Podium Finish for Subaru Rally Team Canada at Pacific Forest Rally

• Strong second outing for Subaru Rally Team Canada (SRTC) with their all-new 2015 Subaru WRX STI with a second-place finish.
  
  
• Martin Rowe and Nathalie Richard continue to become a more dynamic team and find more speed with the already proven reliable SRTC rally car.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 6, 2014 /CNW/ - Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) announced a second-place podium finish at Pacific Forest Rally, which took place on October 3-4 in Merritt, B.C. This was Subaru Rally Team Canada (SRTC) second-only rally event of the season where they have competed with the all-new 2015 Subaru WRX STI. Martin Rowe, SRTC driver, and Nathalie Richard, SRTC co-driver, continue to push the vehicle with new enhancements and learn each other, as well as the new car.

Further enhancements were completed on the new 2015 Subaru WRX STI rally car before the start of Pacific Forest Rally. SRTC added a new Pfitzner Performance sequential gearbox, which performed exceptionally well and was extremely reliable for the entire event, as were all the other components.

The first day of the rally began with SRTC leading the pack on the first stage, where they encountered a herd of wild cattle and were forced to slow down, just as they were picking up pace at the start of the stage. As the rally progressed the team continued to feel more comfortable with the added seat time and push harder towards their goal. With a number of stages remaining the team encountered a gear selection issue, which cost them over two minutes in time. Subaru Rally Team Canada persevered through the issue, continuing to fight as hard as they could to retain their second-place standing until the next service interval, where the issue was resolved. Rowe and Richard continued to find more speed in the 2015 WRX STI throughout the entire event.

Martin Rowe, SRTC driver, continues to be impressed with the diligence of the Rocket Rally Racing team and capabilities of the vehicle. "The more miles we're doing, the more I'm enjoying driving the car," said Rowe. "Although it's the car's second rally, we were able to see more of the WRX STI's true potential and speed, especially with the brand new gear box, which is really, really impressive. It is amazing - the shifts are lightning fast and the gear ratios are awesome, so the investment and time that the Rocket Rally Racing team have put in will continue to pay off as we progress through the series."

Although the Canadian Rally Championship driver's title for the year has already been claimed, SRTC will continue to push for a strong manufacturer finish with two more rallies left in the season, Rocky Mountain Rally and Rally of the Tall Pines. The action will continue on October 31^st in Columbia Valley, B.C. as the team is looking forward to challenging the competition once again at the Rocky Mountain Rally.

About Subaru Canada, Inc.
Subaru Canada, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of 90 authorized dealers across Canada. For more information, please visit www.subaru.ca or www.pr.subaru.ca or follow @Subaru_Canada on Twitter.

Image with caption: "Subaru Rally Team Canada (SRTC) steered the all-new 2015 Subaru WRX STI rally car to a strong second-place podium finish at the Pacific Forest Rally. Photo courtesy of Phil Ericksen/Radikal Videos. (CNW Group/Subaru Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141006_C3249_PHOTO_EN_6360.jpg

Image with caption: "Nathalie Richard (left), Subaru Rally Team Canada (SRTC) co-driver, and Martin Rowe (right), SRTC driver, celebrate a second-place finish at Pacific Forest Rally. Photo courtesy of Phil Ericksen/Radikal Videos. (CNW Group/Subaru Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141006_C3249_PHOTO_EN_6361.jpg

SOURCE: Subaru Canada Inc.

For further information: Joe Felstein, [phone], [e-mail]; Daniel Ponzini, [phone], [e-mail], Amyot Bachand, Media Relations, Quebec Region, [phone], [e-mail]