When the man who drove a Squamish-built car to rally championship victory zigzags through a race course, every detail matters.
Everything, including the tone of voice of his co-pilot to the exact weight of his car, can mean the difference between a win and a loss for Antoine L’Estage.
“It’s not just arrive and jump in the car,” he said. “We try to do a lot before we show up to the rally.”
And doing a lot often involves L’Estage re-examining the details of his driving during the months-long hiatus between Canadian Rally Championship events.
The driver had a rough start this year, losing a race at the Perce Neige after having won the championship last year.
So L’Estage took some time to rest, relax and refine all the details in his racing game, along with his partners at Rocket Rally Racing, a local Squamish company that was contracted to build the flagship car for Subaru Rally Team Canada.
Hopefully, this downtime will have been just what he needed to prepare himself for the upcoming Rocky Mountain Rally in Invermere this weekend.
Fitness, the nine-time Canadian champion said, has been a priority.
Rally schedules can be gruelling, as days of nonstop preparation often force athletes to stay up at odd times.
Just before each race, racers spend a day or two surveying the course, taking notes on the minutest details, such as the angle of the slope, the texture of the road and the sharpness of each curve.
Follow that up immediately with a competition that keeps drivers and co-pilots in a high-adrenaline state for hours on end, and you have a recipe for burnout.
That’s why it’s crucial for athletes to put in effort to become fit enough to sustain a high level of concentration for a long period of time and only a little bit of rest.
To this end, L’Estage punches in the hours working out, focusing on cardio exercises such as running or cycling.
And staying fit is not just necessary to sustain concentration for long periods, but it can sometimes be a factor in how the car performs.
“There’s a weight dimension,” he said. “We just want [my co-pilot] and I to show up at the rally in good shape and not have extra weight.”
Though rally races are often finished with sizable time gaps between competitors, L’Estage has won and lost some races by a margin of seconds.
In those cases, every pound can make a difference, he said.
“I’ve lost a rally once in the U.S. by 1.2 seconds after two days and 200 miles,” he said.
However, preparing for a rally race isn’t a solitary pursuit.
As of this year, L’Estage has rejoined forces with co-pilot Alan Ockwell, who had taken a year-long hiatus.
Once again united with his preferred navigator, L’Estage says he’s excited to take on the next few races with what he considers to be a hard-to-find synergy.
“When I started to work with Allan in 2014, right away it clicked,” said L’Estage. “It didn’t take long for us to become 100 per cent together. When that kind of chemistry happens, it tells you something.”
“It comes to a point where he knows exactly what I want and I know him – we don’t need to talk a lot,” he said.
But while great drivers are necessary, so are great cars.
Rocket Rally Racing, a Squamish company, built L’Estage’s car from the ground up.
Starting by stripping a Subaru WRX STI right down to the chassis, the team worked to outfit it with customized gear.
A reprogrammed engine control unit adds juice to the car, altering how it accelerates and consumes fuel.
An improved steering system helps it swerve through zigzagging racecourses.
The team has rejigged almost every part.
“It could get down to every little detail,” said L’Estage.
