FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: September 6, 2000

Press Contact: Philippe Brasseur Pole-Position Magazine Phone: 514-846-3780 E-mail: presseRIC@hotmail.com

La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada -- It is on the last week-end of October that will take place the 14th edition of Rallye international Charlevoix Export "A", the main feature of the North American Rally Cup, the Subaru/Yokohama Canadian Rally Championship and the Coupe du Quebec des rallyes de performance. But this year, there's a brand-new light being cast on this event: the Federation internationale de l'Automobile (i.e., FIA, which rules motorsports throughout the world) has entered Rallye international Charlevoix to its international calendar, the ultimate step preceding its listing to the World Rally Championship in 2002.

FIA Observed
It's the first time in 20 years that a Canadian performance rally gets such a status from FIA. There are presently 14 countries that actually present a World Rally event and Charlevoix is on the ranks for one of them, either as a replacement event or as a 15th event. The FIA World Rally Championship brings together about 100 participants at each event. Furthermore, this year seven carmakers are officially represented at every event, namely Ford, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Peugeot, Hyundai, Seat and Skoda.

This year, Rallye international Charlevoix Export "A" will run according to world Championship rules and will start with reconnaissance runs (free trials and route check by the teams entered in the event) on Tuesday October 24th. On Friday October 27th, at 12:00 pm (noon), the official start will be given.

After more than 300 km of timed stages on forest roads between Charlevoix and Saguenay and along the Charlevoix coast, the participants will cross the finish line in La Malbaie on October 29th at 4:00 pm.

Drivers from WRC and Formule One!
About 70 teams (each composed of a driver and a co-driver) will take the start of this 14th edition, including several teams from Quebec, Canada and the U.S. There will also be, for the first time, drivers from Europe who have become famous running WRC events and even F1 Grands Prix. Indeed Frenchman Erik Comas, who scored his very first points in F1 in the 1992 Canadian Grand Prix, should confirm in the coming days his participation in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, the model car that won three WRCs in the hands of Finn driver Tommy Makinen.

More than 30,000 spectators are expected to turn out at this major motorsports event. All information about the event will be made available through the official program to be inserted in Pole-Position Magazine, which will hit the stands on October 11th. But there is already information and answers to various questions to be gathered on the official web site of the rally at www.rallye-charlevoix.com.

For more information:
Rallye International Charlevoix Export "A"
1-888-91-RALLY
Press Contact: Philippe Brasseur
Pole-Position Magazine
514-846-3780
E-mail:presseRIC@hotmail.com