Subaru Leads Manufacturers in CRC Season

• Subaru grabs top spot at Rallye Defi, with an additional 3 vehicles finishing in the top ten
• At the midway point of the season, Subaru still leads all other manufacturers

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 13, 2016 /CNW/ - Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) is pleased to announce a strong showing at the fourth Canadian Rally Championship (CRC) race of the season.  The Rallye Défi in Montpellier, QC was an especially tough race, with many teams unable to complete all stages; however, this event marked a great first-time win for Marc Bourassa and co-driver Daniel Paquette, whose hard-fought victory was key to helping Subaru extend their lead in the Manufacturer's Championship.

The challenging stages at Défi did pose some issues for Subaru Rally Team Canada (SRTC) driver Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Darren Garrod.  After a massive effort to prepare for this event, the team headed out aggressively and sustained damages. Necessary repairs incurred time penalties not permitting a restart until the second day. Additionally, cancelled stages meant that the team was not able to make up valuable time and places in the standings.

"Unfortunately, one of the longest stages where we could have taken back a lot of time on everybody was cancelled," said L'Estage.  "This cancelled stage had a big impact on us." With the Driver's Championship far from decided, L'Estage is quick to note that, "nobody's giving up, still three rallies to go. We'll try to win them all and bring the championship home." 

This event also marked the North American debut of the Crosstrek Competition Platform, a new rally project launched by SRTC operating team Rocket Rally, which brings a brand-new, showroom quality, dealer-supportable "rally-in-a-box" Crosstrek to CRC rally competition. Driven by David Nickel, the Crosstrek was able to win stages outright on its first outing and even contended for the overall win.

The team is now shifting their focus to the second half of the rally season and the next event, which is the Pacific Forest Rally running September 30 to October 1 in Merritt, BC.

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 92 authorized dealers across Canada. For more information, please visit www.subaru.ca or www.pr.subaru.ca or follow @Subaru_­­Canada on Twitter.

SOURCE Subaru Canada Inc.

Image with caption: "Subaru Leads Manufacturers in CRC Season (CNW Group/Subaru Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160913_C7326_PHOTO_EN_772261.jpg

Image with caption: "Subaru Crosstrek competes in Rallye Défi (CNW Group/Subaru Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160913_C7326_PHOTO_EN_772259.jpg

For further information: Julie Lychak, [phone], [email protected]; Naomi Kislanski, [phone], [email protected]; Sebastien Lajoie, Media Relations, Quebec Region, [phone], [email protected]