Contact: Paul Westwick Tel: (604) 707-3305 Email: paul@rallybc.com		Date: June 15, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Merritt, BC, Canada - Tom McGeer from Georgetown, ON claimed his third win in a row at the Pacific Forest Rally in Merritt, BC on Saturday. The fifth round of the Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru and Yokohama was the toughest win for McGeer in his Subaru WRX.

Mitsubishi drivers Sylvain and Philippe Erickson from Gatineau, Quebec lead the rally from the second special stage.

Going into the final stage of the Rally, McGeer and co-driver Jeff Becker from New York were pushing hard to close Erickson's 30-second lead. McGeer, driving flat out, slid into a tree. He was able to recover and finish the stage with only minor body damage. Erickson wasn't as lucky. A crash just 4km from the end took him out of the rally.

Only 15 of the 38 cars that entered completed all 13 stages of the Pacific Forest Rally. Janusz Komorowski and co-driver Tomasz Karzynski, both from Calgary, AB finished second. Gord Olsen from Brooks, AB and co-driver Dave Shindle from Falls Church, VA won the Group 2 class, placing third overall.

McGeer's win puts him firmly in the lead for the Canadian championship. With 72 points he has a 37-point lead over Komorowski and Patrick Richard who are tied for second with 35 points. Erickson is close behind with 32 points. McGeer's rivals all failed to earn points at the Pacific Forest Rally.

Defending Canadian Rally Champ, Patrick Richard from Vancouver, B.C. suffered from differential problems in the early stages of the rally. During the first service, Richard's crew changed the transmission in his Subaru WRX Sti in 16 minutes. The new transmission seemed to be working fine and Richard set the fastest time on Stage 5, beating Erickson by 12 seconds. But as Richard crossed the finish line he noticed smoke coming from the engine. He was able to safely stop the car and put out the fire, but it was the end of the rally for Richard and co-driver Ian McCurdy from Whistler, BC.

The Canadian Rally Championship continues with Round 6 at the Rally Baie Des Chaleurs July 3rd-5th.

Photographs of the Top Ten Drivers are available for download at http://www.morisoncom.com/pfr

Additional Photos are available here http://www.pacificforestrally.com/photos.htm

For more information contact:
Paul Westwick at 604-617-4132,
Or check out the rally website: http://www.pacificforestrally.com.

A complete listing of results is available at
http://www.rallyscoring.com/results/Resu2003/Pacific2003/index.htm

Bill Westhead
Media Liaison
2003 Pacific Forest Rally
mailto:bill@rallybc.com
ph: 604-707-3305
http://www.pacificforestrally.com