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MATTHEW IORIO SCORES HIS FIRST CANADIAN WIN!
New Richmond, QC – July 2, 2006 – Just about a month after their first overall victory in an American event, American driver Matthew Iorio and co-driver Ole Holter in a Subaru Impreza WRX, won their first Canadian overall event at the Baie des Chaleurs Rally, after a number of surprises.
Bogged down in the dirt roads turned muddy after last week’s heavy rains, the participants to the Baie des Chaleurs 2006 edition had no easy rides. After the first leg on Friday night, Iorio/Holter were third, behind favorite teams L’Estage/Williams and the Erickson father/daughter team.
There were two decisive special stages. In the fifth stage, L’Estage/Williams were leading the rally with over 30 seconds when their hopes of winning a second year in a row went out: they had broken a suspension link in their Hyundai Tiburon 4WD. Sylvain and Chloé Erickson, in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4, then took command of the rally but in the following stage, they went off-road wasting 15 minutes to get back on the road. After a wild chase, they finished in 6th place.
With the leaders of the championship out of the race, Iorio not only controlled the rally but scored best times repeatedly and won the event with a 7-minute lead!
Again, the large crowd that had gathered along the roads of this famous rally, a success
symbol of Canadian rallying, could cheer the feats of a local team. Martin Gauvin/Daniel Duchesneau, in a Toyota MR-2, became the underdog and were 2nd after the first leg. Unfortunately, an off-road forced them to abandon and it’s another American team who finished second, Tim Penasak and co-driver Marc Golddfarb, in a Subaru Impreza WRX.
Brother and sister Mathieu L’Estage and Laurence-Fanny L’Estage complete the top three making the podium 100% Subaru! They are followed by Frank Sprongl and Brian Maxwell, in their Suzuki Swift+, the fastest team in 2WD, and the Labrie/Guité team, in their Honda Civic, first in Group 2.
In the Championship standings, Antoine L’Estage now has only a one-point lead over Sylvain Erickson (45 to 44). Matthew Iorio is now third with 36 points, ahead of Frank Sprongl (29) and Norm LeBlanc (20).
The next rally will also take place in Québec on September 8 and 9. It will be Rallye Défi Ste-Agathe/Duhamel. For more information on rallying and rally events, please visit the Canadian Association of Rallysport website, at www.carsrally.ca.
UPSTART PLANET MOTORSPORT RALLY TEAM TAKES ON NATIONAL VETERANS
GUELPH, Ont. (June 27, 2006) -- The Planet Motorsport Rally Team is aiming high at the Baie-des-Chaleurs rally this weekend in the Gaspe Peninsula region of Quebec.
The young team expects to see big air on Saturday at this event's trademark Camp Brule jump, where thousands of spectators gather roadside to watch cars take flight over the biggest jump in the series.
"Baie is my favourite rally because I love the roads and the enthusiastic fans," says driver John Vanos. "Seeing and hearing all the fans as you fly over that huge jump is such a rush."
This third round of the Ontario Performance Rally Championship also serves as a round of the national rally series and Vanos says he's looking forward to battling some of the top crews in Canada in the Open class Planet Motorsport Subaru WRX.
"It will be a good chance to see how we stand against some of the national teams," says Vanos, adding he is confident that the team will be in the top 10 at the finish line.
The team took a podium finish against stiff competition at Round 2 in the series, the Black Bear rally, just a few weeks ago in Dorset, Ont.
"It's a new car this season, and our top result at Black Bear shows we've got the talent and the equipment to bring home results," says team principal Iain Fraser. "Our young team is ready to take on seasoned champions this weekend, and secure valuable OPRC points!"
Rally racing is a challenging, all-season motor sport discipline; its drivers are widely considered the most skilled in the world. Teams race against the clock on variable terrain in modified cars that closely resemble those that the average consumer can find at their local dealer. The sport requires intense teamwork between driver and co-driver and extreme skill behind the wheel.
For this race, Vanos will be co-driven by Ryan Huber.
The Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs (June 30 and July 1) will see more than 30 teams take on the rough gravel roads of the Gaspe region over two days and, for the first time in 2006, includes a super special at Circuit RPM/Sani-Sable in New Richmond, Que.
Planet Motorsport is a Guelph, Ont., shop that specializes in Subaru drivetrain conversions and performance upgrades for any model of car. The Planet Motorsport rally team is supported by Hydra Engine Management Systems (www.hydraems.com), Hot Bits Suspension (www.hotbits.org), Andrew Harvey Photography (www.andrewharvey.ca) and Ground Up Racing.
L’ESTAGE-ERICKSON: HEAD TO HEAD AGAIN !
Stouffville, ON – June 27, 2006 – The Canadian Rally Championship will hold the Baie-des-Chaleurs Rally this weekend in New-Richmond, QC, the third of six rounds in its 2006 schedule.
Winner of last year’s edition and winner the first two rounds of this season, Quebecker Antoine L’Estage and American co-driver Mark Williams are this year’s favorites in their Hyundai Tiburon 4WD. But the spectacular Baie-des-Chaleurs Rally holds lots of surprises for everyone and L’Estage/Williams may not be immune to them.
Among the teams who dream of winning in the back roads of Gaspésie, are Sylvain and Chloé Erickson in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4. Second in both previous rounds this season, the father and daughter team from Gatineau, QC, remains a very serious contender for this year’s event and championship.
With their first overall career win a few weeks ago in Pennsylvania, Americans Matthew Iorio and co-driver Ole Holter represent the strongest challenge for victory from among the numerous teams driving Subaru Impreza WRXs. However, Quebec teams Joel Levac/Eric Bourbonnais and Mathieu L’Estage/Laurence-Fanny L’Estage, both in WRXs, are also among the crowd’s favorites and should do well.
In 2-wheel-drive, many times Canadian champion Frank Sprongl and co-driver Brian Maxwell in their Suzuki Swift+, are leading their Production 2 class. It should also be noted that among the 2-wheel-drive cars will be Albertans Zbigniew Szewcyzk/Tomasz Karzinski in a Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Ontarian Ian Crerar in a Porsche 911, running in the new Group 5 (2-WD vehicles with a higher displacement than Group 2).
Baie-des-Chaleurs Rally will start over 30 teams, including five local teams, competing on the back roads of the region. As usual, special stages will be held on gravel roads, but for the first time, the organizers are holding a super stage at Circuit RPM/Sani-Sable in New Richmond. The rally will start Friday at 6:00 PM and the first car will finish around 5:00 PM on Saturday.
The official program of the event is available in Pole-Position Magazine, presently on sale. Filming for TV is provided by ATV Productions. For more information on rallying and rally events, please visit the Canadian Association of Rallysport website, at www.carsrally.ca. And for information and full results on the Baie-des-Chaleurs Rally, please visit www.rallyebdc.com
For more information :
Canadian Association of Rallysport, (905) 640-6444.
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