2010-06-07
Canadian rally stars close in on U.S. title with victory in Pennsylvania
WELLSBORO, Pennsylvania (June 6, 2010) – A resounding victory here in the fifth round of the Rally America Series has given rally driver Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard two major wins in as many weeks, a hammerlock on the U.S. championship and an invitation to the prestigious X Games this summer.
L’Estage and Richard, of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, overcame a failed power steering system that rendered their car “undriveable” on the first day of the two-day Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, and clawed their way back to the top of the leader board to post a 1 minute 36.4 second victory over American rival Bill Bacon with Canadian co-driver Peter Watt.
It is the first victory in the Rally America 2010 season for L’Estage and Richard, who have built a commanding lead in the championship with three second-place finishes and a third place in the first four events in the series. The pair won this event in 2008, and came to Pennsylvania fresh from their victory last weekend at the Rocky Mountain Rally in Alberta.
L’Estage/Richard fell nearly 40 seconds behind the Ford Fiesta of early leader Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino after the first two stages when a power steering failure on their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X forced L’Estage to manhandle the car through the tight forest roads. With the car repaired, the pair fought back to win seven of the event’s 14 stages.
The victory ensured the Yokohama-sponsored team an invitation to this summer’s prestigious X Games in Los Angeles – the crown jewel in the U.S. season. Rally joins such extreme action sports as BMX, freestyle motocross and skate boarding in a frenzied three-day festival from July 29 through August 1, 2010. The televised action has gained a worldwide following since the first X Games in 1995.
The X Games invitation was solidified for L’Estage/Richard with one event remaining on the 2010 schedule, the New England Forest Rally in Maine on July 16-17, 2010. The top finishers in the Rally America season are guaranteed spots in Los Angeles and the Canadians now have a commanding 13-point lead over Bacon/Watt.
Before they head west to X Games, L’Estage and Richard turn east to Rallye Baie des Chaleurs in New Richmond, Quebec, for the third round of the Canadian Rally Championship, on July 2-3, 2010. The team won the popular Baie event in 2007.
In addition to its sponsorship of L’Estage/Nathalie Richard and current Canadian rally champions Pat Richard/Allan Ockwell, Yokohama Canada is a supporting sponsor of the Canadian Rally Championship. The Canadian championship has been televised nationally on TSN and RDS since 1993, and is made available on multiple media platforms, including TSN 2, as downloads from iTunes, on-line on Flat Over Crest (www.flatovercrest.com) and to 80 million homes in Europe on MotorsTV.
WELLSBORO, Pennsylvania (June 6, 2010) – A resounding victory here in the fifth round of the Rally America Series has given rally driver Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard two major wins in as many weeks, a hammerlock on the U.S. championship and an invitation to the prestigious X Games this summer.
L’Estage and Richard, of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, overcame a failed power steering system that rendered their car “undriveable” on the first day of the two-day Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, and clawed their way back to the top of the leader board to post a 1 minute 36.4 second victory over American rival Bill Bacon with Canadian co-driver Peter Watt.
It is the first victory in the Rally America 2010 season for L’Estage and Richard, who have built a commanding lead in the championship with three second-place finishes and a third place in the first four events in the series. The pair won this event in 2008, and came to Pennsylvania fresh from their victory last weekend at the Rocky Mountain Rally in Alberta.
L’Estage/Richard fell nearly 40 seconds behind the Ford Fiesta of early leader Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino after the first two stages when a power steering failure on their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X forced L’Estage to manhandle the car through the tight forest roads. With the car repaired, the pair fought back to win seven of the event’s 14 stages.
The victory ensured the Yokohama-sponsored team an invitation to this summer’s prestigious X Games in Los Angeles – the crown jewel in the U.S. season. Rally joins such extreme action sports as BMX, freestyle motocross and skate boarding in a frenzied three-day festival from July 29 through August 1, 2010. The televised action has gained a worldwide following since the first X Games in 1995.
The X Games invitation was solidified for L’Estage/Richard with one event remaining on the 2010 schedule, the New England Forest Rally in Maine on July 16-17, 2010. The top finishers in the Rally America season are guaranteed spots in Los Angeles and the Canadians now have a commanding 13-point lead over Bacon/Watt.
Before they head west to X Games, L’Estage and Richard turn east to Rallye Baie des Chaleurs in New Richmond, Quebec, for the third round of the Canadian Rally Championship, on July 2-3, 2010. The team won the popular Baie event in 2007.
In addition to its sponsorship of L’Estage/Nathalie Richard and current Canadian rally champions Pat Richard/Allan Ockwell, Yokohama Canada is a supporting sponsor of the Canadian Rally Championship. The Canadian championship has been televised nationally on TSN and RDS since 1993, and is made available on multiple media platforms, including TSN 2, as downloads from iTunes, on-line on Flat Over Crest (www.flatovercrest.com) and to 80 million homes in Europe on MotorsTV.