| Contact: Michel Poirier-Defoy Tel: (450) 491-2480 E-mail: lpindfoy@sympatico.ca | Date: July 4, 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, 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
| 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--- The fifth stop of the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Yokohama Tire - the Rallye Baie de Chaleurs - turned out to be the ultimate test for all of the members of the 32 teams involved in the two-day, 254 kilometre rally. Only 13 teams managed to finish the 14 stages that comprised this exhausting rally, as several co-drivers suffered from dehydration, and several cars broke.
A number of less-powerful cars avoided the pitfall of breaking driveline and suspension components over the torturous forest roads. Aside from the winning Open-class Audi, the eight official finishers were production class vehicles.
Record attendance was once again the order of the day for the 22nd running
of this event in the Gaspé region. More than 15,000 people came
out to see the national level competitors, and cheer on their local favourites
too. While John and Clark Paynter of Halifax finished fourth, locals Sylvain
Saint-Pierre, Christian Miousse and Eric Pratte finished fifth, sixth,
and seventh respectively. Bruno Laverdiere of Laval, Que., and Ilana Rosenshein
of Waterloo, Ont., plus four other teams managed to cross the finish line.
Because of rain, hard packed roads left mechanics working overtime
and co-drivers weary and exhausted. One of them, Gabriel Lemieux was transported
to the hospital because of severe dehydration.
With the Rallye Baie de Chaleurs completed, not only have the Sprongls solidified their lead in the national points, but also look to be heading toward another national title. With his second place finish at the Baie, Sylvain Vincent, already leading class GT, puts an even larger lead on the McGeer's; battle for second in the national championship will be right down to the wire with only three more rallies to go this season.
The next event will be mid-September in the Parry Sound area with the Rallye of the Voyageurs. The Subaru Canadian Rally Championship is presented eight times in 1999, between February and November. It is sanctioned by the Canadian Association of RallySport and is 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
TEAM MARQUE HOMETOWN CLASS FINAL 1 Frank / Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro Mississauga,ON Open 178:22 2 Sylvain Vincent/D. Cyr Eagle Talon Laplaine, QC GT 194:38 3 Marc Racine / Luc Piché Honda Civic Joliette, QC Gr 2 203:26 4 John / Clark Paynter Subaru Legacy Sackville, NS GT 205:15 5 Sylvain St-Pierre Nissan NX 2000 Fermont, QC Gr 2 213:58 6 Christian. Miousse / R. Dube Toyota Corolla St-Alphonse,QC Gr 2 217:43 7 Eric Pratte / Robert Leblanc Subaru Impreza Miquelon, QC Sport 221:23 8 Bruno Laverdiere/ M. Duval Toyota Corolla Laval, QC Sport; 227:03 9 Ilana Rosehshein / J. Cote Suzuki Swift GTi Waterloo, ON 1750 239:52 Only national finishers
The high points :
* The Sprongls extend their winning streak to five
* Sylvain Vincent is still the only driver in contention for overall
title
* Local drivers put on quite a show
* Very large crowds attend the event throughout the weekend
The low points :
* Some roads were tough on cars
* Many co-drivers suffered from dehydration
* Attrition for Open class cars was high