Ken Block brings home a best-ever 8th overall finish at WRC France

BLOCK TEARS UP THE TARMAC OF WRC FRANCE, TAKING HOME 4 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS WITH A PERSONAL BEST 8TH OVERALL FINISH ALONG WITH HIS FASTEST STAGE PLACING EVER. 

October 3rd, 2011, Strasbourg, France – Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino set two personal bests at this past weekend’s Rallye de France. While the duo charged hard throughout all three days of racing, they turned it up a notch for Sunday’s final stages, laying down a blistering pace at times that not only netted Block his fastest stage finish ever (4^th fastest on SS18), but also his best WRC event finish of 8^th overall, securing 4 points in the 2011 driver’s championship, doubling what he brought home last year during his rookie season.

“This rally was awesome,” said Block. “There have been more Americans on the moon than those who have scored points in the WRC, so to come out on what’s mathematically my first race after a season’s worth of rallies (a season is 13 events) as a WRC driver and score 4 points, well, it’s just an amazing feeling. The final day of this rally went really well for us and I think a combination of me being more comfortable and confident in my tarmac setup, as well as having done this event last year really paid off.” 

After what Block had repeatedly described as a “difficult and frustrating event” for him in Germany a month and a half ago, Block set out at Rally France, only his 14^th event in a WRC-spec car, for a clean and solid race. His pace over the first two days kept him in point contention but as a battle brewed on Sunday morning with up and coming French rally driver Pierre Campana, who was a mere 7 seconds ahead, Block stepped it up for what would be his most impressive WRC outing to date. 

“Ken ran a great race the entire weekend,” said team manager Derek Dauncey. “Looking at his split times, you can see that his pace was on point with the top drivers, even beating Ogier, Petter [Solberg] and Hirvonen on SS18 at the start of Leg 3, which is huge. I’m also massively impressed with the way he went out and took time out of Campana right off the bat this morning, then continued to do so and protect that top 10 position. Ken and Alex have made a giant step in their development over the previous few months and I am sure we have a lot more to come.”

Block’s next competitive event is the RallyRACC Rally of Spain, October 20 – 23, where he’ll once again be racing on tarmac with hopes of scoring more points in the driver’s championship. Until then, follow the team at monsterworldrallyteam.com, facebook.com/KenBlockRacing and facebook.com/MonsterWorldRallyTeam.

BREAKING NEWS: WRC FRANCE - PETTER SOLBERG EXCLUDED

Petter Solberg has been stripped of his third place on Rallye de France and excluded from the results altogether after his Citroen DS3 was found to be under the regulation minimum weight for a World Rally Car.

Event Stewards, including former World Champion co-driver Robert Reid, made the decision this evening after considering a report from the FIA technical delegate following a weight check carried out after the event closing Haguenau Power Stage.

Petter’s car, run by Citroen’s semi-works PH Sport outfit, was weighed three times and on each occasion registered 1196kg, four kilogrammes under the regulation minimum 1200kg.

Representatives of the Petter Solberg team were given the opportunity to explain the discrepancy but after deliberation the Stewards decided to exclude the car from the results.

Solberg’s team elected not to appeal the decision, which means all the drivers that finished behind Petter in the classification move up one place. The most significant beneficiary is Ford team leader Mikko Hirvonen, who collects three extra drivers’ championship points and pulls level at the top of the table with his championship rival Sebastien Loeb.

A representative of the Petter Solberg team declined to comment on the exclusion.

Source: WRC.COM

Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard Clinch the 2011 Canadian Rally Championship

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.

RICHARD PUTS SUBARU ON TOP OF PODIUM AT PACIFIC FOREST RALLY

October 1, 2011; Merritt, BC, Canada; Driver “Crazy” Leo Urlichich and co-driver Martin Brady finish third overall at the Pacific Forest Rally, Round 5 of the Canadian Rally Championship in their 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Credit: Andrew Harvey

MERRITT, BRITISH COLUMBIA, October 2, 2011 – Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) of Subaru Rally Team Canada won the Pacific Forest Rally, putting an end to a year long drought. The two were competing together for the first time this season, though together they won the 2008 and 2009 Canadian Rally Championship titles.

“We took control of the event right from the start,” said Richard, who led most of the rally. “Then we had to manage the lead. Really, it was a clean run, with no drama. The car was flawless, Alan was great.”

Richard last won a round of the Canadian Rally Championship in the middle of the 2010 season, and has faced a number of challenges since. Between car development issues and using a different co-driver for most of the 2011 season the team had been unable to reach the top of the podium while his rivals seemed to have nearly trouble free runs at every event.

Though Richard’s bid for driver's title is over for this season, he arrived at Pacific Forest Rally relaxed and refocused on earning the manufacturer's title for Subaru. The points scored this weekend are vital in Richard's bid to earn the Manufacturer's title in the Canadian Rally Championship. Richard will still need to win the final event of the season to secure the title for Subaru.

Second place team of Antoine L’Estage (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) and Nathalie Richard (Halifax, NS) ran a conservative event but remained focused on their goal for the season.

“For this rally, we really needed to concentrate on the Driver's Championship and not get caught up in the battle for the event win. We only needed to finish tenth here to get the points we needed,” said L'Estage, whose second place result earns a second consecutive Canadian Rally Championship title for both he and codriver Nathalie Richard.

“This marks my fourth career championship in Canada, and at the last event, I clinched my fourth North American title,” said L'Estage. “I wouldn't be here without the help of my sponsors and of course my team. They worked hard all season, and we've had great results. Of the last 11 rallies we've done, we've only had one DNF, we've won six, and been on the podium for the rest.”

“Crazy” Leo Urlichich (Toronto) and Martin Brady (Meath, Ireland) earned the final spot on the podium, Though Urlichich wasn't satisfied with the result.

“Of course I want to do better than third place,” said Urlichich. “But we had two really good accomplishments this weekend. We led the rally while both Antoine and Pat were still competing, and our margin back from those guys is a lot less than it used to be. We just need to fine tune ourselves and our car, and I think we can go even faster.”

Immediately behind the top three, a battle emerged between the team of Hardy Schmidtke (Cochrane, AB) and John Hall (Sherwood Park, AB) versus rookie Max Riddle (Vancouver) and co-driver Aaron Neumann (Vancouver). Schmidtke took advantage of early road position on the first day to open up a comfortable margin while slotting into fourth place. Riddle, who was further back in the start order was slowed by dusty conditions that made it hard to see, especially on the night stages.

“I've competed for three years to have earned my road position,” said Schmidtke, referring to his driver ranking that moves him closer to the front of the pack. “But Max is really fast, so I'm not sure I can hold him off.”

Meanwhile, Riddle, who started competing less than a year ago, drove calmly, clawing back the seconds until edging past Schmidtke halfway through day two.

“On Friday, our goal was to get into the top five,” said Riddle, a position that gives the team an extra minute gap to help reduce the chances of catching the dust from the car ahead. “From there, we just drove hard to make up time.”

Riddle and Neumann finished fourth, their highest result in a national championship event.

In two wheel drive, brothers Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg) had a largely trouble free run to the top spot on the two wheel drive podium. The pair has been one of the most consistent competitors in two wheel drive, though have strong competition in the national championship after failing to finish the Rocky Mountain Rally in May of this year.

Their main rival, Eric Grochowski (Calgary), who returned this season after a year off represents the biggest challenger for the national championship, a title which will be decided at the last round of the season. Grochowski was rejoined by co-driver Leanne Junnila for the Pacific Forest Rally. The two already have a national title together, but struggled with a lack of power this weekend.

“I haven't built our new race motor yet, so we're running a stock motor,” said Grochowski, of his VW Golf. “The hairpins and hillclimbs really hurt us on Friday's stages, but the roads on day two were more our style.”

Nevertheless, the pair was unable to make up significant time on the Zedrils, and so finished a distant second place.

The Pacific Forest Rally also includes the PIAA ecoChallenge, an award given based on a combination of fast times and low fuel consumption. Jim Shepard and local Nicki Beverley (Merritt, BC) took the top spot in the ecoChallenge in their Toyota Celica. Though dominated by two wheel drive cars, pro mountain bike rider Brandon Semenuk (Whistler, BC) and Adam Vokes (Red Deer, AB) were the top ranked all wheel drive car.  

“This rally offers up a great challenge for teams, and an amazing experience for spectators,” said organiser Paul Westwick. “The stages really reward teams that push and take chances, and that means more excitement for the fans.”

The 2011 Canadian Rally Championship finishes at the Rally of the Tall Pines, in Bancroft, ON, November 25-26, 2011. Conditions are highly variable at the Rally of the Tall Pines, so teams must prepare to face everything from soft gravel to snow and ice. Multiple class championships will be up for grabs, and teams will be driving at maximum attack!   

The Canadian Rally Championship comprises 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.

Rally is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” The all-season
motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve
blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometers of gravel, dirt
or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action
from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings.

For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.pacificforestrally.com

You can also follow the series on Twitter @CRCRally or at facebook.com/CRCRally

Pacific Forest Rally Final Results

Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell – One hour, 19 minutes, 49.60 seconds
Antoine L'Estage – Nathalie Richard – 1:20:37.45
Leo Urlichich – Martin Brady – 1:21:55.80
Max Riddle – Aaron Neumann – 1:29:36.00
Hardy Schmidtke – John Hall – 1:30:36.90
Mike Goodwin – Martin Burnley – 1:31:19.70
Mark Jennings-Bates – Jennifer Daly – 1:33:27.10
Jan Zedril – Jody Zedril – 1:35:26.10
Onur Tezcan – Angela Cosner – 1:37:25.60
Eric Grochowski – Leanne Junnila – 1:39:09.80

RALLY AMERICA ANNOUNCES NEW OWNERSHIP AND 2012 RALLY SCHEDULE

Golden Valley, MN, September 22, 2011 – Rally America, Inc., the premier sanctioning and Rally promotion organization in the United States, announced today the seamless transition of ownership to Vermont business professional, Bill Fogg. Fogg has twenty-five years of entrepreneurial success in distribution, manufacturing, software development, telecommunications and marketing. Fogg is also a founding partner in a business development company that invests in a number of technology start-up businesses.
Managing Director, J. B. Niday, will continue in his long-standing role along with Mike Hurst, Rally America’s Competition Director, Paul Giblin, Rally America’s Director of Business Development, and Ananda Siverts, the organization’s Marketing Director. The Rally America staff, new and old, is also quick to acknowledge the founder of Rally America, Doug Havir, for his many contributions to the development of the Rally America National Championship Series.
“First, I want to express my appreciation to Doug Havir for establishing and building Rally America,” said J.B. Niday, “Bill Fogg and his team bring great, new talents and resources to Rally America, as well as fresh ideas and perspectives.”
Fogg has been working with Rally America personnel as well as professionals from other companies to assist in planning for the expansion of Rally America’s reach into homes around the globe. “I want to expose as many people as possible to Rally and turn them into rabid fans,” said Fogg, “Rally America is in a unique position to put Rally and Rallycross in front of the mainstream public.” Fogg believes that Rally America’s future success will be built on the vision and depth of its management team and a history of producing safe and exciting Rally events.
As part of that vision, social networking, live streaming, and online video channel development will be enhanced or launched during the 2012 season. “I have spoken with top performers in the sport, team owners, sponsors and manufacturers, and they all agree that now is the time to bring Rally and Rallycross to the masses,” Fogg said.
Fogg first attended a rally three years ago with his sons Jon and Tom when long-time friend and Rally driver Chris Putzier suggested they give it a try. “We had no idea what to expect at the New England Forest Rally in 2009 but we had a great time, it was a wonderful family experience with the boys and an exciting introduction to the sport of Rally,” said Fogg. “I’m thrilled with the opportunity to put my years of business experience and entrepreneurial spirit to work for Rally America.”

The 2012 Rally America National Championship Series schedule has been created in partnership with local Rally event organizers. In the upcoming season, Rally America will make the series more accessible and build more excitement for fans, sponsors, drivers, and teams.

For 2012, the six Rally events will stretch from coast to coast and are scheduled to run through September. Rally America organizers have moved the Seattle, Washington-based Olympus Rally to September from April and have pushed back the Portland, Oregon-based Oregon Trail Rally by a few weeks to allow more time between it and the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, PA in early June. This new National Championship schedule for 2012 accomplishes two goals. First, it extends the Rally season into the fall, and secondly, it eliminates the compacting of half the Championship into less than two months. Rally America is in the process of evaluating the addition of a seventh National Championship Series event in 2013.




Sno*Drift Atlanta, MI January 27 - 28
Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Salem, MO February 24 – 25
Oregon Trail Rally Portland OR May 4 - 6
STPR , Wellsboro PA June 1 - 2
New England Forest Rally Newry, ME July 13-14
Olympus Rally Seattle, WA September 22 – 23