Squamish's Pat Richard zoomed his way to another victory at the Rally of the Tall Pines event in Bancroft, Ont., on Sunday (Nov. 25).
Richard and his Subaru Rally Team Canada teammate Alan Ockwell completed the course in 1:46:18.4, beating out the second-place team of Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard by more than four minutes.
“It's nice to see this result for the team,” Richard said. “The guys have been working so hard for so long. It's been about a year and a bit without a win, so it's a good change."
The event was not simple for Richard and Ockwell. In a battle for the lead, they suffered two flat tires and brake damage that caused a fire. Despite those problems on the final three stages, the team pressed on and made it to the finish having earned the top spot.
“On the very last set of stages, we both got flats on the long stage. I drove mine out,” Richard said of the late-event drama. “We kept the car on the road and the plan of keeping it steady today, and pushing where it matters paid off.”
Sunday's rally was the final event of the Canadian Rally Championships (CRC) series and Richard was placed third heading into the Tall Pines event. Richard placed second twice and had three did-not-finishes in his other races this season.
The series will kick off its 2013 series in Maniwaki, Que., with the Rallye Perce-Neige on Feb. 2 to 3. For more information on the series, visit www.carsrally.ca.
