“It’s a convincing victory, winning the rally with a gap of over eight minutes ahead of second place,” confides Antoine L’Estage, who adds, “I felt much more comfortable with the new car than last weekend in Michigan. Nathalie once again did a fantastic job co-driving, we didn’t have a single mechanical issue, and our Yokohama tires allowed us to push as much as we needed to throughout this very long rally. We can really say that it was the perfect scenario for us.”

Winners of nine of the sixteen competitive stages in the 2012 Rallye Perce-Neige, Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard once again proved from the beginning how competitively John Buffum has built yet another Lancer Evo X. “Leading the Canadian and North American championships – there’s no better way for us to start our season,” concludes Nathalie Richard who was celebrating her 100th rally, of which she has won no fewer than thirty-eight!

The next outing for the Rockstar Energy Drink team is set for the last weekend of February in Missouri, where Antoine L’Estage, Nathalie Richard and the entire team will return to the Rally America series to defend their 2011 victory at the 100 Acre Wood rally.

Antoine L’Estage holds four North American championship titles (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011), four Canadian titles (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011), one American title (2010), and thirty-two overall victories in Canada and the US. Nathalie Richard holds seven overall national championship titles (4 Canadian and 3 American), as well as thirty-eight overall rally wins on both sides of the border. She also holds a record seven North American Co-Driving Championship titles (2004 – 2011, excluding 2006).

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2012 Rally America and Canadian Rally Championships with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Formica Group, Fenetres Concerto, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes, Garrett Turbos, Energie Cardio, VP Racing Fuels, Exe-Tc Suspensions, Hawk Performance Brake Pads, Driver’s Edge Autosport, and Libra Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit antoinelestage.com.

Action Photo: World Rally Sport /Melina Lamoureux
Victory Photo : World Rally Sport /Mike Proulx

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Victorious at the opening round of the season (February’s Rallye Perce-Neige, in Maniwaki, Quebec), Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard will take to the start of the rally on Friday morning just west of Calgary in the Kananaskis region. In addition to leading the 2011 Canadian Rally Championship, the duo is also leading the North American Rally Cup. At the wheel of their Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X, their goal to make this a second consecutive Canadian victory is clear. “This rally marks the end of the longest break in the 2011 Canadian rally calendar. The Rocky Mountain Rally is a tough event because we can never guess what Mother Nature has in store for us but it’s a rally I enjoy and have had a good amount of success at. I’m pretty confident,” explains Antoine, three-time winner of this rally, as is co-driver Nathalie Richard. “The Northwest US rallies have allowed us to get some good seat time in the car,” adds the Quebec driver, who marked a decisive victory at the extremely challenging Rocky Mountain Rally in 2010.

The Rockstar Royal Group team brings with them a full line-up of Yokohama tires for this event, where the roads can just as easily be covered in gravel and dust as they can be in mud and snow, as was the case last year. “Thanks to Yokohama, we have very competitive tires for all types of surfaces, which is key to doing well,” explains Antoine L’Estage.

A good part of this year’s course is new for 2011. “Although it’s now 100% in the Kananaskis region that we’ve been going to for several years now, many stages will be a new discovery for us this year. We know some of the roads but others will be completely new to us. In addition, the rally will take place solely on Friday, another big change for the 2011 edition,” indicates co-driver Nathalie Richard. For L’Estage, this is something positive. “I like long competition days and it will be a big change of pace compared to the last US rally that was spaced out over three days!” he specifies.

Oregon Trail Re-Cap

This past May 13th to 15th, The Rockstar Royal Group team contested the Oregon Trail Rally, the fourth round of the 2011 Rally America series. Sandwiched between the Olympus rally and the Rocky Mountain Rally, this three-day event saw Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard once again finish on the podium. While leading the rally, the duo suffered from an unusual amount of punctures on Day 2, dropping them to second place. “We had mixed emotions when we left Oregon. I was very happy with the car and despite some minor mechanical problems, we won the first three stages on Saturday and took over the lead of the rally before our punctures. This type of problem almost never happens to us! From there on, we just had to maintain our second place, which allows us to increase our lead in the North American Rally Cup,” concludes Antoine, who set the fastest time on six of the eleven forest and farmland stages.

Antoine L’Estage holds three North American championship titles (2007, 2008 and 2010), three Canadian titles (2006, 2007 and 2010), one American title (2010), and twenty-seven overall victories in Canada and the US. Nathalie Richard holds six overall national championship titles (3 in Canada and 3 in the USA), as well as thirty-three overall rally wins on both sides of the border. She is also a six-time North American Co-Driving Champion (2004- 2010, excluding 2006).

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2011 Rally America and Canadian Rally Championships with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Yokohama Tires, Mitsubishi Canada, Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes, Garrett Turbos, Energie Cardio, Libra Racing, Driver’s Edge Autosport (OMP), VP Racing Fuels, exe-Tc and Hawk Performance Brake Pads. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit antoinelestage.com.

Photo by Matthew Young/World Rally Sport

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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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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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“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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