Alan Ockwell (left) and Pat Richard (r) teamed up for the first time since 2010 at the Pacific Forest Rally and won. Their second event of 2011 will be the Rally of the Tall Pines.
RALLY DEFI Pat Richard and Leanne Junnila
had more mechanical problems at the Rally Defi on September 9-10 at Ste-Agathe, QC. Teir 2011 Rally Defi got underway with an off-course excursion on the way to the first stage and then they ran out of fuel at the end of it. Te second stage was even more disastrous as their suspension broke. Te result- ant tow they received violated CRC rules and they were excluded from the second day of the event. Richard’s troubles allowed
“Crazy” Leo Urlichich to move up to second behind L’Estage, who would go on to win his seventh na- tional rally in a row. “We've had three stage wins,”
said Leo, who attributed some of his pace to his outing in a Canadian Touring Car Championship round at the Grand Prix of Mosport. “Te
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track racing is certainly helping on the tarmac stages.” Te Two-Wheel-Drive class fea-
tured its share of retirements which resulted in a big lead for the class- winning Zedril brothers. Axle is- sues cost Baie des Chaleurs winners Simon Dube and Pat Lavigne an opportunity to capture back-to- back wins.
PACIFIC FOREST RALLY Te big news heading into the
Pacific Forest Rally on September 30-October 1 in Merritt, BC was the return of championship-win- ning co-driver Alan Ockwell to the Subaru team to partner Pat Richard. Commitments outside of rallying had precluded Ockwell from competing in the full 2011 championship. Additionally, the mechanical is- sues that had plagued the Subaru
team for much of the year appeared to be sorted out and with an im- proved car and a familiar co-driver, Richard finally earned his first win of the 2011 season. “We took control of the event
right from the start,” said Richard, who led most of the rally. “Ten we had to manage the lead. Really, it was a clean run with no drama. Te car was flawless and Alan was great.” With an opportunity to clinch the 2011 Canadian Rally Champi- onship, L’Estage was content to fin- ish behind the super quick Richard. Ultimately, second place was enough to clinch the second straight Driver and Co-Driver Championships for L’Estage and Richard. “Tis is my fourth career cham- pionship in Canada and I also clinched my fourth North Ameri-
can title,” said L'Estage. “I wouldn't be here without the help of my sponsors and of course my team. Tey worked hard all season and we've had great results.” Te Zedril brothers, with a win
in the Two-Wheel-Drive class, also clinched their second straight na- tional title. “We've had another good year,” said co-driver Jody Zedril. “We were concerned earlier in the year after our DNF at Rocky, but we've had good results since.” Despite the two major CRC ti-
tles already being decided heading into the Rally of the Tall Pines, Co- Driver titles and the Manufacturer’s Championship are still up for grabs. Expect to see some big names in
Bancroft as Subaru attempts to win the Manufacturer’s Championship and keep Mitsubishi from sweeping both overall titles. •
Andrew Harvey
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