The 45 teams entered for the 33rd Edition of the Rallye Baie des Chaleurs, third round of the Canadian Rally Championship, will have to mind their wounds when they return home from their Gaspe Peninsula trip.
Attrition was very high with more than half the field not crossing the final stripe after two days of sheer speed over the rocky and dusty forest roads around New-Richmond.
It was a dramatic finish for Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Patrick Richard and co-driver Alan Ockwell, who literally crossed the finish line in flames after rolling their Subaru less than five kilometres from the end! Fortunately the team had built up a significant lead right from the first stage, so the time lost to the crash wasn't enough to drop them out of first position.
Leo Urlichich and Chrissie Beavis finished a comfortable second place, and third place was claimed by Bruno Carre, current points leader in the Canadian Driver's Championship, and co-driver Yvan Joyal.
"It's embarrassing to admit but I lost concentration, clipped the inside of a corner and rolled the car-fortunately the Impreza ended up on its wheels," said Richard.
Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy finished fourth, and Ugo Desgreniers and Eric Kirby finished in fifth. Antoine L'Estage took sixth place, driving in a Subaru loaned to him by Leo Urlichich after a driveline problem sidelined L'Estage's Mitsubishi before the race even began.
Returning 2WD champions, Jan and Jody Zedril from Winnipeg took Group 2 class in flying colors and earned 10th place overall ahead of rally stalwart Sylvain Vincent, increasing their lead in the national standings.
Production Sport class saw two Lancers leading the category with Jeffrey Dowell from Windsor, Ontario taking the win codriven by Yavor Klostranec and rookie Grant Ridell from Milton and Emily Dowell following two minutes behind in his first ever national rally.
The next round of the Canadian Rally Championship will take place north of Montreal in the Laurentians with the running of the Rallye Défi on September 10 and 11. The Défi has been the September rendezvous for rally teams for more than 30 years and always draws a large field for its two-day speed fest.
Attrition was very high with more than half the field not crossing the final stripe after two days of sheer speed over the rocky and dusty forest roads around New-Richmond.
It was a dramatic finish for Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Patrick Richard and co-driver Alan Ockwell, who literally crossed the finish line in flames after rolling their Subaru less than five kilometres from the end! Fortunately the team had built up a significant lead right from the first stage, so the time lost to the crash wasn't enough to drop them out of first position.
 |
| Photo: Subaru Canada |
Leo Urlichich and Chrissie Beavis finished a comfortable second place, and third place was claimed by Bruno Carre, current points leader in the Canadian Driver's Championship, and co-driver Yvan Joyal.
"It's embarrassing to admit but I lost concentration, clipped the inside of a corner and rolled the car-fortunately the Impreza ended up on its wheels," said Richard.
Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy finished fourth, and Ugo Desgreniers and Eric Kirby finished in fifth. Antoine L'Estage took sixth place, driving in a Subaru loaned to him by Leo Urlichich after a driveline problem sidelined L'Estage's Mitsubishi before the race even began.
Returning 2WD champions, Jan and Jody Zedril from Winnipeg took Group 2 class in flying colors and earned 10th place overall ahead of rally stalwart Sylvain Vincent, increasing their lead in the national standings.
Production Sport class saw two Lancers leading the category with Jeffrey Dowell from Windsor, Ontario taking the win codriven by Yavor Klostranec and rookie Grant Ridell from Milton and Emily Dowell following two minutes behind in his first ever national rally.
The next round of the Canadian Rally Championship will take place north of Montreal in the Laurentians with the running of the Rallye Défi on September 10 and 11. The Défi has been the September rendezvous for rally teams for more than 30 years and always draws a large field for its two-day speed fest.