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

Date: November 16, 1999

1999 Standings: Frank Sprongl, 135 points; Sylvain Vincent, 87; Tom McGeer, 40; John Kemp, John Paynter, 27; Yves Barbe, Jon Nichols, 22; John Buffum, 20; Éric Tremblay, 19; Marc Racine, 18 Jeff Smith,16

Class Leaders: Open : Frank Sprongl Production GT : Sylvain Vincent Group 2 : J. Nichols Prod. Sport : Bruno Laverdière Prod. 1750 : Rosenshein

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bancroft, Ontario--- The final round of the 1999 Subaru Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Yokohama Tires, takes place this coming weekend. With 37 entries from all over Canada and the United States, the rally starts Saturday morning in this small eastern Ontario town. The rally is comprised of eleven stages with more than 190 kilometres of speed stages; weather promises to make this event very changeable and very challenging. By nightfall Saturday, both the Canadian and North American champions will be known. Since 94, Frank and Dan Sprongl, already Canadian champions this year, have taken five consecutive Tall Pines victories in their Audi Quattro S2. The Czech duo will have to keep their pace up however, as many challengers promise to threaten their winning streak.

Four teams to challenge Sprongls
Two Subaru WRX of Tom McGeer (third in the 99 standings) and Sylvain Vincent (second) are among the top all-wheel-drive teams to pose a threat to the Sprongl stronghold on Tall Pines. The Subarus have a notable weight advantage over the heavier Quattro. New Yorker Jon Kemp must have liked Canadian events with two consecutive podium finishes because he’s back and there’s no reason to count him out at the Pines. Same with Yves Barbe; he’ll want to prove that despite his mechanical troubles at Charlevoix, which saw him stall only a few kilometres from the finish, he’s got what it takes to win. One of the hottest drivers in Group 2 - Jon Nichols - should clinch another title in class since his long time competitor - Marc Racine - will not be running his Honda in Bancroft. But he shouldn’t expect it to be easy, since Ohio’s Nicolas Robinson might take the place of Racine.

Some titles to be determined
Although a number of champions have already been declared this season, interesting battles remain in specific categories. Bruno Laverdiere in Sport and Ilana Rosenshein in 1750 class are two competitors who have a battle for points right down to the wire. As far as manufacturers are concerned, Subaru should have no problem securing the GT championship since the Bancroft finale will be a battle between the Impreza RS of Eric Tremblay and the Legacy of the John and Clark Paynter from Halifax. In fact, a total of ten Subarus will be on the starting line Saturday morning.

Unpredictable roads
A long-standing tradition with the Rally of the Tall Pines is the condition and state of the roads; it’s always the one big question mark. Dusty gravel, heavy snow and ice are commonly found not just throughout the rally, but even in the course of one stage! As always, tire selection will be the difference between success or wait ‘til next year!

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. The last rally of the season is Rally of the Tall Pines, in Bancroft, Ontario. Additional information is available from the CARS website at www3.sympatico.ca/rally.cars or the Tall Pines web site at www.mlrc.on.ca

INFORMATION:
CARS Mister Terry Epp (905) 640 6444
Michel Poirier-Defoy (450) 491 2480
lpindfoy@sympatico.ca