The premiere rally teams in North America will be fighting head-to-head for top honours at the Rally of the Tall Pines, the final round of the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru, supported by Yokohama.

Subaru Rally Team Canada’s Pat Richard (Squamish, B.C.) and co-driver Alan Ockwell (Toronto) need to win to have a hope for repeating as Canadian Rally Champion driver and co-driver. The team is also leading the points standings for the manufacturers championship in their 2008 Subaru Impreza STI.

“The manufacturers title is our number one priority,” said Richard. “We have to approach this just like any other rally, and win again.”

Championship rivals Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard (Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) are in a slightly more relaxed position, with a second place finish netting the driver and co-driver titles. The pair campaign the Mitsubishi/Rockstar/Concerto EVO X.

“There’s still pressure on us,” said L’Estage, who also has a chance to clinch the North American Rally Cup with a solid finish at Tall Pines. “Competition will be tough, and I like this rally, but it can be very tricky.”

Brothers Frank and Dan Sprongl (Georgetown, Ont.) will be reunited in a car for the first time since 2006. Multiple Canadian and North American Champions, the two are sure to mix things up at the front of the pack. The team will be first on the road, driving a factory-backed Subaru Rally Team Canada Subaru Impreza STI.

“We’ve got nothing to lose, so there’s no pressure,” said Frank Sprongl, “It’s our first time back together, and Dan’s jumping in with both feet.” While they are not a factor in the driver’s championship, they could play a major role in the manufacturers standings by providing Subaru with an additional top-seeded entry.

Andrew Comrie-Picard (Toronto) and Jeremy Wimpey (State College, PA) will hope to secure the North American Rally Cup in their NOS Energy Drink Mitsubishi EVO X.

“We’ll need that delicate balance of speed, precision and reliability. Fortunately, the Evo is perfect for Pines,” said Comrie-Picard in regards to the thick competition.

More than 50 teams are on the start list for this event, including more than 20 two-wheel drive cars, and ten teams entered from the U.S. Zbigniew Szewczyk and Tomasz Karzynski (Calgary) will be pushing their Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart to the limit to secure the Group 5 Championship. They’ll have tough competition in the form of Martin Walter (North Gower, Ont.) and Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff (Ottawa) in their Nissan 240 SX. The teams are presently tied in the standings.

The storied Rally of the Tall Pines is an event that features some of the toughest driving challenges in North America, with conditions often referred to as “winter roads with summer ditches”.

The cold weather in the region at this time of year means the roads can become snow or ice covered, but drivers will not have the benefit of snow banks to keep them on the road. A small mistake can have big consequences at this event.

The Rally of the Tall Pines is one of the most spectator-friendly in the series, including a Super Special stage minutes from downtown Bancroft. The rally is held November 20-21, 2009, and includes more than 150 kilometers of competitive stages run in the Canadian Shield setting around Bancroft, Ontario.

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 on the web: www.CARSrally.ca ; www.tallpinesrally.com

PHOTO 1: Frank and Dan Sprongl test their factory Subaru Impreza STI prior to the Rally of the Tall Pines. (Photo Credit: Warwick Patterson/Flatovercrest.com)

PHOTO 2: Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard in their Mitsubishi Evolution X are leading the championship race going into the final round. (Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey/Flatovercrest.com)

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The Subaru Rally Team Canada pairing of Pat Richard (Squamish, B.C.) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) won the 2009 Pacific Forest Rally, the fifth round of the Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama. Mixed conditions in the hills surrounding the Nicola Valley took a toll on both teams and cars, with battles raging all through the order.

Richard and Ockwell suffered a technical problem during the final service, requiring them to delay their departure and incur a penalty which nearly cost them the event. The duo proceeded to crush the stage record on the final stages to re-affirm their win.

“We were only three seconds ahead going into the last stages,” said Richard. “We broke the stage record on Helmer, and made up 23 seconds on one stage alone.”

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard (Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) were tempted to fight for the win, but had their minds on a bigger prize. With a second place finish, the two retain a six point lead in the Canadian Rally Championship heading into the final event next month.

“It was very tempting to get into an all out battle with Pat,” said L’Estage. “But we came here to make sure we keep as big a lead in the championship as possible, and it wasn’t worth the risk to push.”

Scott Trinder and Bill Westhead (Vancouver) finished third after a close battle with rivals in the last few stages. The result is the first national podium finish for the team.

“I’m totally stoked on the result,” said an excited Trinder. “We came out here aiming to try to finish in the top few Subarus, but we’re the top privateer Subaru entry, which is amazing.”

Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg, MB) earned the top two-wheel drive finish, clinching the 2009 Group 2 class title. The overall two-wheel drive championship is still to be decided at the final event.

“Competition in two wheel drive has really stepped up,” said Jan Zedril. “You realize how many more risks you need to take just to gain a few seconds.”

Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junilla (Calgary) finished second in two-wheel drive with their VW Golf, despite engine problems that worsened through the rally. Carl Barrell and Martin Burnley were third in two wheel drive, also driving a VW Golf.

“This has been one of the most exciting events we’ve had in a long time, with lots of battles throughout the field,” said event organizer Paul Westwick. “We had really variable conditions – snow, sand, mud, gravel – and that kept things interesting.”

The manufacturer’s championship will also be decided at the final event of the season, where Subaru will defend a slim 10-point lead over rivals, Mitsubishi.

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 final round of the Canadian Rally Championship is the Rally of the Tall Pines, held in Bancroft, ON, November 19-21, 2009.

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

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

Pacific Forest Rally Final Results (full results at www.pacificforestrally.com)

1) Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1 hours 26 min. 12.40 sec.
2) Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard (Mitsubishi EVO X ) – 1:27:23.00
3) Scott Trinder – Bill Westhead (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:33:45.20
4) Simon Losier – Francois Morin (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 1:34:13.50
5) Mark Jennings-Bates – Jennifer Daly (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:36:54.90
6) Jan Zedril – Jody Zedril (Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart) – 1:39:16.80
7) Colin Armstrong – Keith Morison (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:40:46.90
Graham Bruce – Ryan Warrington (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:42:06.70
9) Eric Grochowski – Leanne Junilla (Volkswagen Golf) – 1:42:23.50
10) Dave Hintz – Rick Hintz (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:42:39.80

PHOTOS: Andrew Harvey/Flatovercrest.com

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This past weekend, at the wheel of their Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X, Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage and his co-driver Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), earned valuable points to maintain their lead in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship. By finishing second at the Pacific Forest Rally in Merritt, BC, the penultimate round in the series, current North American Rally Champions L’Estage and Richard have made it one step closer to claiming their third overall Canadian title.

“A strong finish at this rally was our main objective,” confides Antoine L’Estage. Sitting in second place with a fifteen second deficit at the end of Friday night, the L’Estage/Richard duo took charge the following morning by winning the first four mountain stages.

By the end of the ninth of sixteen stages, and without taking any unnecessary risks, Antoine and Nathalie had climbed back to within less than a second behind first place. “Unfortunately, we suffered a small problem with the turbo that cost us about forty seconds. From that moment on, we accepted that we would just manage our second place until the end of the rally. Mother Nature teased us a little before the start of the rally but our Yokohama tires once again did the job for us in these challenging road conditions” adds L’Estage.

Championship points were the most important goal for the Rockstar Royal Group team, who lead the 2009 hunt for the title by six points and one rally remaining. “We usually don’t settle for anything other than the rally victory but we had to keep the big picture in our minds. Any smart team would’ve done the same thing and we are happy with the result – we keep the championship lead and that’s what we wanted to return home with. We didn’t want to take any risks here and the car heads back east without even a scratch,” indicates Nathalie Richard.

The battle for the 2009 title will play out on November 21 at Ontario’s Rally of the Tall Pines, a rally that Antoine L’Estage has won three times. “I really enjoy the Rally of the Tall Pines and I’m confident we will clinch the championship there,” concludes L’Estage. Even if their closest championship rival wins the last rally, L’Estage and Richard could once again settle for second place and still be crowned 2009 Canadian 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 .

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard in action at the 2009 Pacific Forest Rally.
Photo: Andrew Snucins www.worldrallysport.com

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