Subaru Rally Support Program, for the 2012 Rally America National Championship

Subaru of America, Inc. announced today the continuation of their contingency program, the Subaru Rally Support Program, for the 2012 Rally America National Championship. The Subaru Rally Support Program is managed by Subaru of America Inc., partner Vermont SportsCar and continues to be the most lucrative contingency program in North American rallying, with over $20,000 available at each Rally America National Championship event for Subaru drivers to earn. The program focuses support on the popular Super Production class (SP) within the Rally America National Championship where the top finishing eligible Subaru SP driver will earn $7,000 at each round while second through 10th placed SP drivers receiving generous payouts as well.

Finish Position** (among registered program entrants)	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth - 10th
SP - Plan "A"	$7,000	$4,000	$3,000	$2,500	$1,500	$500
SP - Plan "B"	$1,500	$1,200	$1,000	$700	$600	$500

The Super Production (SP) class was created in 2009 by Rally America to offer an enticing compromise between the top-tier Open class and the more restrictive Production GT (PGT) class. The SP class provides a means for cost-effective competition for Subaru models such as the WRX and WRX STI to compete not only head-to-head with but also be capable of challenging the top of the leader board at any Rally America National Championship event.

SP class driver Travis Hanson drove this point home with an impressive 2011 season at the wheel of his SP class Subaru WRX STI becoming the first SP class driver to win a national rally outright (2011 Sno*Drift Rally) and leading the championship points standings for nearly half the season. Hanson went on to finish third overall in the season standings after consistently battling the top Open class cars on each round.

One of the key attractions of the SP class for Subaru drivers is the allowance of several key modifications to Subaru WRX and WRX STI model rally cars to make them more affordable and competitive to prepare and run as compared to meeting compliance for the PGT class. This includes but is not limited to: allowing vehicles to be updated or backdated within a body style of the model, fitting of hydraulic handbrakes, and granting broader brake system modifications. The SP class also features a larger 34mm turbo inlet restrictor versus the 32mm in the PGT class.

"Subaru as a brand, and our WRX and WRX STI models in particular, are widely recognized as having rally-DNA and being associated with performance and rallying in general," said James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. "By announcing a continuation in the [Subaru] Rally Support Program, Subaru reaffirms our commitment to privateer entrants campaigning our products in Rally America events and to the growth of rally in the United States."

In addition to this continued support to SP class participants at Rally America National Championship events Subaru of America Inc. will also offer a $200 'start fund' to any eligible Subaru entered in a Rally America Regional rally that runs concurrent to a national event weekend.

**Eligibility rules apply. Please read complete program rules and regulations here: vtcar.com/rally/subaru-contingency-program/

For more information about the Rally America Super Production class please refer to the Rally America rule book and rule bulletins found at rally-america.com/rules.php.

About Subaru Rally Team USA
Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, PIAA, Motul, VP Fuels, and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries, visit subaru.com/rally and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

Follow the Subaru of America Facebook page and subaru_usa on Twitter.

About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.

L'Estage and Richard Tackle the Ice and Snow at Round One of The 2012 Rally America Championship.

Montréal (Québec), January 25th, 2012. – Reigning Canadian 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 as the 2012 Rally America series kicks off with its only winter event on the calendar.

The SnoDrift Rally, the first of six rounds in the American series, will celebrate its 46th anniversary on the snow and ice-covered roads in and around Atlanta, Michigan. L’Estage and Richard, who narrowly missed out on a second consecutive Rally America title in 2011, will debut their brand new Mitsubishi Evo X this weekend.
Rockstar Energy Drink team driver Antoine L’Estage is looking forward to getting back to competition after a two-month hiatus since the final round of the 2011 Canadian Rally Championship and the North American Rally Cup. John Buffum, rally legend and owner of Vermont-based Libra Racing, just completed the build of a brand new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X for the Rockstar duo and with a successful test a few days ago, the entire team eagerly awaits Friday’s rally start.

"Antoine and I both love competing in winter conditions. This year, we are expecting less snow in Michigan than we’ve generally had in the past, which can make for an extremely challenging two days. He’s a fantastic driver and that definitely holds true on snow and ice " shares co-driver Richard. 
"And regardless of what conditions we are faced with, we have a great selection of Yokohama tires to choose from" she adds.

With the start of a new season and the debut of a new car, the team is also pleased to announce their new partnership with Formica Group, an industry leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of innovative surfacing products. " I’m thrilled that Formica will be joining our already impressive line-up of committed partners and we expect this to be the start of a long and strong relationship " confides L’Estage. " We have had such a successful past two years, winning the Canadian and North American titles both years and the Rally America title once. With this new car and our devoted partners and fans, we’re ready to start yet another amazing season".

Antoine L’Estage holds four North American championship titles (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011), four Canadian titles (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011), one American title (2010), and thirty-one overall victories in Canada and the US. Nathalie Richard holds seven overall national championship titles (4 Canadian and 3 American), as well as thirty-seven overall rally wins on both sides of the border. She also holds a record seven North American Co-Driving Championship titles (2004 – 2011, excluding 2006). Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2012 Rally America and Canadian Rally Championships with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Formica Group, Fenetres Concerto, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes, Garrett Turbos, Énergie Cardio, VP Racing Fuels, Exe-Tc Suspensions, Hawk Performance Brake Pads, Driver's Edge Autosport, and Libra Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit antoinelestage.com. Source : Coyote Rallye Media Services, (514) 825 - 4332

Valentino Rossi Shows Some Great Rally Skills At Monza Rally Show

Valentino Rossi and Monster Energy put together a 3 car team and partnered up to shoot VR's exploits at the wheel of a WRC Fiesta for the 2011 edition of the Monza Rally Show. The MotoGP GOAT doesn't get a load of time to throw a rally car round with a co-driver barking out calls but let's face it, he's got a knack of being super fast on in any kind of race format. Over the course of the weekend, Valentino come a close second (in 2 race formats) to multiple WRC champ Seb Loeb and even beat the ace in the 2 stages he topped. Behind him sat last year's winner Dindo Capello and WRC great Dani Sordo.

Ken Block World Tour 2011

Monster World Rally Team and driver Ken Block release a 6-minute tire-destroying, action-packed recap video of the 2011 Gymkhana World Tour.

November 29th, New York, New York: A few months removed from the completion of his first-ever Gymkhana World Tour, Monster World Rally Team driver Ken Block is pleased to announce the release of an all-encompassing highlight video that showcases the best World Tour action from all three stops of the 2011 schedule (Vienna, Los Angeles, Melbourne). “I had an amazing summer,” said Block. “The Gymkhana World Tour was such a great time for me.

We managed to hit three continents and three great cities where the fans were totally wild. Obviously not everyone that would have wanted to make it to one of the stops was able to go however, so what this video does is basically give a taste of what went down to everyone that missed the 2011 stops. This tour was great, but I’m already working to make the 2012 one even better!” While Block and his Gymkhana World Tour completed a 3-stop schedule in 2011, for 2012 the Monster World Rally Team driver is looking to hit 5 all-new cities for the Tour. For more information and a list of 2012 Gymkhana World Tour stops, please check back frequently to: http://www.gymkhanaworldtour.com/

“Crazy” Leo Urlichich Takes Overall Victory At 2011 Rally Of The Tall Pines

November 26, 2011; Bancroft, ON, Canada; Driver "Crazy" Leo Urlichich and co-driver Martin Brady finish win the Rally of the Tall Pines, Round 6 of the Canadian Rally Championship in their 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.  Credit: Andrew Harvey

BANCROFT, ONTARIO, November 27, 2011 – “Crazy” Leo Urlichich (Thornhill, ON) and co-driver Martin Brady (Meath, Ireland) beat a record breaking number of entries at the 2011 Rally of the Tall Pines, their first win at a Canadian Rally Championship event. Competition was extremely strong, with main CRC rivals Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Antoine L'Estage (St Jean Sur Richelieu, QC) as well as 2011 Rally America champions David Higgins (Trefeglwys, Wales) and co-driver Craig Drew (Gloucestershire, England), on hand for their first ever Rally of the Tall Pines.

 “Wow, this is incredible,” said Urlichich, who literally jumped around on the podium in excitement. “All season the whole team has been working hard to get to this point, and so this win really proves how much the team has put into the effort.”

 With the Canadian Rally Championship already decided in favour of L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard (Halifax), no teams had to hold back for the sake of strategy, and right from the first stage, each team was attacking.

L'Estage won the first four stages, taking control of the event, until disaster struck at the end of SS5. The transmission in their car shattered with large pieces of the casing falling off.

 “Well, it's too bad. We were leading the rally, and had a good lead, but it's ok,” said L'Estage. “The important thing is we are Canadian Rally Champions.”

 Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) of Subaru Rally Team Canada took over the lead, with David Higgins and Craig Drew (Gloucestershire, England) taking over second place. Both teams would go on to suffer punctures, dropping down the order and handing Urlichich the lead.  Richard and Ockwell would later suffer transmission failures and retire from the event.  

“This was a really tough event, probably the hardest I've done in my entire career,” said Higgins, who went on to finish second. “Primarily, we came here to test the car, but when you're a competitive person, you want to push for the win.”

 Third place went to Bruno Carre (Laval, QC) and Yvan Joyal (Terrebonne, QC). The two were deperately trying to hang on to their podium position, with an overheating car threatening to end their event. With a large margin over fourth placed Ugo Desgreniers (Orford, QC) and Erik Kirby (Sherbrooke, QC), Carre was able to make his car last to the finish.

 “The car started overheating with about five stages left,” said Carre. “We had to stop at lakes to get water to fill up the rad. It's been a difficult end to the rally, so we're very happy and lucky to be on the podium.”

In two wheel drive, the entry was equally impressive. Series regulars Jan and Jody Zedril (Winnipeg) faced off against local talent Peter Kocandrle (Kitchener-Waterloo, ON) and co-driver Alex Kihurani (Philadelphia, PA), as well as Simon Dube (Jonquière, QC) and Pat Lavigne (Montreal). 2011 Rally American 2WD Champions Wyatt Knox (Franconia, NH) and co-driver Ole Holter (Long Beach, CA) entered in a Ford Fiesta R2, while 2009 RA 2WD Champ Dillon Van Way (Baton Rouge, LA) and co-driver Jake Blattner (Salem, OR) were also on hand in a Fiesta.

 Just as it did in all wheel drive, attrition took a toll on the 2WD cars as well. Kocandrle set fast stage times but struggled with half shaft problems that eventually ended his rally. The Zedrils also retired from the event, and Van Way retired with a broken half shaft, the rough conditions especially hard on the 2WD cars.

Dube and Knox traded stage times and the class lead, and heading into the final stage, Dube and Lavigne had a lead of just over one minute, 30 seconds. However, on the final stage, Egan Creek, Dube had an electrical fault that cut the engine, costing the team six minutes and handing the lead to Knox and Holter.

 “This was my first time at this rally, and my first time driving the R2,” said Knox. “It was a really hard event. In the US, we do the same distance, but split over two days, so this really was a marathon. We had a great battle with Dube, and it worked out for us, but we'll see what happens next time.”

“It's been an incredible event,” said organiser Ian Wright. “The record entry isn't just about volume, but of quality, with some really talented teams competing. Everything went really well, and we're happy to introduce Canadian rally to all the first time teams and fans who came out in person or watched at home.”

Production company TV2Go offered fans a home a unique opportunity with a precedent setting high definition live stream to web. Three live shows covered the ceremonial start and first stage, a mid day service and the podium finish. Those who wish to watch the shows on demand can do so on Flatovercrest.com.

The 2012 Canadian Rally Championship season is only a few short months away. Kicking off with the Rallye Perce Neige in Maniwaki, QC teams will take on the classic winter rally February 4-5, 2012. Massive snowbanks offer both help in staying on the road, and a threat in their ability to pull a car off the road. Icy conditions require a special talent as studded tires are not permitted. The Rallye Perce Neige is perhaps Canada's most remote rally with very long and challenging stages.       

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.

Rally of the Tall Pines Final Results

1. Leo Urlichich – Martin Brady – One hour, 59 minutes, 4.8 seconds

2. David Higgins – Craig Drew – 1:59:36.7

3. Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal – 2:07:51.7

4. Ugo Desgreniers – Erik Kirby – 2:12:25.7

5. Steeve Hobbs – Jean-Mathieu Tremblay – 2:13:19.7

6. Simon Losier – Brian Maxwell – 2:16:24.0

7. Nick Mathew – Kelly Matthew – 2:17:59.1

8. Michelle Laframboise – Dean Hopkins – 2:20:04.8

9. Wyatt Knox – Ole Holter – 2:20:19.7
10. Ryan Huber – John Vanos – 2:21:16.1