Rockstar Royal Group Rally Team makes its mark out west

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), won this past weekend’s Rocky Mountain Rally, round two of the 2010 Canadian Rally Championship. At the wheel of their Rockstar Energy Drink Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X, the duo took the lead of the rally on the first stage and never looked back, winning eight of the eleven stages and a dominating victory. L’Estage and Richard lead the North American Rally Championship and the US-based Rally America series, and are now in second place in the Canadian Rally Championship.

This 2010 Rocky Mountain Rally victory is another milestone for two-time Canadian and North American champion Antoine L’Estage, marking his twentieth overall national win. His co-driver, Nathalie Richard, is now one win away from the thirtieth outright victory. “We were faced with horrible weather conditions this year, with continuous snowfall and extremely muddy roads. One of the key factors in our win was our tire choice,” explains Antoine. He specifies, “We were able to benefit from our Yokohama A031 mud tires, which were perfect for Friday’s stages and allowed us to push hard on the first loop. By the end of the first three stages, we had over a minute and a half lead. Mechanical problems were not an issue for any of the top teams – it always feels good to win a clean fight.”

The Rockstar Royal Group team gained even more time on their opponents on Saturday to solidify their lead. “It’s an extraordinary victory for our team. We made good tactical choices, Antoine drove really well, and the car ran flawlessly all weekend. In short, it was a perfect rally, albeit the weather challenges that every team faced” confides Nathalie Richard, five-time North American champion co-driver.

This victory moves Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard into second place in the Canadian Rally Championship. It is also the fifth time in six 2010 North American rallies that the team has finished on the podium. Moving into first place in the championship is the team’s goal for the next Canadian round, July’s Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs.

STPR this weekend …

Before Canada’s next round, the team will cross a majority of the continent to compete at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) this coming weekend in Pennsylvania. Antoine and Nathalie won this event in 2008 and as current leaders of the Rally America series, they have the opportunity to clinch the title this Saturday.

“Our main goal for STPR is to watch our closest championship rivals and stay ahead of them. Naturally, if the possibility of winning the rally presents itself, we’ll be gunning for that, but it’s not a must in order to keep the lead going into the final round in July,” mentions L’Estage.

Antoine L’Estage has won two Canadian championship titles (2006 and 2007), as well as two North American titles (2007 and 2008) and twenty overall victories in Canada and the United States. Co-driver Nathalie Richard has earned four national championship titles (two Canadian and two American) and twenty-nine outright rally victories. In 2009, she won her fifth North American Championship for co-drivers.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the entire 2010 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), and VP Racing Fuels. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye.

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Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard (Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) charged to an early lead at the 2010 Rocky Mountain Rally, and continued to build their lead to the finish despite harrowing conditions that forced organisers to change the schedule for Saturday’s stages. The Calgary based Rocky Mountain Rally is the second round of the Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama.

“We had the perfect Yokohama tires for the event,” said L’Estage, driver of the Rockstar EVO X. “We took mud tires for the first stages and built a big lead that we kept through the rally. It is our first win since last year, so it feels fantastic.”

Rival team and defending Canadian Rally Champions Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) of Subaru Rally Team Canada suffered from a poor tire choice at the start of the rally and struggled to find their pace, eventually finishing second, more than two minutes back from L’Estage.

“The stages were super haywire,” said a dejected Richard, who holds four national overall driver titles and a North American driver’s title. “It’s been disappointing, I don’t know the last time I came second.”

Bruno Carre and Yvan Joyal (Laval, QC) benefited by using tall and narrow snow tires that cut through the sloppy conditions, driving to a third place finish. Their result was good enough to retain the top spot in the point standings for the Canadian Rally Championship.

“We found the secret weapon in terms of tires for these conditions,” said Carre, who worked his way to second place before dropping behind Richard and Ockwell on the final stages. “We’re still leading the Championship, which is great, especially against guys like Antoine and Pat.”

Tire choice proved vital for every team as massive snow dumped onto the stage roads leading up to and during the event. Some roads at altitude in the Porcupine Hills region of Alberta had up to 30 cm of snow, mixing with mud and water to create a slippery, difficult and unpredictable surface.

Leo Urlichich (Thornhill, ON) and Christine Beavis (San Diego) drove a disciplined rally to finish fourth overall. Craig Henderson (St-Constant, QC) finished third at the season opener, Rallye Perce Neige, but struggled to find his pace on Friday. A blown head gasket slowed his progress on Saturday, but he and co-diver Lyne Murphy continued to finish a hard earned fifth.

Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg) opened a minute lead on the first day, and drove conservatively to manage the lead. The strategy nearly failed when hard charging Kris and Jaclyn Schofield (Calgary) made up all but 11 seconds by the end of the final stage. The Zedrils finished 13th overall, also the top ranked two wheel drive car. The Schofields came in 14th overall, second in their class.

“We had a few big moments, but it was a lot of fun to be back in the car after a year and a half out of competition,” said Kris Schofield.

Conditions created challenges for rally organisers. Saturday’s schedule had to be completely redesigned when the road surface proved impassible on the southern stage roads. Organisers created a new schedule with the remaining roads, and teams tested themselves on five stages, finishing the rally late Saturday afternoon.

“It was a collaborative effort,” said Shabir Haji, organiser of the Rocky Mountain Rally, of the decision to rewrite the schedule. “We knew when the forecast was bad we may have to change the route. This morning when marshals were getting stuck, the decision was quick. We had to develop a format to get the stage distances for the teams.”

The championship battle continues at the Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs in New Richmond, Quebec. Thrilling roads and huge jumps combine with some of the biggest spectator crowds on the calendar, making Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs an event not to be missed.

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.

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.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings. The Rocky Mountain Rally is scheduled to premier Sunday June 27 at 11:00am EDT on TSN and Sunday July 11, at 11:00am EDT on RDS.

For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.rockymountainrally.com

Rocky Mountain Rally Final Results

1. Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard – one hour, 11 minutes 48.8 seconds
2. Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell – 1:14:05.6
3. Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal – 1:14:25.5
4. Leo Urlichich – Christine Beavis – 1:15:33.20
5. Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy – 1:18:25.4
6. Hardy Schmidtke – Adam Vokes – 1:18:25.0
7. Simon Losier – Philippe Poirier – 1:19:13.1
8. Graham Bruce – Leanne Junnila – 1:23:48.3
9. Mark Jennings-Bates – Jennifer Daly – 1:24:04.2
10. Ian Crerar – Ray Felice – 1:25:11.5

Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey Photography

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Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), will participate in this coming weekend’s Rocky Mountain Rally, the second round of the 2010 Canadian Rally Championship. The Rockstar Energy Drink Royal Group team, who is currently leading the North American Rally Cup as well as the Rally America series, has been on the podium for four of the five rallies so far this season on both sides of the border.

“The Rocky Mountain Rally is one that I’ve competed at every year since 2003, including two outright wins and we’re heading there with confidence. Our Mitsubishi Lance Evo X is really reliable and we have the best line of Yokohama tires for the roads in Kananaskis Country and the Porcupine Hills.” explains Antoine, a two-time Canadian and North American champion.

With the championship title in mind, Antoine and Nathalie are eagerly anticipating jumping back into Canadian competition having just completed the longest break in Canada’s 2010 calendar. “Since the end of the 2009 season, we have improved many little things on the car and all the seat time I have had competing in the entire Rally America series has been fantastic for me,” adds Antoine.

February’s Rallye Perce Neige was the last national event held in Canada. Since then, the Rockstar Royal Group team has been very busy in the premier American championship, Rally America. Their most recent outing was on May 16th at the Oregon Trail Rally, where the team finished third. After a wheel problem early in the rally cost them four and a half minutes and dropped them to 17th overall, L’Estage and Richard charged back, winning a total of eleven of the fifteen competitive stages to climb back to a podium spot. “We were pretty disappointed when we had to stop on stage, knowing it was going to cost us any chance we had at the win,” explains co-driver Richard. “We then agreed we were going to fight to climb as high as we could before the end of the rally and Antoine drove amazingly well in some really dusty conditions, winning all of the remaining stages. He was a man on a mission and it allowed us to keep our championship lead,” she adds.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard had initially planned on competing at only four of the six Rally America events this season with the intention of qualifying for their third trip to the Summer X Games in Los Angeles at the end of July. With their successful results, the support of their sponsors, and the efforts of John Buffum’s Libra Racing shop, the duo elected to add the two remaining event to their schedule, all the while not losing focus of their bid for the Canadian title. “The Rally American calendar has more events in the spring while the Canadian Championship is at rest” explains L’Estage. “winning an American championship is something that I’ve often thought about but I never considered it was possible before this year. There’s still two events to go and anything can happen but at the end of the day, we’re tackling three championships this year (Canadian, Rally America, and North American) and we’re in a place where we can eye all three titles”.

Antoine L’Estage has won two Canadian championship titles (2006 and 2007), as well as two North American titles (2007 and 2008) and nineteen overall victories in Canada and the United States. Co-driver Nathalie Richard has earned four national championship titles (two Canadian and two American) and twenty-eight outright rally victories. In 2009, she won her fifth North American Championship for co-drivers.

The 2010 Rocky Mountain Rally starts this Friday, May 28th in downtown Calgary and moves to the Porcupine Hills for Saturday’s competitive stages. A record number of registered teams are expected for this year’s edition.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the entire 2010 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), and VP Racing Fuels. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye.

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After a busy weekend as photographer and host for the successful Runway4Life fundraiser, local rally driver Mark Jennings-Bates is ready to get back into the rally car. His team will be travelling to the Rocky Mountain National Rally outside of Calgary, Alberta, this weekend. The event has drawn thirty entries from across the country, including the Squamish, BC based Rocket Rally driver Pat Richard, who was the 2009 Canadian Rally Champion.

Rocky has a reputation for being fast and dry or wet and difficult, and features the epic Powderface stage, one of Mark’s favourite roads. Mark admits that it’s hard to know exactly what to expect until the car is on the start line: “There is a lot of competition coming from the east, especially from Quebec, so there should be some great battles. Weather is a huge factor in this event, and with rain or snow forecast for the weekend, we will need to prepare for very challenging conditions.”

For the Rocky Mountain Rally Mark will be joined by his regular co-driver, Jennifer Daly, of Kelowna BC, and the team is aiming for a top ten finish. Jennifer is looking forward to competing again as an experienced team: “Mark and I haven’t been in the rally car together since we got our best result ever last October. We’ve both learned a lot from rallying with others, and I think we’re in a good position to push for our fastest pace.”

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team will be competing under the Rally4Life name for the 2010 season, in preparation for Mark’s entry into the 2011 Dakar Rally. The Rally4Life effort combines the adventure of a gruelling international rally with the determination to raise four million dollars for charities providing clean water to communities in the developing world.

Live updates and scoring results will be available on the Rocky Mountain Rally event website, and the event will be broadcast on TSN on Sunday, June 27.

The Rally4Life Canadian team is based in Kelowna, British Columbia and competes in the Western Canada Rally Championship and select events in the Canadian Rally Championship which is broadcast in High Definition on TSN and will be Canada’s first competitive car entry into the Dakar Rally in January 2011, driving a Bowler Nemesis.

Locally, the team is supported by Ksport USA, Aerius Engineering, BC Resort Homes, Big O Tires Westbank, AGAR Paint and Autobody, Wyatt Autoparts, Provision Data, Bell Racewear, Pinnacle Elite Athletes and Pinnacle Physiotherapy, K96.3FM and Castanet.net.

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The forests in Kananaskis Country and the Porcupine Hills will be alive with activity this weekend as the Rocky Mountain Rally hosts the best rally drivers in North America for the second round of the Canadian Rally Championship. Thirty cars are scheduled to take the start on Stephen Avenue Mall Friday May 28. The cars will be on display from 11Am until they are started at 12:06, a minute apart.

Dark horse series leader Bruno Carre is among the teams battling for the win against the powerhouse teams of Patrick Richard and Alan Ockwell in their Subaru Canada backed STi and Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard (Patrick’s sister) in their Rockstar Evo X. The series regulars are supported by a myriad of local teams, including 2009 Canadian PGT champions Hardy Schmidtke and Adam Vokes who will be debuting their new open class car at their home event.

Spectators will have the chance to see rally cars in their natural environment this year. In lieu of bringing the cars into the city for the spectator stages the organizers are bringing the spectators to the forest. Only an hour’s drive from downtown Calgary, The Jumping Pound Forest Demonstration Loop will be the spectator location this year. Located in the middle of a challenging 5 Km stage, the spectators will see the cars pass three times Friday evening, with the first pass just after 6 pm.

Saturday’s stages west of Claresholm in Southern Alberta feature amazing scenery and roads that will decide the winner of the event. The Skyline Ranch hosts the service park and the awards ceremony.

For more information:

Event Website: www.RockyMountainRally.com

The Canadian Association of Rallysport: www.CarsRally.ca

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Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Quebec), participated in this past weekend’s Rocky Mountain Rally, the second of six rounds in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship. Overall leaders after the first rally of the season, the duo was unable to complete Calgary’s event due to mechanical problems. Their performance prior to stopping was confirmation of their competitiveness, despite competing on gravel for the first time in the new Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.

Often contested in winter-like weather conditions, the 2009 Rocky Mountain Rally was blessed with sunny skies and mid-summer temperatures. Antoine and Nathalie started the rally as first car on the road, forcing them to “sweep” the thin layer of gravel coating the competition roads, much to the advantage of their adversaries. “We knew we would drop some time on the first couple of stages but our Yokohama tires allowed us to excel under these conditions,” explains Antoine. “This is also the first time I drove my new Rockstar Royal Group Evo X on gravel and to see that were we mere seconds – or tenths of seconds – off the pace confirms our competitiveness and is reassuring for the future,” he adds.

Under blue skies the following morning, the L’Estage/Richard team closed the gap to within four seconds of eventual winners Pat Richard/Alan Ockwell. Everything came to halt after the fourth stage of the day, during which the team’s rear differential broke, causing them to drop a minute off the lead. “Our mechanics attempted repairs during the service break but on the penultimate stage of the rally, we were sidelined in spite of our minute and a half lead ahead of third place. It’s disappointing because our objective was to earn valuable championship points but now I leave Calgary tied for the championship lead with Pat. The good news is that I learned a lot about the car and how it handles and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season,” concludes L’Estage.

Before heading to Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs later this month, Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard will compete in round 5 of the Rally America series, Pennsylvania’s Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR). L’Estage and Richard won this rally in 2008 and commencing Friday, June 5th, they will attempt to defend that victory amongst a talented field of US and international drivers.

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.

Photo: World Rally Sport, http://www.worldrallysport.com/

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Andrew Comrie-Picard and his codriver, Brit Robbie Durant, clinched their first podium this year in the Canadian Rally Championship with their 2009 Lancer Evolution as they came in second at the Rocky Mountain Rally out of Calgary last weekend. Mitsubishi came up short of another podium finish when Simon Losier and codriver Francois Morin crossed the finish line 4th, only 41 seconds shy of third place. Rejean and Maxime Losier also made a Top 10 with an eighth place finish. Other teams had a difficult weekend: championship leader, Antoine L’Estage was cruising to a second place finish when a mechanical gremlin impeded his progression. Albertans Zbigniew Szewczyk and Tomasz Karzynski and brothers Jan and Jody Zedril from Manitoba were leading their respective classes but went off-road.

“We witnessed in Calgary why rally is one of the toughest form of motorsports”, argued Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. “Comrie-Picard and Durant were very patient and deserved their podium, a second in a row in Canada for our new Evolution. They have a busy schedule with two championships and a new car to develop. We always expect to see the Losier family repeat their steady performances and they really deliver. Finally, we’re sad for Antoine who was fighting for victory when ha was sidelined.”

Next round: Baie des Chaleurs in the Gaspe area
After Rocky Mountain, Antoine L’Estage stills leads the national standings by virtue of his victory in the maiden event in February, but he will have to up the ante for the next round in the Gaspe area at the end of June at the Rallye Baie des Chaleurs, out of New Richmond since 1975. Experts say the title will be challenged by the two Mitsubishi Evolution and the defending champion Patrick Richard. At least four more crews will be entered for that round, boosting the Mitsubishi Brigade to ten entries. For more information, please visit www.rockymountainrally.com or www.carsrally.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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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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The Canadian Rally Championship is moving west to Calgary for the Rocky Mountain Rally this coming weekend and Mitsubishi will have some of its winningest crews enter the second round of the season. North American and twice Canadian champions and winners of the first round earlier in February, Antoine L’Estage and codriver Nathalie Richard, will take to the roads Friday evening in their 2009 Lancer Evolution. Albertans Zbigniew Szewczyk and Tomasz Karzynski will follow in a Group 5 Ralliart model while returning Production champions, brothers Jan and Jody Zedril from Manitoba are now entering the Group 2 class. These three teams are looking for an outright victory, a podium finish and a class win.

Presently 3rd in the Rally America standings, Andrew Comrie-Picard and Brit codriver Robbie Durant will charge as well for a podium place in another 09 Evolution. Synchro Autosport from Blainville, Quebec is also fielding a couple of Evolution 8 RSs with the usual Losier father and son crews. First, Rejean with codriver Maxime, then Simon, the 2008 Mitsubishi Cup winner, will pair up with Francois Morin. Finally, Mike Elhard and Thomas Chichak will vie for top rookie title in a first generation Evolution.

“We were very pleased with Antoine L’Estage taking a first win with the new Evolution this winter”, stated Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. “We hope he repeats this feat again in the Rockies. But other Mitsubishi crews are also very deserving and we hope our Rally Program helps them in their quest for titles in their own classes. The standings for the Mitsubishi Cup show Antoine leading but we know it is a long season and Andrew and the Losier family will attack every event.”

Event profile: Rocky Mountain Rally
After the usual Friday afternoon procedures before the official start, Antoine L’Estage will head out first on the road for a few spectator stages before the cars enter Parc ferme for night. Saturday morning will see the southern trek to the Porcupine Hills where most of the event will be held. This area in the past has offered every possible scenario, from hot and dusty roads to heavy snow. At the end of the long 12-hour day, teams will gather in Pincher Creek for the podium ceremony. For more information, please visit www.rockymountainrally.com or visit our password free media website at www.mitsubishi-motors-pr.ca

Photos by Philip Ericksen and Rally America

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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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The Prescribed Burn Rally Team will be traveling to Alberta to compete in their first national event of the 2009 rally season, the epic Rocky Mountain Rally, taking place on the ranchland roads outside of Calgary May 28-30. This will be the second outing for the team’s new 2004 Subaru STi rally car, which has received suspension and brake upgrades since the team’s open class win at the Cochrane winter rally in March.

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team is aiming to improve upon their 2008 result of 6th overall. Driver Mark Jennings-Bates is looking forward to giving the new car its first hard drive on the fast, open Alberta roads: “We were happy with last year’s finish, but it was a learning experience for us. This year we are better prepared, with the right tires and more knowledge. We’re planning on pushing our limits from the very first stage, and staying in close battles with some of the eastern teams that finished just ahead of us last year.” Rocky is a particular challenge for co-drivers, because it is run on computer generated ‘Jemba’ notes, a vast difference from most events, where teams are permitted to generate their own pace notes. With a new rally computer in the car, co-driver Jennifer Daly is feeling confident: “Two years ago Rocky was the first event for Mark and I as a team, and we’ve come a long way since. The car is well-equipped and we are working well together; I think we’ll be able to push harder and use the Jemba notes more effectively than in the past.”

The Rocky Mountain National Rally will be broadcast on TSN this fall as part of the televised Canadian National Rally Series. The event draws rally teams from across Canada, including the 2008 championship winning Rocky Rally Team, lead by Patrick Richard. The 2009 Rocky Mountain Rally begins on stage roads familiar to the teams from other regional Alberta events, and features a head-to-head superspecial at the Race City Speedway on Friday night.

The Prescribed Burn Rally Team is sponsored by BCResortHomes.com, Agar Paint & Autobody, BigO Tire in Westbank, Aerius Engineering, Wyatt Auto Parts, Kelowna Moving Centre, Provisiondata.com, The Great Canadian Oil Change and Bell Racing. The team is supported by K96.3FM, Castanet.net, Green Couch Designs.

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Round 2 – Rocky Mountain Rally

Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), will take to the start of Calgary’s Rocky Mountain Rally on May 29th and 30th. This is the second round of the Canadian Rally Championship, which is currently led by L’Estage and Richard following their victory at the Rallye Perce-Neige earlier this season. L’Estage and Richard, two-time Canadian and North American champions, will once again be at the wheel of their 2009 Rockstar/Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo X.

Already twice victorious at the Rocky Mountain Rally, an event renown for its fast gravel roads often covered in snow or mud, Antoine L’Estage arrives as the championship leader. “Nathalie and I know this rally well and we’re both very confident,” indicates the Quebec driver, who relies on a well-prepared car by rally legend John Buffum, as well as Yokohama tires specifically suited for these challenging conditions. “It’s a rally that’s always full of surprises. It could just as easily be warm and sunny as it could be cold with a foot of snow or muddy and hailing! I like the challenges that Mother Nature imposes on us and I perform well on difficult roads.” L’Estage adds, “I won’t be disappointed if it rains but the long-term forecast is calling for nice weather. We’re car number one and as first car on the road, we’ll be at a disadvantage as we sweep the thin layer of gravel for the teams behind us,” he confides.

The Rocky Mountain Rally starts at noon on Friday, May 29th at the Deerfoot Inn & Casino in Calgary, Alberta and concludes Saturday evening. This rally marks the end of the Canadian Rally Championship’s longest break of the year with almost three months since the Rallye Perce-Neige in February, an event that saw the L’Estage/Richard duo victorious in their Rockstar/Royal Group Mitsubishi Evo Lancer X’s maiden outing.

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.

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