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Rally: Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard clinch North America Rally title

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Khatir Soltani
From press release

Antoine L’Estage and his co-driver Nathalie Richard have claimed another North American Rally Championship title after they took third place at the Olympus Rally, the final round of 2012 Rally America series.

Even with two remaining events in Canada before the completion of this year’s North American season, the Rockstar Energy Drink duo has accumulated more victory points than their rivals can now mathematically collect.

L'Estage and Richard won the Susquehannock Trail Rally in June and the New England Forest Rally in July before taking third at the Olympus to clinch the title.

Rally America Nathalie Richard Antoine L'Estage
Nathalie Richard and Antoine L'Estage. (Photo: Aaron Kathman)

“The Olympus Rally used to be part of the World Rally Championship back in the 1980s and I can completely understand why ! The roads are amazing and they are a lot of fun to drive,” said L'Estage.

“This year, we had to deal with challenging weather conditions. It was extremely dry and there was a high risk of fire in the area so the organizers had to shift the schedule around a lot so we could compete. But, we still had a huge amount of dust to contend with throughout the event » indicates Antoine, who adds : « the level of competition was the best we’ve had in years, reuniting all the top drivers from the US and Canadian series. Our Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X was perfect from start to finish, with only a flat tire after hitting a rock in the road marring our weekend. We were able to make up some time and eventually climbed back onto the podium,” L'Estage explained.

There's still two events to run in the Canadian Rally Championship: the Pacific Forest Rally in Merritt, British Columbia on October 12 and 13, and the Rally of the Tall Pines in Bancroft, Ontario on November 24.



Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
As a car enthusiast, he tests and compares vehicles from different categories through the eyes of the consumer, ensuring relevant and objective reviews.
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada