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| October 1, 2011; Merritt, BC, Canada; Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard finish second overall and win the Canadian Rally Championship at the Pacific Forest Rally, Round 5 of the Canadian Rally Championship in their 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X. Credit: Andrew Harvey |
Merritt
(British Columbia), October 2, 2011.- Antoine
L'Estage (of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) and his co-driver Nathalie Richard (of
Halifax, Nova Scotia) contested the Pacific Forest Rally, the penultimate round
of the Canadian Rally Championship, held this past weekend in British
Columbia. The duo won six of the competitive stages and assured
themselves second place overall, giving them enough points to clinch the 2011
Canadian title with one event remaining in the championship. This marks
the fourth Canadian championship for the Rockstar Royal Group team and is their
second 2011 title, after locking up the North American Rally Cup with their win
at the Rallye Défi in September.
We stuck to
our original plan for the weekend and the entire team did an amazing job to
ensure that we could bring home the championship title again this year »
confided Antoine L'Estage, who adds : « after winning every single Canadian
rally since September 2010, (seven consecutive events), I had to hold myself
back a bit here because our priority was the championship title. The
Pacific Forest Rally is not an easy event and again this year, many teams suffered
from flat tires or mechanical issues. Our Yokohama tires provided us with
the best line-up to avoid any flats and our Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X was once
again extremely reliable. Our championship is as much for us as it is for
John Buffum and the entire Rockstar Royal Group team for their dedicated work
throughout the entire season ».
Quebec driver,
L’Estage, and his small private team have experienced a remarkable season with
a string of victories and titles. « Winning the championship here in Merritt, during
the second last event in the 2011 calendar, is such an advantage because it
eliminates all pressure for the Rally of the Tall Pines, the final event of the
year taking place next month in Ontario. The last rally will still offer
Mitsubishi a chance to win the manufacturer’s title if the top Mitsubishi
finishes in the top 6 overall » mentions Antoine L'Estage.
As for
Nathalie Richard, this second consecutive Canadian title highlights a faultless
season : « this year we truly demonstrated how important the concept of a team
is. In the car, it’s Antoine and I that need to set fastest times but
it’s the work of John Buffum and our amazing mechanics, as well as the
implication of all of our sponsors, that enable us to be so successful » she
explains.
Antoine
L’Estage holds four North American championship titles (2007, 2008, 2010 and
2011), four Canadian titles (2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011), one American title
(2010), and thirty-one overall victories in Canada and the US. Nathalie Richard
holds seven overall national championship titles (4 in Canada and 3 in the
USA), as well as thirty-seven overall rally wins on both sides of the border.
She is also a seven-time North American Champion (2004 – 2011, excluding 2006).
Antoine
L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2011 Rally America and
Canadian Rally Championships with the support of Rockstar
Energy Drink, Royal Group, Yokohama Tires, Mitsubishi Canada, Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes, Garrett Turbos, Énergie
Cardio, Libra Racing, Driver's Edge Autosport (OMP), VP Racing Fuels, Exe-Tc
Suspensions, Seibon Carbon
and Hawk Performance Brake Pads.
For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit antoinelestage.com.
