Contact: Michel Poirier-Defoy Tel: (450) 491-2480 E-mail: lpindfoy@sympatico.ca

Date:September 10-12, 1999

1999 Standings: Frank Sprongl, 100 points; Sylvain Vincent, 67; Tom McGeer, 40; John Paynter, 23; Yves Barbe, 20; Éric Tremblay, 17; Jeff Smith, 16; Besner, Alcaraz, Racine,12

Class Leaders: Open: Sprongl; Production GT: Vincent; Group 2: Dave Sharp; Prod. Sport: Lévesque; Prod. 1750: Rosenshein

Leading Marques: Open: Audi; Group 2: Volkswagen; Production GT: Eagle; Prod. Sport: Toyota, Nissan; Prod. 1750: Suzuki, Subaru

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Parry Sound, Ont--- Despite two remaining rounds in the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship presented by Yokohama Tire of Canada, a victory in this weekend’s Rally of the Voyageurs could mean a number of teams clinch overall class wins for the 1999 season. With almost 40 cars entered, Saturday’s rally start and finish in the picturesque Georgian Bay region could end up being the difference between getting your name in the record book… or preparing to be quicker next year!

Frank and Dan Sprongl won’t have to worry about that, though. The brothers and their ultra-competitive Audi Quattro S2 have been nothing short of brilliant; their perfect season has helped set the standard by which all other teams are judged. With five consecutive victories, a win at Parry Sound will not only mean six in a row, but will lock first place for 99. Same goes for the husband and wife team of Sylvain Vincent and Dominique Cyr. With little sponsorship funding, the team has managed to beat the odds all season. But don’t look for the familiar Eagle Talon they normally campaigned; they’re into a brand-new Subaru Impreza. Even with a third place finish here, Vincent and Cyr would still take first place in GT class.

Downtown spectator stage Brand new this year, Voyageurs will feature a spectator stage in the heart of Parry Sound; a real plus for rally enthusiasts and city spectators. Afterwards, the rally moves north where 13 special stages bear the names of great Canadian explorers (Jolliet, Nicolet, Champlain…). In total, 157 kilometres of fast, challenging roads will comprise Rally of the Voyageurs.

The whole gamut of competitors promise to make the weekend an enjoyable event. Tom and Trish McGeer with the Impreza WRX of Subaru Canada will be out in full force. So will Cornwall’s Barry Latreille in his Eagle Talon and Jean-Marc Alcaraz in his Mazda GTX. Yves Barbe in his Export ‘A’ Eagle Talon will be fighting just like Keith Townsend from Toronto in his all-wheel drive Toyota. Group2 favourite, John Nichols will debut a new VW Golf. Ilana Rosenshein and Marc Krawczyk will continue their battle for top spot in 1750 class.

Voyageurs is also an event well-attended by American competitors: Jon Kemp and Ivan Orisek, both driving Audi Quattros, will be up to show their best. New York State’s Sakis Hadjiminas is a regular in Canadian rallies with co-driver Brian Maxwell. He’ll be at the helm of his crowd-pleasing, fire-breathing 450 horsepower VW Fox turbo V6.

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 or www.kwrc.on.ca this event’s organising club: the Kitchener-Waterloo Rally Club.

INFORMATION:
CARS (905) 640 6444
Stephan Mostad smostad@hotmail.ca
Michel Poirier-Defoy (450) 491 2480
lpindfoy@sympatico.ca