SUBARU'S RICHARD SECOND AT RALLYE DEFI, FIRST IN CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

TORONTO, Sept. 13 /CNW/ - The Subaru team of Patrick Richard and co-driver Alan Ockwell took second place in the 2010 Rallye Defi. Even though the team pushed hard and won half the competitive stages, they were never able to close the time deficit after a flat tire early in the race. The victory went to Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard.

The points are enough, however, to give Richard-as well as Subaru-the lead for the Canadian Rally Championship title.

"The Impreza ran flawlessly all weekend-our team did an amazing job of repairing the damage after the last rally," said Richard. "It's always disappointing not to win, but we now sit comfortably in the lead of the championship and Subaru maintains its lead in the manufacturers championship, and ultimately that matters more than any individual race."

Craig Henderson and co-drive Lyne Murphy finished third, and Subaru dominated with seven vehicles finishing in the top ten.

The Rallye Defi is the fourth round of the Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama. The penultimate round of the 2010 Canadian Rally Championship, the Pacific Forest Rally, begins in the mountains surrounding Merritt, B.C. on October 1.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: Elaine Griffin, [phone]