VANCOUVER, BC -- Rocket Rally Racing was unable to finish last weekend's Rim of the World Performance Rally in Palmdale, California due to a fire Friday night in the rally car.

The team had to pull out of the event after only completing a few stages, but it was able to repair the engine and race again on Saturday.

This was the team's first appearance in Open class; it had finished preparing its new Subaru Impreza just last week. The team spent Saturday giving the new car a good shakedown. After clocking several top-10 stage times on Saturday against the strong field, including two WRC cars that are similar to those that regularly compete in the World Rally Championship, the team encountered further electrical problems, which relegated the remainder of the event to basically a test session.

Despite the disappointing results, the team was still pleased with the event. "We accomplished a great deal: we recorded very fast times on the longest stages of the rally, we shook out the new car on the hardest rally event in the circuit, and I personally gained turbo experience that will to allow us to maximize our potential in the upcoming summer events," said Patrick Richard, Rocket Rally Driver.

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

Rim of the World was the fourth event in the 2001 SCCA ProRally Championship. Rocket Rally Racing's next event is in the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship. The team will be racing a 2002 Subaru WRX, as part of the Subaru Canada Rally Team, in the Bighorn Rally taking place in Alberta on May 20.

Patrick Richard, Rocket Rally Driver
info@rocketrally.com
www.rocketrally.com
p. (604) 803-6095