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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Driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and the NOS Energy Mitsubishi put in an aggressive drive at the Oregon Trail Rally this weekend to finish fourth and maintain a top-three position in the Rally America championship standings.

Comrie-Picard and co-driver Robbie Durant were one second off the overall lead until a flat tire at the mid-point in the three-day event cost them nearly a minute to the leaders. The duo fought hard to regain position, finishing the weekend narrowly in fourth-place overall. After three days of racing and more than 100 miles of competition, the final results saw just six seconds separating second from fourth place.

“We were definitely on the pace for the win, and could have taken it without that puncture,” said Comrie-Picard. “But the championship standings are very close and we expect to be back in the lead after the next round.” Comrie-Picard and Durant went into the event leading the Rally America series.

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana took the win, Rockstar Energy’s Tanner Foust was second, and the Polish driver Andi Mancin finished third to score his first-ever U.S. podium.

“This was the first event this season that we didn’t finish on the podium and that’s a disappointment,” said Comrie-Picard. “But the competition was amazing and I have to hand it to Andi Mancin – he drove a great race.”

The event was challenging from the start for the team, after an off-road excursion during a practice session before the rally sent them to the pits to rebuild the front-left corner of the car. It was thanks to the community of Mitsubishi fans in the Pacific Northwest that the team was able to take the start at all.

“Having to do a major mechanical rebuild when you’re 2,500 miles from home can be a challenge, but our friends in the Mitsubishi community came through for us here,” said Comrie-Picard. “A big thanks to everybody, especially Aaron from English Racing in Camas, Washington, and Gene from Magic Auto in Elma, Washington, for helping us out.”

At the mid-point in the U.S. season, Comrie-Picard is in third-place overall in the standings – seven points behind leader Pastrana; two points behind Foust.

The Oregon Trail Rally took place over 100 miles of competition on a course that includes a mix of twisty, hard-packed forest conditions and wide-open farming roads. The Mount Hood area’s hilly terrain meant plenty of elevation changes throughout the contest. The conditions were sunny and bright, making for dry and dusty roads and a visibility challenge for teams.

Many fans took advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend, turning out by the thousands to take in the action at the Portland International Raceway, and the Mount Hood spectator areas.

Rally activities began on Thursday with a kick-off car show in downtown Portland. Comrie-Picard was among the key series players to make an appearance Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square for a midday display where fans had the opportunity to meet with their favorite drivers and check out their race machines.

The action continued at the Portland International Raceway on Friday evening, with a short super special stage that used sections of both the tarmac and motocross tracks and drew an estimated 1,500 fans.

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.

Next, the team heads north for Round 2 of the Canadian Rally Championship, the Rocky Mountain Rally on May 29-30. The team is back in the U.S. on June 5-6 at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Pennsylvania.

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).

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Rally driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and the NOS Energy Mitsubishi will continue their campaign for the Rally America title this weekend at the Oregon Trail rally in the Pacific Northwest (May 15-17).

“We’ve had a strong start to the season and we’re going to be pushing hard to stay up front this weekend,” said Comrie-Picard.

Heading into Round 4, Comrie-Picard tops the series standings with a three-point lead over Rockstar Energy driver Tanner Foust and Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana, who are tied for second-place.

The NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, driver Comrie-Picard and co-driver Robbie Durant will be in downtown Portland on Thursday morning at 11 a.m. for a kick-off car display at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Racing begins Friday at the Portland International Raceway, before heading to the Mount Hood area for the Saturday and Sunday stages.

During the three-day event, teams will take on over 100 miles of competitive stages on a course that promises a mix of twisty, hard-packed forest conditions and wide-open farming roads. The region’s hilly terrain means plenty of elevation changes throughout the contest.

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).

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Rally driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard put in an aggressive drive this weekend at the Olympus Rally to finish second overall and extend his lead in the Rally America championship series.

“This was an incredibly tough rally,” said Comrie-Picard. “The competition between the top teams was intense; we fought hard for this result.”

It is the third podium finish for the NOS Energy Mitsubishi in three starts in the series.

Entering the event, Comrie-Picard was tied with Rockstar Energy’s Tanner Foust for the championship lead. After a two-day battle over more than 100 miles of rugged stages, Comrie-Picard came out ahead in the points.

After three rounds of the Rally America championship, Comrie-Picard tops the standings with 48 points, while Foust and Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana are tied for second with 45 points apiece.

“We’re thrilled to be leading the championship,” said Comrie-Picard. “We’re gunning for top points this year and we’ll be battling hard at every round.”

The rally opened with a series of extremely fast stages that saw teams top 120 mph on some of the straightaways. Comrie-Picard and co-driver Robbie Durant finished the first day in the third-place position and prepared to charge on the more technical Day 2 course.

Serious mechanical trouble for the early rally leader, Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block, meant the battle was on between Comrie-Picard and Red Bull’s Travis Pastrana for Day 2. The two traded seconds all weekend, even finishing stages in a dead-heat tie.

But as Comrie-Picard prepared to push into the final miles Sunday afternoon, an ailing transmission began to cost them time. Without the use of third or fourth gear through the final two stages of the event, he was unable to catch Pastrana.

“Everybody had problems; Travis and Tanner both had to do some serious transmission work overnight after Day 1, and Ken (Block) blew two motors,” said Comrie-Picard. “There’s no doubt this is a tough sport.”

Third place went to Foust. The driver had made an early bid for the lead but lost time to the leaders on Sunday while running with a back-up gearbox.

The next round for the team is the Portland-based Oregon Trail Rally in a month’s time (May 15-17). Driver Comrie-Picard is also slated to begin running select events in the prestigious Formula D drifting series in the coming months.

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

Photo by Jen Horsey

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