2009
Pat Richard storms to victory at 2009 Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs
NEW RICHMOND, Quebec – With a dominating win at the 2009 Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs, Pat Richard (Squamish, B.C.) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto, Ont.) of Subaru Rally Team Canada leap into the lead of the Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama.
Richard and Ockwell came into the event fresh from a win at the Rocky Mountain Rally in Calgary in May, and were tied for the championship lead. The team suffered multiple flat tires through the weekend, but still managed to set the fastest overall time.
“This is great for the championship, and it's also my third career win here,” said Richard. “We had some troubles, but we were able to set competitive times.”
A career-high second place went to the local team of Martin Gauvin and Daniel Duchesneau of New Richmond, Que., who consistently perform well at their home event.
“This event is very rough, and you have to drive clean and fast to do well,” said Gauvin. “We pushed very hard and never hit anything that would cause a problem. This is also the best finish for a Gaspésie team, so we're very proud of that.”
Third place went to Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy, also of New Richmond. “We had some real problems over the last two stages with smoke coming into the cabin, and losing power steering,” said Henderson. “We found the problem and pushed very hard on the last stage – maybe 150% - and knew we had the podium.”
Top contenders Ken Block (Encinitas, California) and Alex Gelsomino (Los Angeles) of Subaru Rally Team USA crashed out of the event late Friday. Championship contenders, Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec suffered mechanical problems and dropped down the order, clawing back to fourth place at the finish for valuable points.
In the two wheel drive class, a tight battle formed between the Mitsubishi Lancer of Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg, Man.) and the Suzuki Swift of Peter Kocandrle (Acton, Ont.) and Jimmy Brandt (Michigan, U.S.). The veteran Zedril brothers traded times with the rookie Kocandrle, and managed to keep a lead to the end for the class win. Alberta competitors, Hardy Schmidtke and Adam Vokes brought their Subaru WRX to a top ten overall finish and a class win in Production GT. “It was a great competition with Peter,” said Jan Zedril. “We saw how much time we lost on the second last stage and knew we were going to have to really fight to keep the lead.”
Rally organizer Marc-André Leblanc was excited about the quality of the event. “I'm very proud of the quality of the entry and of course the results for the local teams,” said Leblanc. “I am also proud of the level of this event in Canada and in North America.”
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 stays in Quebec for the next round of the championship, the Rallye Defi, in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts and Montpellier, Que., September 11-12, 2009.
Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs Final Results (full results at www.rallyebdc.com)
1) Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1 hours 34 min. 48 sec.
2) Martin Gauvin – Daniel Duchesneau (Subaru Impreza WRX ) – 1:37:10
3) Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:38:17
4) Antoine L'Estage – Nathalie Richard (Mitsubishi EVO X) – 1:38:24
5) Andrew Comrie-Picard – Jen Horsey (Mitsubishi EVO X) – 1:40:27
6) Joel Levac – Laurence Fanny L'Estage (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:41:54
7) Simon Losier – Francois Morin (Mitsubishi EVO IX) – 1:42:22
8) Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal (Subaru Impreza) – 1:43:34
9) Hardy Schmidtke – Adam Vokes (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:44:09
10) Leo Urlichich – Martin Headland (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:44:41
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Shootout of the year at the 2009 Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs
STOUFFVILLE, ON (CARS Media) - A close championship battle will be contested by a deep field at the
2009 Rallye Baie-Des-Chaleurs in New Richmond, Que., third round of the Canadian Rally
Championship presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama. Just six points separate the
top four teams, with a win earning 22 points. Every move up the order is critical for the teams
vying for the title of 2009 Canadian Rally Champion.
Subaru Rally Team Canada’s Pat Richard, of Squamish, BC, and co-driver Alan Ockwell share
the championship lead and are defending 2008 Canadian Rally Champions. “We really need to manage our speed at this event,” says Richard, “The championship is so
close that you can't really back off to save the car, but this event is rough and you need to be
careful."
Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard of St-Jean-sur-Richlieu, Que., share the lead
with Richard and Ockwell. The pair won the opening round of the series in the debut of their
Mitsubishi Evolution X, but suffered development problems at the Rocky Mountain Rally in May.
Baie-Des-Chaleurs is going to be a really interesting rally for the fans and teams, with so much
competition,” said L’Estage. “I don't want to let Ken Block win again!”
Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino both hail from California, U.S., and will be the entry from the
Subaru Rally Team USA. The pair won the rally in 2008, their first time at Baie.
"The atmosphere is something very close to what you see in a WRC or European championship
event and that makes Baie quite unique in North American rally," said Gelsomino. "Those are
truly world class roads, really enjoyable to drive but they don't give much of a chance if you
make a mistake."
Canadian Andrew Comrie-Picard and co-driver Jen Horsey will be in their Mitsubishi Evolution
X. Andrew is a close contender just four points behind the leaders in the Canadian Rally
Championship.
“It's great to have such a hotly contested event,” said Comrie-Picard. “The depth of the field will
really enhance the pleasure of the event for teams and fans alike.”
Sylvain Erickson of Gatineau, Que., will also be mixing it up at the front, and sits just six points
back from the championship leaders. Erickson has teamed up with veteran co-driver Brian
Maxwell of Port Hope, Ont., in an effort to find more speed.
"This will be the first time working with a co-driver who is really good with stage notes," said
Erickson. "Brian has a lot of experience that should help me go even faster."
This year's entry nears 50 cars, and will be highlighted by Martin Gauvin and Daniel
Duchesneau of New Richmond, Que., and Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy also of New
Richmond, Que. Both have earned podium finishes in the past and are viable threats on their
hometown roads.
Nick and Kelly Mathew of Caledon, Ont., will aim for more valuable championship points after a
third place finish at the Rocky Mountain Rally.
Jan and Jody Zedril are entered after a bad crash at the Rocky Mountain Rally in late May left
their two wheel drive Mitsubishi Lancer in need of repairs. Currently second place in the Two
Wheel Drive Championship, and their rivals not entered, the Zedrils have a great opportunity to
move up in the standings.
"Work started on the car as soon as we got home from Rocky, and we're all set to go," said Jody
Zedril.
The event, held June 26-27, 2009, includes 190 kilometers of competitive stages run near the
town of New Richmond on the south shore of the Gaspé Peninsula.
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: Terry Epp, National Series Manager, 905-640-6444, or crc@carsrally.ca
On the web: www.CARSrally.ca and www.rallyebdc.com
