The Tall Pines was again a harsh battle between Antoine L'Estage and I. Unfortunately; I suffered from another gearbox failure. I made it to the assistance area where the mechanics changed the transmission in just 13 minutes. Wow! I then pushed the Impreza to its absolute limits. But L'Estage was in the lead.
With just two stages to go, something amazing happened -- the clutch on L'Estage's Mitsubishi broke. I crossed the finish line not knowing that I had won the Tall Pines as well as the Canadian title!
The Canadian Rally Championship is extremely competitive. It's the only rally series in the world where we must race on the snow or ice without studded tires.
The Perce-Neige is one of the most difficult but most rewarding rally I competed in. It was the scene of my maiden victory in the Open class in Canada. The event features one of the most grueling stages of all: a 48km long stage on a sheet of ice, extremely slippery without any grip but where the talent of the driver will make the difference.
The 2010 championship should be really exciting and hotly contested. My co-driver Alan Ockwell and I are again driving a Subaru Impreza STI. We have two new sponsors this year in Yokohama and Gulf lubricants. There should be terrific battles between myself, Antoine L'Estage, Sylvain Erickson, Andrew Comrie-Picard and several new teams and competitors from outside Canada. Oh yes, American Ken Block should be back again to compete in Canada where he's going to face some very stiff competition!"
photo:Auto123.com, Rocket Rally
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With just two stages to go, something amazing happened -- the clutch on L'Estage's Mitsubishi broke. I crossed the finish line not knowing that I had won the Tall Pines as well as the Canadian title!
The Canadian Rally Championship is extremely competitive. It's the only rally series in the world where we must race on the snow or ice without studded tires.
The Perce-Neige is one of the most difficult but most rewarding rally I competed in. It was the scene of my maiden victory in the Open class in Canada. The event features one of the most grueling stages of all: a 48km long stage on a sheet of ice, extremely slippery without any grip but where the talent of the driver will make the difference.
The 2010 championship should be really exciting and hotly contested. My co-driver Alan Ockwell and I are again driving a Subaru Impreza STI. We have two new sponsors this year in Yokohama and Gulf lubricants. There should be terrific battles between myself, Antoine L'Estage, Sylvain Erickson, Andrew Comrie-Picard and several new teams and competitors from outside Canada. Oh yes, American Ken Block should be back again to compete in Canada where he's going to face some very stiff competition!"
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photo:Auto123.com, Rocket Rally