmission problems late in the day threatened to put the team out of the event, but the Subaru Impreza STI held up to get the pair into service where a new transmission was installed, allowing the two to continue. With this result, Richard and Ockwell also secured the manufacturer’s title for Subaru Canada.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) had a heartbreaking event. The two-time Canadian and North American Champions had been leading into the final four stages when clutch problems prevented them from starting the last stage on time. As the pair struggled to get going, competitors passed them on the stage and the team watched not just the event win, but the Canadian Rally Championship title and North American Rally Cup title fall apart in front of them. They eventually got the car going, finishing fifth.

“It’s been said that the highs in the this sport are really high, but that it can also be cruel,” said L’Estage, “We definitely felt that today.”

Andrew Comrie-Picard (Toronto) and Jeremy Wimpey (State College, PA) finished a strong second place in their NOS Mitsubishi EVO X. “We’ve just drove as hard as we could,” said Comrie-Picard. “Our car isn’t as developed as we’d like, so we knew we’d have to make it up in the driving.”

For Comrie-Picard, this result secures him the North American Rally Cup driver’s title.

Frank and Dan Sprongl (Georgetown, Ont.) were driving the second Subaru Rally Team Canada Impreza STI, finishing third. “We got quicker through the day,” said Frank. “It’s been three years since we’ve been in a car together, and two years since I have driven on gravel, so it’s been a good weekend.”

Two wheel drive competition was well represented, with 16 entries spread over three classes.

Michael Hordijk (Mars, PA) and Jessie Amend (Pittsburgh, PA) were the top two-wheel drive car in their VW TDI Golf, finishing 11th and winning the Group 5 class. Though the pair has rallied in the US, this marks their first event in Canada.

Martin Walter (North Gower, Ont.) and Ferdinand Trauttmansdorf (Ottawa) were the second place two wheel drive car in their Nissan 240 SX. The team finished in 13th overall. Third two wheel drive was Peter Kocandrle (Acton, Ont.) and Jimmy Brandt (Lake Odessa, MI) in a Suzuki Swift GT. Kocandrle and Brandt finished 14th overall and won the Group 2 class. Matt Barnes (Kitchener, Ont.) and Andrew Wallbank (Guelph, Ont.) finished 18th, winning the Production Sport class in a Toyota Paseo.

The 2009 Two Wheel Drive Championship driver’s title went to Jan Zedril (Winnipeg), with Leanne Junnila (Calgary). The Group 2 title went to Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg), while Neil and Lorna Wright (Ottawa) earned the Production Sport title. Production GT went to Hardy Schmidtke (Cochrane, Alta.) and Adam Vokes (Red Deer, Alta.). Nathalie Richard won the Ladies Championship, and Nick Mathew (Mississauga, Ont.) was the top novice driver.

“We had a record number of entries this year, with 51 cars at the start line,” said rally coordinator Mike Koch. “We had unusually warm conditions, making it great for spectators to watch one of the deepest fields of the year in action.”

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 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 or www.tallpinesrally.com

Rally of the Tall Pines Final Results (full results at www.tallpinesrally.com)

1 ) Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1 hour 53 min. 48 sec.
2 ) Andrew Comrie-Picard – Jeremy Wimpey (Mitsubishi EVO X) – 1:56:44
3 ) Frank Sprongl – Dan Sprongl (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:57:07
4 ) Leo Urlichich – Martin Headland (Subaru Impreza STI) – 2:02:51
5 ) Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard (Mitsubishi EVO X) – 2:03:43
6 ) Simon Losier – Francois Morin (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 2:07:25
7 ) Chris Martin – Phil Narini (Subaru Impreza) – 2:10:55
8 ) Martin Donnelly – Dave Shindle (Subaru Impreza STI) – 2:16:10
9 ) Bruno-Pierre Allard – Karen Wagner (Subaru Impreza STI) – 2:18:00
10) Nicola Narini – Massimo Narini (Subaru Impreza) – 2:19:32

Canadian Rally Championship Final Driver Standings

1 ) Pat Richard – 90 points
2 ) Antoine L’Estage – 84 points
3 ) Simon Losier – 50 points
4 ) Andrew Comrie-Picard – 47 points
5 ) Craig Henderson – 40 points
6 ) Leo Urlichich – 28 points
7 ) Bruno Carre – 25 points
8 ) Hardy Schmidtke – 21 points
9 ) Nick Mathew – 20 points
10 ) Sylvain Erickson – 18 points

Canadian Rally Championship Final Co-Driver Standings

1 ) Alan Ockwell – 90 points
2 ) Nathalie Richard – 86 points
3 ) Francois Morin – 58 points
4 ) Lyne Murphy – 44 points
5 ) Martin Headland – 30 points
6 ) Yvan Joyal – 25 points
7 ) Adam Vokes – 23 points
8 ) Keith Morison – 21 points
9 ) Kelly Mathew – 21 points
10 ) Philip Erickson – 17 points
= ) Daniel Duchesneau – 17 points

Bookmark to:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bookmark to:

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard (St Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que.) steered clear of danger to win the 2009 Rallye Defi, the fourth round of the Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama. With the win, the pair also move into the points lead for the 2009 championship.

“We’re very happy with what is the best possible result,” said L’Estage. “We have retaken the lead in the championship, and also have tied the record for the number of wins at Defi. The Mitsubishi Rockstar Energy Drink Concerto car was perfect for the entire event!”

L’Estage has won the event four times. Only rally legend, John Buffum, has achieved the same record.

Second place went to Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy (New Richmond, Que.). The two had worked their way up the order in a car different from what they normally use.

“The support from Sylvain Erickson for the use of his Subaru Impreza STI, and for crewing for us was the best part of the rally,” said Henderson. “We were learning about how to drive the car all day, because it has much more power than my car. There is a lot more speed in that car, but for our first national event with this car, it is a great result.”

Third place was awarded to Steeve Hobbs and Jean Mathieu Tremblay (Lac Sainte Jean, Que.) in their Subaru Impreza WRX. In only his second national event, Hobbs worked his way up from a 29th place start position.

“This is amazing, we had no idea how well we could do,” said a jubilant Hobbs. “We tried to drive safely and smart but still fast and it has paid off.”

The top two-wheel drive entry was Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg, Man.) in their Mitsubishi Lancer. The two built a steady lead early on and continued to expand the margin to the finish.

“We were really lucky, we had no punctures, and no problems at all,” said Jody Zedril. “There is some good competition in two wheel drive, like Eric Grochowski and Peter Kocandrle, so we knew we couldn’t give up any time or they could have passed us.”

The closest competition to L’Estage came in the form of Subaru Rally Team Canada’s Pat Richard (Squamish, B.C.) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto, Ont.). The two had been leading after the first day’s action, when a transmission failure on Saturday morning sidelined the team.

Andrew Comrie-Picard (Toronto, Ont.) and Robbie Durant (Oxford, U.K.) were a close third until they damaged the oil cooler on their Mitusbishi EVO X on Saturday morning, forcing their retirement from the event.

Top contenders Ken Block (Encinitas, California) and Alex Gelsomino (Los Angeles) of Subaru Rally Team USA ended their event on the first stage, when mechanical problems struck their vintage Ford Escort.

Rally organizer B. Gilles Lacroix was keen to congratulate the finishers. “This event was very demanding on teams and the cars, and is not an easy one to finish,” said Lacroix. “The teams that made it to the end are to be commended for their skill in managing the rough conditions.”

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 next event on the Canadian Rally Championship is the Pacific Forest Rally, in Merritt, B.C., October 2 – 3, 2009.

Rallye Defi Final Results (full results at www.rallyedefi.com)
1) Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard (Mitsubishi EVO X) – 1 hours 11 min. 20 sec.
2) Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy (Subaru Impreza STI ) – 1:14:27
3) Steeve Hobbs – Jean Mathieu Tremblay (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:17:38
4) Leo Urlichich – Martin Headland (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:18:08
5) Simon Losier – Francois Morin (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 1:18:18
6) Maxime Losier – Philippe Poirier (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 1:19:04
7) Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal (Subaru Impreza) – 1:19:10
Hardy Schmidtke – Adam Vokes (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:19:47
9) Martin Losier – Patrick Losier (Mitsubishi EVO V) – 1:20:29
10) Martin Donnelly – Dave Schindle (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:21:21

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

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

Bookmark to:

Richard sets all-time victory record while Block crashes out

Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Patrick Richard took a hard-fought victory at the Rallye Baie des Chaleurs, held this past weekend near New Richmond, QC, beating the entire field of 48 cars and solidifying his overall lead in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship.

Driving a Subaru Impreza WRX STi, Squamish, BC based Richard and his co-driver Alan Ockwell, of Toronto, ON, took the lead after the fourth stage and never looked back, marking Richard’s second overall win in a row, and third overall win at this particular event. Three victories by a single driver is a new record for this classic event which has been held for 32 years.

“This was billed as the North American showdown of the season,” explained Richard, “we had the fastest drivers in North America at this event and it didn’t disappoint in terms of action for the fans.” The entry list included the top ranked teams from the American national championship including Ken Block, who won the last round of the Rally America series and is a 2 time X Games medalist. Despite a flat tire on the second stage, Richard and Ockwell shared the best stage times with Block, who eventually crashed out on stage 4. “After Ken crashed out we pretty much paced ourselves to the end. It was one of those rallies where you either broke or crashed trying to keep up.”

The team’s event wasn’t without some drama, however. “We decided to try some different suspension settings, which didn’t really work out,” explained Ockwell. “Once we reverted back to the original setup, the only issues we had were with the tires.” Despite leading the event from the fourth stage, the team endured a total of four flat tires. “It wasn’t like we were pushing, we had several minutes of advantage, but we kept pulling tires off the car. In the end, the car ran flawlessly but we’ll have to look at what we can do about our tire situation before the next event.”

The Rallye Baie des Chaleurs is considered the toughest round of the Canadian Rally Championship, and normally teams fight to stay in the event with engines, transmissions and suspension components pushed to the limit in this tough test of speed and endurance. “I have to give credit where credit is due – the car was absolutely flawless. Aside from the tires we didn’t have anything go wrong at all, and that is despite the fact that we were leading the toughest event in the championship. Our Squamish, BC-based Rocket Rally crew did a fantastic job.” Rocket Rally Racing is based in Squamish, BC, Canada and operates the Subaru Rally Team Canada on behalf of Subaru Canada, with associate sponsors Vision-X Lighting, Crawford Performance and ACT providing product support for the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship.

This victory puts Richard and Ockwell solidly in the lead of the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship, now at the halfway point of its season. Richard and Ockwell are the defending champions from 2008. All rounds of the Canadian Rally Championship are televised nationally on TSN, TSN2 and RDS, as well as 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 Harvey, www.andrewharvey.ca

Bookmark to: