FORD RACING ANNOUNCES 2011 RALLYCAR CONTINGENCY PROGRAM

Team O’Neil the exclusive U.S. supplier of the Ford Racing R2 Kit is currently working on building several 2011 Ford Fiesta R2’s. TON driver Verena Mei, pictured here at a resent Winter RallyX gets in as much seat time as she can, in anticipation of her Rally debut. Picture: PJ Corrales

Ford Racing has announced its 2011 RallyCar contingency program to support competitors who campaign Ford entries in three classes of the 2WD division. The Ford Racing contingency payouts will be available for all Ford competitors at the RallyCar 2011 Rally America National Championship events as well as for Fiesta entries at RallyCar regional events.

Ford Racing contingency program will award competitors competing in the Fiesta Sport Trophy (FST) championship featuring the R2 Fiesta as well as competitors in Group 2 and Group 5. Ford Racing will also award a championship prize of $5,000 to a Ford driver for wining the overall 2WD Rally America National Championship.

"Our program in RallyCar has been a big part of establishing the Fiesta brand in the United States," said Scott Denby, Ford Racing Business Manager. "Fiesta offers competitors a great Rally platform which has benefitted from years of development in Europe and we're committed to helping reestablish 2WD rallying in the U.S. with Fiesta. From our involvement in the Team O'Neil Fiesta Rally Experience, to our growing support of RallyCar, their competitors and enthusiasts, we are excited for the future of the sport."

"Ford is bringing support and excitement to 2WD rally that RallyCar has been missing," said J.B. Niday, RallyCar Managing Director. "The Ford Fiesta Sport Trophy should develop into an exciting series and their contingency program support for any Ford demonstrates their broad commitment to rally racing."

For more details on the Ford Racing 2011 RallyCar contingency program go to rally-america.com or go to fordracingparts.com and click on contingency to register.www.fordracingparts.com/register/ www.fordracingparts.com/Register/Contingency.asp


R2 PayoutFord Sport Trophy Entrants
1st$2,000
2nd$1,500
3rd$1,000
4th$500
5th$250



Overall 2 Wheel Drive National Championship: $5,000



Group 5 FiestaNational Event EntrantsRegional Event Entrants
1st$750$350
2nd$500$200
3rd$250$100Group 5 (Ford Car/Non-Fiesta)
National Event Entrants
1st$500
2nd$250
3rd$100





Group 2 FiestaNational Event EntrantsRegional Event Entrants
1st$750$350
2nd$500$200
3rd$250$100Group 2 (Ford Car/Non-Fiesta)
National Event Entrants
1st$500
2nd$250
3rd$100



About Ford North America Motorsports

Ford North America Motorsports, based in Dearborn, Mich., is responsible for major racing operations in North America, including NASCAR (Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Camping World Trucks), Grand American sports car racing, NHRA drag racing, RallyCar and USAC midget car racing. The department also oversees the development and marketing of Ford Racing Engines and Performance Parts, the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts, and the marketing of the Ford Racing brand. For more information regarding Ford Racing's activities, please visit http://www.fordracing.com/.

About RallyCar  

Based in Golden Valley, Minn., RallyCar sanctions the premier performance rally series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2011, RallyCar is conducting six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Washington to Newry, Maine. RallyCar competitors reach speeds of well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt or snow. Additionally, RallyCar sanctions the 2011 U.S. Rallycross Championship featuring rally cars racing door-to-door on tricky tarmac/dirt race tracks. More information about rally and rallycross can be found at www.rally-america.com, and videos can viewed at www.youtube.com/rallyamericaseries.

RPM Motorsports TV - Galway Rally 2011 Day 2

ANTOINE L'ESTAGE OVERCOMES CONDITIONS TO DOMINATE RALLYE PERCE NEIGE



February 5, 2011; Maniwaki, QC, Canada; Driver Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard win the Rallye Perce-Neige Maniwaki, Round 1 of the Canadian Rally Championship in their 2009 Mitsubishi Evo X. : Photo ©Andrew Harvey



MANIWAKI, QUEBEC, FEBRUARY 5, 2011 – Antoine L'Estage (Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC)

and Nathalie Richard (Halifax) of the Rockstar Mitsubishi team opened the 2011 Canadian Rally

Championship with a definitive win at the Rallye Perce Neige. Canada's only true winter rally, the

Rallye Perce Neige is also one of the longest, with more than 200kms of competitive stages covered

in just one day of racing.

Teams started from downtown Maniwaki in the morning, running two in-town stages before heading

into the forest roads west of town. Short and fast, the in-town stages rarely present an opportunity to

win an event, but ample chance to lose.

Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and stand in co-driver Leanne Junnila

(Calgary) were the first team to tackle the stages in their Subaru Impreza STI. Attacking right from the

start, they set the pace to beat for rivals L'Estage and Nathalie Richard in the Rockstar Mitsubishi.

Both drivers hold multiple national titles, and after eight stages, the two teams were separated by less

than one second.

“Running first on the road can be really hard, but maybe Pat had the right tire choice” said L'Estage,

referring to the Subaru driver's choice of his Yokohama snow tires heading into a midday stage.

Conditions were a difficult mix of snow and ice, and start order played heavily into what tires would

work best.

A timing error arriving at the first service resulted in a one minute penalty for the Subaru team, who

broke a wheel a few stages later, losing a massive seven minutes while replacing the wheel. Taking a

gamble on tire choice, Richard hoped to make up some time to get back into a points scoring position,

vital in his hunt for the 2011 Canadian Rally Championship title.

“I can't make the same choice as Antoine because we're so closely matched, we'll get similar times.

To make up any time I need to gamble on tire choice and try something different,” said Richard.

With the pressure off, 2010 Canadian, North American and Rally America champion L'Estage was

finding it challenging to drive at the correct pace to keep his first place position secure.

“I have to find the right rhythm. I can't go too fast and make mistakes, but it can be harder to keep

focus when you slow down.”

Further down the order, a battle was shaping up for the other podium positions. Bruno Carre and Yvan

Joyal (Laval, QC) drove cleanly and smoothly all day, a style that earned the team their first National

win at this event in 2010. The team finished second, nearly 30 seconds ahead of third place.

“It's a great feeling, and our approach was similar to last year,” said Carre at the finish. “We tried hard

to keep out of trouble, and that paid off.”

Swap Shop teammate Craig Henderson (Saint Constant, QC) and co-driver Peter Watt (Peterborough,

ON) were struggling to find the right pace and were uncharacteristically further down the order,

making space for 2010 Canadian Novice Champion Ugo Desgreniers (Orford, QC) and Erik Kirby

(Sherbrooke, QC) to move up the leaderboard, in turn battling with “Crazy” Leo Urlichich (Toronto) and

Martin Headland (Caledon, ON).

In the final stages, Desgreniers moved into a comfortable third after Urlichich drove off the road. For Desgreniers, the result is a career best, and one year anniversary of

the his first rally finish.“It wasn't a perfect rally,” said Desgreniers. “The shifter broke and we had to drive with just a short piece sticking up from the gearbox until we could fix it. I'm so happy for the result, it's amazing to have come so far in just one year.”

Richard and Junnila finished just off the podium in fourth place.“It's not what we wanted, and was a tough event, but still, there's no excuses,” said a frustrated Richard after the rally. “I had a four minute gap to make up to get to the podium, and we made up about three minutes in two stages, but it wasn't enough.”

Road conditions were especially tough for the two wheel drive teams. Covered in slick ice, the roads

made for slow progress and rough sections also took a toll on the cars. Just one team, Jan and Jody

Zedril (Winnipeg) finished in their two wheel drive Mitsubishi.

The brothers managed their pace carefully through the entire event, showing why they are reigning champions.“This event was so much about survival, just getting to the end.” said Jan.
“Once we knew that we were the only 2WD car left, we slowed down to make sure we would finish.”

Interim rally coordinator Terry Epp was very positive about the event, where remote locations and

limited communications prove very challenging for organizers.

The event has a 46 year history and the reputation of being a marathon event, demanding of teams and volunteers alike.“We've been in a rebuilding process for this event, trying to ensure it has a long future. I'm happy tosay that the rally ran extremely well this year and is good hands moving forward.”

The 2011 season continues May 26-27, at the Rocky Mountain Rally, headquartered in Calgary.

Though the event has been changed for this season, it still features the high mountain roads and

unpredictable conditions that make the event so compelling.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that

extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by

Yokohama Tire Canada and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi

Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in

Canada.

RAW FOOTAGE -Galway Rally 2011 Day 1

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard - Ready to Defend Their Canadian Title

Montréal (Québec), February 3rd, 2011. – The 2010 Canadian, American, and North American Rally Champions, Antoine L’Estage of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qc and Nathalie Richard of Halifax, NS will return to competition this weekend to contest Maniwaki’s Rallye Perce-Neige, the first round of the 2011 Canadian Rally Championship.

L’Estage, the Rockstar Royal Group team driver, is looking for his fourth victory at the Rallye Perce-Neige after winning this challenging winter event three times in the past five years. «The Rallye Perce-Neige is an event that I always enjoy and the time I’ve had in my Mitsubishi Evo X in the past two weeks has left me really excited to contest this rally » indicates Antoine L’Estage, who adds : « even with a such a fantastic season last year, Perce-Neige was the only rally that we didn’t score points at. I want to redeem myself this year and come away with top points. Winning is obviously a main objective but the priority, as always, remains our need for important championship points ».

The Perce-Neige rally is known for its tricky snow and ice-covered roads, something that does not stress Antoine L’Estage, who relies on his Yokohama tires : « having this lineup of Yokohama tires available to us is key, including the best intermediate winter tire for performace rallying » he indicates.

At the wheel of his Rockstar Royal Group Evo X, Antoine L’Estage knows that repeating his record-breaking 2010 season will be difficult, but anything’s possible : « winning the “Triple Crown” (Canadian, American, and North American titles) does not come by easily. I’d like to do it again but my priority is the Canadian championship. My entire team is geared up and highly looking forward to the Perce-Neige rally » he explains.

Last weekend in the United States…

The Rockstar Royal Group team took part in last weekend’s Sno*Drift Rally in Michigan, Round 1 of the 2011 Rally America season, the premier American series that was won last year by the L’Estage/Richard duo. After winning the first three competitive stages of the rally and building up a 20 second lead, the team’s rally was ended early in a small snowbank. The contact resulted in a damaged radiator, causing the motor to overheat once the team got going again. « It was a very positive start to the rally because we were able to show our speed but we couldn’t risk continuing after the car started overheating » shared the Quebec driver. L’Estage’s main rival in the Rally America series also retired early from the rally, denying either team a points advantage in their hunt for the title. Antoine and Nathalie return to the American season at the end of February for Missouri’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood.

Antoine L’Estage holds three North American championship titles (2007, 2008, 2010), three Canadian titles (2006, 2007, 2010), one American title (2010), and twenty-five overall victories in Canada and the US. Nathalie Richard holds six overall national championship titles (3 in Canada and 3 in the USA), as well as thirty-one overall rally wins on both sides of the border. She is also a six-time North American Co-Driving Champion (2004 – 2010, 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), and VP Racing Fuels. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit antoinelestage.com