| Contact: Michel Poirier-Defoy Tel: (450) 491-2480 E-mail: lpindfoy@sympatico.ca | Date: June 29, 1999 |
| EVENT: | Rallye Baie des Chaleurs | |
| LOCATION: | New Richmond, Quebec | |
| STATUS: Fifth event in 1999 | July 2 - 3 | |
| STATS: 17 special stages | 265 Km of speed sections | |
| TOTAL RALLY DISTANCE: 375 Km | Two day event |
1999 Standings: Frank Sprongl, 80 points; Sylvain Vincent, 52; Tom McGeer, 40; Yves Barbe, 20; Éric Tremblay, 17; Jeff Smith, 16; Jean-Sébastien Besner, 12; Jean-Marc Alcaraz, 12
Class Leaders: Open: Sprongl; Production GT: Vincent; Group 2: Nichols; Prod. Sport: Mendham, Lévesque; Prod. 1750: Rosenshein, Krawczyk
Leading Marques: Open: Audi; Group 2: Volkswagen; Production GT: Eagle; Prod. Sport: Toyota, Nissan; Prod. 1750: Suzuki, Subaru
| 1999 SUBARU CANADIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2 - 3 | Rallye Baie des Chaleurs | New Richmond, QC | |
| Sept. 10 - 12 | Rally of the Voyageurs | Parry Sound, ON | |
| Oct. 29 - 31 | Rallye Auto Charlevoix | Pointe-au-Pic, QC | |
| Nov. 20 - 21 | Rally of the Tall Pines | Bancroft, ON | |
| Feb. 2000 | Rallye de Quebec | Quebec, QC | |
| Feb. 2000 | Rallye Perce-Neige | Pembroke, ON | |
| May 2000 | Bighorn Rally | Hinton, Alberta, AB | |
| May 2000 | Rocky Mountain Rally | Calgary, AB | |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Richmond, Quebec--- Baie des Chaleurs, one of the most gruelling events in the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship sponsored by Yokohama Tires, is characterised by more than 250 kilometres of special stages on logging roads. In the dead of summer, this dusty New Richmond, Quebec-based rally is not only one of the biggest sporting events in the Gaspé region, but also attracts enthusiasts from as far away as Ontario.
"This is the most compact route in the schedule," said Canadian Association of Rallysport president, Terry Epp. "The furthest away from the rally start is about 40 kilometres; stages are right on the outskirts of town." This is why thousands turn out to watch the Baie event, "its very spectator friendly, with even stands and restaurants along the route," he added.
But the typically hot weather takes a serious toll on rally teams. "Staying hydrated is a real challenge," said Epp. "Co-drivers in particular suffer from nausea. The roads are very twisty, there are a lot of instructions, and it gets extremely hot inside the car – this is probably the hardest event on the co-driver in the championship."
Despite the Sprongls domination of the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship, anything can happen this coming weekend; in Pennsylvania just three weeks ago, their Quattro clipped a tree, resulting in extensive body and suspension damage. While they have won the Mount Washington Hillclimb this weekend, a question mark remains as to its reliability for the two day long Baie event.
For Sylvain Vincent, Dominique Cyr, and their Eagle Talon, 1999 has thus far been a Cinderella story. Primarily self-funded, hard work and harder driving have put the team second in the national standings. But the pressure will be squarely on them in New Richmond. A podium finish will keep them where they are; anything less could mean a drop to third overall behind Tom and Trish McGeer, in their Subaru Impreza WRX. They had good results out West and are ready to clinch their first win this season.
Other regular crews from Ontario, the Maritimes and United States will be there to catch people attention with their driving skills: Each class victory is always hard fought here. Finally, 12 teams from the Gaspé area are also entered and some crews are capable of top performances, as they have done in the past.
The Subaru Canadian Rally Championship is presented eight times this year, between February and November. It is sanctioned by the Canadian Association of Rallysport and supported by Subaru Canada and Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. Additional information is available from the CARS website at: www3.sympatico.ca/rally.cars
INFORMATION:
CARS (905) 640 6444
Stephan Mostad smostad@hotmail.ca
Michel Poirier-Defoy (450) 491 2480
lpindfoy@sympatico.ca