MANIWAKI, QUEBEC -- ATR Racing begins their 2000 season this weekend, February 11-13, at the Rallye Perce-Neige, based in Maniwaki, Quebec. Held on snowy Quebec forest roads, the "Adventure in White" has long been known as one of the toughest winter rallies in North America.

In addition to the challenge of the snowy roads, competition for the Production 1750 win is expected to be fierce, with 8 teams pre-registered in the class. Any of the teams has a chance for the win, but the toughest competition is expected to come from Subaru driver Mark Krawczyk who won the recent Rallye de Quebec by a healthy margin. While the ATR Racing Honda Civic has almost twice as much power as Krawczyk’s Subaru, the Subaru is 4wd and much lighter, both big advantages on snow and ice.

"We’re feeling pretty confident after last season, and the Civic is set up even better for this year. Of course, we’ve never raced on snow before...," laughs co-driver Tom Mahoney. Driver Andrew Miller addresses this concern, "Growing up in Buffalo, I’ve been driving in the snow for years, and it’s a blast. I’ve been looking forward to this winter rally since the end of last season."

Because consistency and durability are very important in rallying, the car has been thoroughly inspected to ensure that it is ready for the upcoming season. A number of improvements have been made, including reworking of the front frame, braking improvements, and adjustments to the suspension settings.

For more information about rallying and for the team’s latest news, go to the updated ATR Racing website at http://ATRRacing.com. A chart of individual stage results should be available early Saturday, reachable from the main page of the team’s website.

ATR Racing wishes to thank Metro Electric Corp. of Buffalo, New York and Autohaus Sport Tuning of Orchard Park, New York for their continued support of the ATR Racing Team, as well as Subaru of Canada and Yokohama Tires for their support of the Canadian Rally Series.