Subaru's Pat Richard Wins Rally of the Tall Pines

Team Clinches 2009 Driver's, Co-Driver's and Manufacturer's Championships

TORONTO, Nov. 23 /CNW/ - It was a fight to the finish, but Patrick Richard and co-driver Alan Ockwell overcame transmission difficulties to finish first in the Rally of the Tall Pines, in Bancroft, Ontario. The first place result means that Subaru repeats in all three of the major Canadian rally titles for 2009: Richard as Canadian Driver's Champion, Ockwell as the Co-Driver's Champion, and Subaru in top place in the Manufacturer's Championship.

Just before the final service, a problem with the transmission nearly cost Richard valuable time and leaving the Subaru team almost a minute behind Antoine L'Estage, whom Richard was battling for both the race and the Canadian championship. Unfortunately for L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard, clutch problems meant they ultimately finished the rally out of contention in fifth place.

"It's a fantastic way to finish the season," said Pat Richard. "We were pushing hard and might have caught Antoine, but we'll never know."

Second place at the Tall Pines was claimed by Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey in a Mitsubishi, while third was taken by Frank and Daniel Sprongl, driving a Subaru WRX STI.

In all, seven of the top ten positions in the race were claimed by Subaru teams, for an outstanding finish to the 2009 season.

Final Places and Times

    
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    Pos  Time     Vehicle             Class  Driver/Co-driver
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    1    1:53:48  Subaru Impreza WRX  Open  Patrick Richard - Squamish
                  STi 08                    Alan Ockwell - Toronto
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    2    1:56:44  Mitsubishi Lancer   Open  Andrew Comrie-Picard - Toronto
                  Evo X 08                  Jeremy Wimpey - State College
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    3    1:57:10  Subaru WRX STi 08   Open  Frank Sprongl - Georgetown
                                            Daniel Sprongl - Georgetown
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    4    2:02:51  Subaru Impreza WRX  Open  Leonid Urlichich - Thornhill
                  STi 07                    Martin Headland - Caledon
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    5    2:03:43  Mitsubishi Lancer   Open  Antoine L'Estage - St-Jean-sur-
                  Evo X 09                  Richelieu
                                            Nathalie Richard - St-Jean-sur-
                                            Richelieu
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    6    2:07:25  Mitsubishi Lancer   Open  Simon Losier - Blainville
                  Evo VIII 05               Francois Morin - Lac-aux-Sables
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    7    2:10:55  Subaru Impreza 93   Open  Chris Martin - North York
                                            Phil Narini - Hampton
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    8    2:16:10  Subaru WRX 07       Open  Martin Donnelly - Etobicoke
                                            Dave Shindle - Alexandria
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    9    2:18:00  Subaru STi 04       Open  Bruno-Pierre Allard - Balmoral
                                            Karen Wagner - San Marcos
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    10   2:19:32  Subaru RS 98        Open  Nicola Narini - Hampton
                                            Massimo Narini - Hampton
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For further information: Elaine Griffin or Jen Giller, [phone]