Eight Subaru vehicles in the top ten at second event of the season.
MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 2, 2013 /CNW/ - Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) is pleased to announce that Subaru Rally Team Canada maintains a five-point lead towards the championship after Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs this past weekend in New Richmond, Quebec. Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Pat Richard and co-driver Rob Fagg drove quickly and consistently into second place without taking big risks in order to focus their efforts on holding a strong lead in the championship.
Coming into Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs, Richard was beginning to rehabilitate a torn Achilles' tendon in his left foot, forcing him to drive slower than usual. Just over halfway through Saturday's stages, transmission problems cropped up - causing the loss of the fifth and sixth gear - yet the crew managed to change the gearbox and shifter mechanism within the 20-minute service with zero penalties.
"My nature has always been to drive flat out everywhere," said Richard. "But really it's a case of needing to drive to the finish to get the points… I was happy to do it because we're leading the [driver's] championship by 10 points."
Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs is a particularly demanding event with challenging conditions causing problems for all of the top teams. Even with the ever-present threat of overheating and punishing terrain, eight Subaru vehicles finished in the top ten.
| Pos | Time | Vehicle | Driver/Co-driver |
| 1 | 1:39:03.0 | Mitsubishi EVO X 11 | Antoine L'Estage - St-Jean-sur-Richelieu,QC Nathalie Richard - Halifax, NS |
| 2 | 1:39:56.5 | Subaru STi 08 | Patrick Richard - Squamish, BC Robert Fagg - Squamish, BC |
| 3 | 1:45:12.6 | Subaru WRX 02 | Maxime Labrie - La Prairie, QC Robert Labrie - Montmagny, QC |
| 4 | 1:46:08.6 | Subaru WRX STi 10 | Steeve Hobbs - St-Gédéon, QC Jean-Mathieu Tremblay - Saguenay, QC |
| 5 | 1:47:32.8 | Subaru WRX STi 07 | Max Riddle - Squamish, BC Garrod Darren - Squamish, BC |
| 6 | 1:49:28.6 | Subaru WRX STi 04 | André Leblanc - New Richmond, QC René Leblanc - New Richmond, QC |
| 7 | 1:50:08.0 | Subaru Impreza 94 | Sylvain Vincent - Terrebonne, QC Simon Vincent - Terrebonne, QC |
| 8 | 1:53:09.7 | Mitsubishi EVO IX 05 | Hardy Schmidtke - Cochrane, AB John Hall - Sherwood Park, AB |
| 9 | 1:59:06.0 | Subaru WRX 01 | Mathieu Leblanc - St-Omer, QC Alex S. Litalien Leblanc - St-Omer, QC |
| 10 | 2:02:34.5 | Subaru WRX STi 10 | Frank Lognay - Brossard, QC Larissa Lognay - Brossard, QC |
The next event in the Canadian Rally Championship season will be Rallye Defi on September 6-7, in Ste-Agathe, Quebec.
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 over 85 authorized dealers across Canada. For more information, please visit www.subaru.ca or www.pr.subaru.ca.
Image with caption: "Subaru Rally Team Canada claims second at Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs. (CNW Group/Subaru Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130702_C4911_PHOTO_EN_28711.jpg
Image with caption: "Subaru Rally Team Canada claims second at Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs. (CNW Group/Subaru Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130702_C4911_PHOTO_EN_28713.jpg
Image with caption: "Subaru Rally Team Canada claims second at Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs. (CNW Group/Subaru Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130702_C4911_PHOTO_EN_28715.jpg
SOURCE: Subaru Canada Inc.
CONTACT: Joe Felstein or Julie Lychak
(905) 568-4959
Amyot Bachand
Media Relations, Quebec Region
(514) 691-9276
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