Parry Sound, Ontario -- While rounding a sharp, unmarked corner, Rocket Rally Racing went off the road and wasn't able to finish the Rally of the Voyageurs, held September 29 to October 1 outside Parry Sound, Ontario. This was the sixth of eight National events that form the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship.

A hard left turn in the early stages of the event caught the British Columbian team off guard, and the Rocket Rally car slid off the muddy road. The team was in fourth place overall and leading its class just prior to the incident. That nasty corner also took the highly reliable Quebec champion Sylvain Vincent off the road and out of the event and also nearly took out eventual winner Tom McGeer.

"We run the corners with little room to spare. To be competitive with the higher-powered cars, I have to make up time in the bends and twists of the road and I have to run with a very small margin for error," says Patrick Richard, Rocket Rally driver. "We were surprised by this corner and it cost us."

Although the team's car - a 1998 Subaru Impreza RS - went quite far off the road, it wasn't damaged. "The car is built like a tank," explains Rocket Rally navigator Ian McCurdy. The team eventually got back on the road and finished the stage, but not within the specified time allowance. The team continued to run stages until the end of the leg of the rally, scoring consistent top 5 stage times, but eventually was disqualified for exceeding the maximum time allowed on that earlier stage.

With the team failing to score points in this event, the battle for the Production GT Driver's Championship in the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship is right down to the wire. Rocket Rally Racing now holds second place in the championship, just one point behind American Brian Scott, with two events remaining. The next round of the championship is Rallye International de Charlevoix, October 24 to 29 in the Charlevoix region of Quebec.

Rally of the Voyageurs will be aired nationally on TSN and RDS several times, beginning October 14 at 11:30 a.m. (Eastern).

Rocket Rally Racing is sponsored by Specialty Subaru of North Vancouver, DMS Shock Absorbers, SPD Tuning Service and Dragon Eyewear.

For more information contact:
(East Coast)
Nathalie Richard, Rocket Rally Boss
media@rocketrally.com
Phone 416-922-9222

(West Coast)
Patrick Richard, Rocket Rally Driver
info@rocketrally.com
1409 Pendrell Street
Vancouver, BC V6G1S3
Phone 604-803-6095
Fax 604-803-6095