| Contact: John Morris 416-963-3222 Jud Buchanan 905-873-7163 |
Date: October 12, 2004 | |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Merritt, BC - Tough driving conditions and head-to-head showdowns at the Pacific Forest Rally will heat up hilly roads near Merritt, BC, 2.5 hours east of Vancouver. Although Pat Richard has already clinched the 2004 Canadian Rally Championship, the driving is likely going to get even more competitive as the top teams vie for honour and reputation as much as points.
With the CRC title on ice, Richard can go flat out with no pressure. His goal is to prove he’s faster than Subaru teammate Tom McGeer, six-time champion but this year well out of the running after a major roll after just 12 km of the Rocky Mountain Rally.
But McGeer is back for Round 5 and even though he can’t win the season, he can still use this event to show who’s the boss. The competition will be fierce in this wild mountain environment where all the drivers will be challenged by dirt rock and perhaps even snow.
The battle for Number Two in the overall driver standings is ferocious. Currently the Subaru Impreza WRX of Production 4 Class champ Frederic Labrie from Beauport, Quebec sits just one point ahead of Edmonton's Andrew Comrie-Picard "ACP" who is running second in Open Class. ACP’s Mitsubishi Evo IV has been chasing Pat Richard all year, yet has not so far won an event and he wants to change that. Quebec fan fave Antoine L’Estage has been close too and is planning on taking his a top spot in Round 5. Antoine will be in a different car this weekend - a Subaru Impreza WRX. There will be no room for error on anyone’s part.
In Group 2 (naturally aspirated 2-wheel drive vehicles) a season long battle continues with Gord Olsen from Brooks, AB hot on the heels of Jon Nichols of Lachine QC - both in VW Golfs. Nichols is also very much in the running for second place overall honours, challenging both ACP and Labrie.
In the P2 production class, it’s all Suzuki. One of the two factory backed Suzuki Swift +'s will win the class this year, but which? William Bacon and Thierry Menegoz will fight it out again with just points separating them.
The series is broadcast nationwide in prime time on Rogers Sportsnet and RDS and is the only Canadian motorsport series receiving exposure of this prominence. The complete TV schedule is available on www.CRC-Rally.com.
The Canadian Rally Championship is presented by Subaru and sanctioned by the Canadian Association of Rallysport. Rally Development Group (RDG) holds the marketing rights for the Canadian Rally Championship.