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Baie des Chaleurs Rally New
Richmond, Quebec -- Baie des Chaleurs, one of the most gruelling events in the
Subaru Canadian Rally Championship sponsored by Yokohama Tires, is characterised
by more than 250 kilometres of special stages on logging roads. In the dead of
summer, this dusty New Richmond, Quebec-based rally is not only one of the
biggest sporting events in
the Gaspé region, but also attracts enthusiasts from as far away as Ontario. "This
is the most compact route in the schedule," said Canadian Association of
Rallysport president, Terry Epp. "The furthest away from the rally start is
about 40 kilometres; stages are right on the outskirts of town."
This is why thousands turn out to watch the Baie event, "its very
spectator friendly, with even stands and restaurants along the route," he
added. But
the typically hot weather takes a serious toll on rally teams. "Staying
hydrated is a real challenge," said Epp. "Co-drivers in particular
suffer from nausea. The roads are very twisty, there are a lot of instructions,
and it gets extremely hot inside the car – this is probably the hardest event
on the co-driver in the championship." Despite the Sprongls domination of the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship, anything can happen this coming weekend; in Pennsylvania just three weeks ago, their Quattro clipped a tree, resulting in extensive body and suspension damage. While they have won the Mount Washington Hillclimb this weekend, a question mark remains as to its reliability for the two day long Baie event.
For
Sylvain Vincent, Dominique Cyr, and their Eagle Talon, 1999 has thus far been a
Cinderella story. Primarily self-funded, hard work and harder driving have put
the team second in the national standings. But the pressure will be squarely on
them in New Richmond. A podium finish will keep them where they are; anything
less could mean a drop to third overall behind Tom and Trish McGeer, in their
Subaru Impreza WRX. They had good results out West and are ready to clinch their
first win this season. Other
regular crews from Ontario, the Maritimes and United States will be there to
catch people attention with their driving skills: Each class victory is always
hard fought here. Finally, 12 teams from the Gaspé area are also entered and
some crews are capable of top performances, as they have done in the past. The
Subaru Canadian Rally Championship is presented eight times this year, between
February and November. It is sanctioned by the Canadian Association of
Rallysport and supported by Subaru Canada and Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc.
Additional information is available from the CARS website at www3.sympatico.ca/rally.cars INFORMATION :
CARS
(905) 640 – 6444
Stephan Mostad
smostad@hotmail.ca Michel
Poirier-Defoy
(514) 942 – 8463
lpindfoy@sympatico.ca
Sprongl,
Vincent and Racine get top honors New Richmond, Que. --- The
fifth stop of the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Yokohama Tire
- the Rallye Baie de Chaleurs - turned out to be the ultimate test for all of
the members of the 32 teams involved in the two-day, 254 kilometre rally. Only
13 teams managed to finish the 14 stages that comprised this exhausting rally,
as several co-drivers suffered from dehydration, and several cars broke. In the end, it was yet another Sprongl victory,
with Sylvain Vincent and Marc Racine rounding out the top three finishers in
Production cars. The McGeers, who were expected to place well, fell out of the
rally by the second stage, victim to a severe clutch problem in their Subaru WRX.
Jean-Marc Alcaraz and his Mazda GTX also bowed out on the same A number of less-powerful
cars avoided the pitfall of breaking driveline and suspension components over
the torturous forest roads. Aside from the winning Open-class Audi, the eight
official finishers were production class vehicles. Record attendance was once
again the order of the day for the 22nd running of this event in the Gaspé
region. More than 15,000 people came out to see the national level competitors,
and cheer on their local favorites too. While John and Clark Paynter of Halifax
finished fourth, locals Sylvain Saint-Pierre, Christian Miousse and Eric Pratte
finished fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively. Bruno Laverdiere of Laval,
Que., and Ilana Rosenshein of Waterloo, Ont., plus four other teams managed to
cross the finish line. Because of rain, hard
packed roads left mechanics working overtime and co-drivers weary and exhausted.
One of them, Gabriel Lemieux was transported to the hospital because of severe
dehydration. With the Rallye Baie de
Chaleurs completed, not only have the Sprongls solidified their lead in the
national points, but also look to be heading toward another national title. With
his second place finish at the Baie, Sylvain Vincent, already leading class GT,
puts an even larger lead on the McGeer's; battle
for second in the national championship will be right down to the wire with only
three more rallies to go this season. The next event will be
mid-September in the Parry Sound area with the Rallye of the Voyageurs. The
Subaru Canadian Rally Championship is presented eight times in 1999, between
February and November. It is sanctioned by the Canadian Association of
RallySport and is supported by Subaru Canada and Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc.
Additional information is available from the CARS website at www3.sympatico.ca/rally.cars INFORMATION : CARS (905) 640 – 6444
Stephan Mostad smostad@hotmail.ca
Michel
Poirier-Defoy (450)
491 – 2480
lpindfoy@sympatico.ca RESULTS
SUBARU
CANADIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
presented by YOKOHAMA TIRES OF CANADA EVENT :
RALLYE BAIE DES CHALEURS
2 –3 July 1999
The high points :
·
The Sprongls extend their winning streak to five ·
·
Local drivers put on quite a show ·
Very large crowds attend the event throughout
the weekend The low points : ·
Some roads were tough on cars ·
Many co-drivers suffered from dehydration · Attrition for Open class cars was high
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