Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Patrick Richard of Squamish led from the start at the Rocky Mountain Rally held Saturday (May 30) near Calgary, to claim his first victory of the season and the overall lead in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship.
Winning all but one of the event's 13 scheduled stages, Richard and his co-driver Alan Ockwell of Toronto, cruised to the win in their Subaru WRX STi with a stunning margin of over six minutes to their nearest competitor, Andrew Comrie-Picard of Toronto.
"This is a great way to rebound after our last event," said Richard, referring the previous round of the championship where the team had a win snatched from their grasp when they were forced to retire with just two stages remaining.
"This puts the team in a great position for the rest of the season."
Richard's victory this weekend puts him and his co-driver at the top of the Canadian Rally Championship overall standings, tied with Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec.
For the majority of the event, the Quebec-based duo fought hard to keep up with Richard and Ockwell.
"With the championship lead on the line, we knew Antoine wanted to win," said Ockwell. "He kept us honest until he slowed with mechanical problems."
L'Estage, driving a Mitsubishi Evo X, was over a minute behind Richard when he eventually failed to finish the event with differential failure.
"The car ran flawlessly and I have to credit both Subaru Canada, all of our associate sponsors Motul Lubricants, Vision-X Lighting, Crawford Performance and ACT, and our Squamish, B.C.-based Rocket Rally crew," said Richard.
Rocket Rally Racing is based in Squamish, and operates the Subaru Rally Team Canada on behalf of Subaru Canada, with associate sponsors Motul Lubricants, Vision-X Lighting, Crawford Performance and ACT providing product support for the 2009 championship campaign.
"Everything ran perfectly and I can't wait for the rest of the season," said Richard.
All rounds of the Canadian Rally Championship are televised nationally on TSN, TSN2 and RDS, and internationally. For television times, check your local listings.
More information about the Canadian Rally Championship can be found at the Canadian Association of Rallysport's website www.carsrally.ca.
