patr
07-31-2005, 11:22 PM
Richard victorious at Maine Forest Rally
Canadian brother and sister duo defeat former World Rally Champion
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In a nail biting finish, 2004 North American Rally Champions Patrick Richard
and Nathalie Richard took victory at this weekend's Maine Forest Rally, held
July 29-30 near Bethel, Maine. Driving an Easy Street Motorsports / SPT
(Subaru Performance Tuning) branded Subaru Impreza, the brother and sister
team looked set for an easy victory over former World Rally Champion, Stig
Blomquist, when a mechanical problem late in the event saw their lead cut in
half. An intense battle ensued over the events' final stages, with the
Canadian team coming out on top to secure their second overall victory this
year in the Rally America Championship, North America's most prestigious
performance rally series.
"Our lead dwindled to just 26 seconds after we broke a driveshaft over a jump,
but we still had 48 kilometers left to go after repairs," explained co-driver
Nathalie Richard. "We were informed that Blomquist had been given the green
light to go flat out and try and catch us, so we knew we had to respond." The
Canadian brother and sister team did just that, taking the next stage win by a
convincing margin of 11 seconds and following that up with another win on the
final stage. In the end, the team increased their lead finishing with a 43
second margin over their nearest competitor.
"It has been a difficult season for us," explained Patrick Richard. "In
addition to our two victories, we have had three small mechanical problems
this year which has put us second in the overall points standings, and we
needed this victory to put us back on track to defend our titles." Richard won
the Canadian Rally Championships in 2002 and 2004, also taking the 2004
American and North American overall rally titles that year. "It is very
satisfying to have finally been able to show that we have the pace to duke it
out against one of the world's best, in an open fight. Results like this
demonstrate that our long term goal of stepping up to international rally
competition is not unrealistic, and would be a great opportunity for our
partners and for North American motorsports."
The next round of the Championship is the Ojibwe Forests Rally, in Bemidji,
Minnesota, where a victory for Richard will put him and his sister back in the
lead for overall championship honors. The Maine Forest Rally and the entire
Rally America Championship is televised internationally on OLN, the Outdoor
Life Network. Check your local listings for details. Print ready photos and
media information is available at the team's website, www.patrickrichard.com (http://www.patrickrichard.com/).
--
www.rocketrally.com (http://www.rocketrally.com) / www.patrickrichard.com (http://www.patrickrichard.com)
Canadian brother and sister duo defeat former World Rally Champion
--
In a nail biting finish, 2004 North American Rally Champions Patrick Richard
and Nathalie Richard took victory at this weekend's Maine Forest Rally, held
July 29-30 near Bethel, Maine. Driving an Easy Street Motorsports / SPT
(Subaru Performance Tuning) branded Subaru Impreza, the brother and sister
team looked set for an easy victory over former World Rally Champion, Stig
Blomquist, when a mechanical problem late in the event saw their lead cut in
half. An intense battle ensued over the events' final stages, with the
Canadian team coming out on top to secure their second overall victory this
year in the Rally America Championship, North America's most prestigious
performance rally series.
"Our lead dwindled to just 26 seconds after we broke a driveshaft over a jump,
but we still had 48 kilometers left to go after repairs," explained co-driver
Nathalie Richard. "We were informed that Blomquist had been given the green
light to go flat out and try and catch us, so we knew we had to respond." The
Canadian brother and sister team did just that, taking the next stage win by a
convincing margin of 11 seconds and following that up with another win on the
final stage. In the end, the team increased their lead finishing with a 43
second margin over their nearest competitor.
"It has been a difficult season for us," explained Patrick Richard. "In
addition to our two victories, we have had three small mechanical problems
this year which has put us second in the overall points standings, and we
needed this victory to put us back on track to defend our titles." Richard won
the Canadian Rally Championships in 2002 and 2004, also taking the 2004
American and North American overall rally titles that year. "It is very
satisfying to have finally been able to show that we have the pace to duke it
out against one of the world's best, in an open fight. Results like this
demonstrate that our long term goal of stepping up to international rally
competition is not unrealistic, and would be a great opportunity for our
partners and for North American motorsports."
The next round of the Championship is the Ojibwe Forests Rally, in Bemidji,
Minnesota, where a victory for Richard will put him and his sister back in the
lead for overall championship honors. The Maine Forest Rally and the entire
Rally America Championship is televised internationally on OLN, the Outdoor
Life Network. Check your local listings for details. Print ready photos and
media information is available at the team's website, www.patrickrichard.com (http://www.patrickrichard.com/).
--
www.rocketrally.com (http://www.rocketrally.com) / www.patrickrichard.com (http://www.patrickrichard.com)