After a day long battle, Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell of Subaru Rally Team Canada fought back following transmission problems to win the 2009 Rally of the Tall Pines and repeat as Canadian Rally Champions.

Before the final service, Richard had problems that nearly cost him the rally.

“The gearbox stuck in fifth, and Alan was running back to put out the triangle,” said Richard. “Then it came unstuck and we could continue, but without fifth or sixth.”

The crew swapped in a standard synchro gearbox, and the team left for the last four stages of the rally more than a minute behind Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard.

“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.”

For L'Estage and Nathalie Richard, the rally would be heartbreaking. The pair entered the final four stages in the lead when partway through the second of the four stages, L'Estage encountered a problem with the clutch.

“It was rock hard, there was no way to work it,” said L'Estage. “It wasn't a big deal on the stage because we have a dogbox, but the transits and controls were almost impossible.”

The transits would prove so impossible that L'Estage and Richard were stranded on the start of the final stage, unable to get the starter motor to pull the car into motion. The team lost significant amounts of time, and finished the rally in fifth place after fighting to make up time on the final Egan Creek stage.

The finish also meant that L'Estage would be unable to retain his North American Rally Cup title, though Nathalie had locked up that title at the Pacific Forest Rally.

“We get nothing,” said L'Estage.

Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey pushed hard all day in their NOS Mitsubishi EVO X, and were rewarded with a second place finish, enough to earn Comrie-Picard the North American Rally Cup driver's title.

“You know, we're pushing really hard,” said Comrie-Picard. “The handling is great, but we just don't have the power, and the car is a bit heavy. It's been an absolutely great day!”

Frank and Dan Sprongl were brought on as hired guns for Subaru Rally Team Canada to help secure the Canadian Rally Manufacturer's Championship for the marque, and finished third.

“We got a little bit quicker over the last few stages,” said Frank. “Dan got up to speed really quickly, and it was great because this is the first time we've been in a car together since 2006.”

The top two wheel drive car was the VW TDI Golf of Michael Hordijk and Jessie Amend, up from the U.S. The pair have rallied in the states before, but made Tall Pines their first Canadian rally together.

“I really like the roads, and co-drove here once a few years ago,” said Hordijk. “We figured it was time to give it a try.”

Martin Walter and Ferdinand Trauttmansdorf were the top Canadian 2wd entry in their Nissan 240 SX.

We really had a tough time with some of the rough stuff,” said Walter. “We had to reattach the guard over our fuel tank, after it started to work loose.”

Jan and Jody Zedril pushed their Mitsubishi Lancer hard in the two wheel drive class, almost past the brink.

“It's been a tough rally,” said Jan. “We've just started to run out of luck with the car. The suspension is shot and we had some electrical problem that killed all power out on stage.”

The pair had been driving hard through the morning, but lost significant time to their problems.

Peter Kocandrle and Jimmy Brandt had put on a show here in 2008, were slower this year, largely owing to the conditions.

“This car is all about momentum,” said Brandt, pointing to the Suzuki Swift. “These conditions are just so tough, and the car just bogs down in the soft stuff, there's nothing we can do.”

Chris Martin and Phil Narini were hoping to seal up an Ontario Performance Rally Championship. Nagging boost issues all day, and a tough time fighting the muddy ruts on stage made it hard going for the team.

“We really got kicked around by this event,” said Narini. “We just kept going though, and we've locked up the title.”

Nick and Kelly Mathew had come to Pines hoping to secure their Ontario Championship, but problems all day eventually caused the team to park the car and retire.

“The car just kept overheating and then cooling down,” said Nick. “We got through Middle Hastings, but then the car just didn't seem to want to make it. We managed to start South Hastings, but it started to overheat again so we found a driveway and parked it.”

Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell of Subaru Rally Team Canada held a two second lead after the second service at the 2009 Rally of the Tall Pines in Bancroft, Ontario.

Richard is also in a fight for the overall 2009 Canadian Rally Championship, and needs a win to secure his best chance at earning another title. After a roll in testing last night, Richard admitted that he wasn't totally on pace this morning.

“I was a little rattled after last night, but we're getting back into it,” said Richard during the second service on Saturday. “The Peanut stage was really rough and muddy, but at least right now you can still stop and turn.”

Richard is in a battle with Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard in their Rockstar Mitsubishi EVO X. For L'Estage to earn the Canadian Rally Championship, the team needs to finish in second place, even if Richard wins.

“We're two seconds behind Pat right now,” said L'Estage. “We're 24 seconds ahead of ACP, and trading times with Pat, so everything is good.”

L'Estage has shown discipline in the past to drive smart with the Championship in mind, but he's got more to contend with at Tall Pines. Frank and Dan Sprongl are driving a second factory Subaru car, with the aim to help secure the manufacturers title for Subaru.

“I do have a leash on,” said Frank. “The goal is to capture the manufacturers title, not to win.”

Nevertheless, a second place finish by Sprongl and a win by Richard will hand the Canadian Rally Championship to Richard and Ockwell, for a second consecutive national title. Sprongl is fourth, about a minute adrift of the leaders.

“We can gain and build a little more speed, but it's been about two years since I have driven on gravel,” said Sprongl.

Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey suffered problems over the first two stages.

“We broke a wheel on the first stage, and then had a flat on the second stage,” said Comrie-Picard. “We're really driving at the limit, our margin is almost non-existent. We're just trying to get everythign out of the car.”

“Check!” said Wimpey.

Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy retired after Henderson became sick, similar to what happened last year.

“At the end of the Peanut, I started to feel sick just like last year,” said Henderson.

Maxime Losier has shown surprising speed early in the day.

“I came here to learn to be more technical, so maybe it's working out more quickly than I thought,” said Losier, whose brother Simon is typically the faster driver.

The Zedrils are proving to be extremely fast, walking away with Gr2, though neither of them feel like it.

“We're not on the pace,” said Jody Zedril. “Not sure what's up, but we're just not in it. These roads are really different than the faster more open roads on the rally, so maybe we just need to adjust more.”

Usual rivals Peter Kocandrle and Jimmy Brandt are trying to stay clean.

“I really got a sense of how much work it was to repair the car after Defi,” said Kocandrle. “We're still taking really aggressive lines, but we're not going into them 100%.”

Leo Urlichich continued to have problems, dropping down the order after engine management problems cut power.

Chris Martin and Phil Narini are in a tight battle with Nick and Kelly Mathew for the Ontario Performance Rally Championship. Whichever team wins the event will also win the title, and both teams have suffered problems so far.

“We got stuck in a rut on the Peanut,” said Martin, whose car was missing a driver's side window and mirror, netting up instead. “We also had a flat, and lost boost on the first stage.

“We cut a coolant hose on the first stage and it actually caught fire, but we were able to get everything repaired,” said Mathew.

The two are about 45 seconds apart, with the Mathew's eager to make up time.

Targa veterans Roy Hopkins and Adrianne Hughes decided to try their hands at a gravel event, opting for a VW Golf rather than their BMW.

“We're doing a great job with the notes,” said Hopkins. “There's deep mud, but we just need to keep the car moving.”

There's another 150kms of stages to go, with plenty of action ahead.

Photos by Dean Campbell

The Rally of the Tall Pines starts tomorrow in muddy conditions that have already proven a challenge to competitors.

“We haven't seen conditions like this in 20 years,” said Clerk of the Course, Ross Wood.

Mud on the stages slowed recce today, and all crews reported that conditions were slippery.

“The guys will be up late cutting tires tonight,” said Frank Sprongl, who along with his brother Dan will be running a second car for the Subaru Rally Team Canada. The Sprongls ran recce on Yokohama mud tires, which Frank said filled up with mud very quickly, causing the car to slide over the top of the road.

Teams had a chance to try the mud at full rally pace during shakedown runs, when one crew fell victim to the muddy conditions.

Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell had a soft roll when slippery conditions bested the defending Canadian Rally Champions.

“The car had just cosmetic damage, nothing major at all,” said Ockwell.

Obviously frustrated with the off, Richard explained that conditions were far more slippery than anticipated. The Rocket Rally Subaru Rally Team Canada crew immediately dove into action to repair the damage to the car and have it ready for the morning.

Richard and Ockwell will need to go full tilt tomorrow to hold off Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard in the driver's championship. L'Estage will win the title by finishing second tomorrow, even if Richard wins the event. 

“We are ready to fight for the win, and the car is perfect, ready to go,” said L'Estage.

Leo Urlichich and Martin Headland also had problems when their turbo caught fire. The flames were quickly extinguished, and the car was repaired. 

Stages start just after 9:00 am, when 51 cars will head out into the forest stages outside of Bancroft, Ontario.

“The manufacturers title is our number one priority,” said Pat Richard. “We have to approach this just like any other rally, and win again. Having Frank and Dan in the second car will force everyone to drive flat out."

A second Subaru factory car will also put added pressure on Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard in their battle for the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship battle. 

The team presently has a lead over Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell of Subaru Rally Team Canada, and L'Estage can secure the title with a second place finish at Tall Pines, even if Pat Richard wins the event. However, should the Sprongls finish second behind Pat Richard, with L'Estage finishing third, Richard and Ockwell will win the driver's title.

"Dan is jumping in with both feet," said Frank Sprongl. "We haven't been in a car together since the crash."

The deal between SRTC and the Sprongls is currently only for the Rally of the Tall Pines.

Here, for your enjoyment, are rounds four and five of the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship, starting with Rallye Defi:

And the Pacific Forest Rally in Merritt, British Columbia:

Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell charged hard over the final stages of the 2009 Pacific Forest Rally to retain the lead and earn maximum championship points.

Richard and Ockwell had been leading by nearly a minute heading into the final service, when technical problems caused them to check out of service late, and take 50 seconds in penalties, cutting the lead down to three seconds.

Heading into the final stages of the rally, Richard and Ockwell went flat out and beat the Helmer stage record and the 13-minute mark on all three passes.

“It's fun to go out and set good times, that's what it's all about,” said Richard.

For championship rival Antoine L'Estage, the plan for Pacific Forest Rally took a longer view.

“The plan from the beginning was to try to think about the championship,” said L'Estage. “It was very tempting to get into an all out battle on those final stages, but I had to think about the championship.”

For L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard, a second place finish at the final event of the season will be enough to clinch the 2009 title, removing the pressure to win.

Behind these two titans, a battle raged for third place. Scott Trinder entered the final two stages with a 23 second lead over Simon Losier. Colin Armstrong was also very close, and a threat to take third overall.

Losier had been making up time on Trinder, enough that he stood a reasonable chance to take the position until a flat cost him time on the final stage.

“I think we lost a minute, maybe a minute and a half,” said Losier. “On the first pass, we had actually moved into third.”

Colin Armstrong also suffered a flat tire, but wasn't able to drive it out and lost close to five minutes stopping to change it.

“It was the front left, so I had to stop and change it,” said Armstrong. “I couldn't turn the car.”

Trinder would end up claiming third place, his first national podium, and the highest ranked privateer Subaru.

“I can't believe how things went,” said Trinder. “I really thought we weren't going to be on the podium. I am just totally stoked.”

Losier managed to keep fourth place, ahead of Mark Jennings-Bates and Jennifer Daly in fifth.

Jan and Jody Zedril finished sixth, the fastest two wheel drive car in the event.

“We've gotten to a point with the competition now, that you realize you really have to risk to find those extra seconds,” said Jan.

The risk paid off, with the pair securing the Group 2 title.

Graham Bruce and co-driver Ryan Warrington secured the top novice finish with their eighth place finish.

Five cars retired from the event. The first was Gord Olsen, as a result of a damaged shifter cable that left him with only first, third and fifth gears. Leo Urlichich retired on the AMR stage when he pushed too hard heading into a corner and drove off the course, down a hill. Aaron Neumann lost his transmission and Peter Kadlubowski retired in service after the AMR stages with brake failure. Mehran Arefi and Dan McLean were forced to retire late in the rally.

Heading into the final round of the Canadian Rally Championship, the Rally of the Tall Pines, Richard and L'Estage will be down to the wire for the title. If Richard wins the final round, L'Estage can finish no worse than second to earn the title of 2009 Canadian Rally Champion.

Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell have lost almost all of their nearly minute lead at the 2009 Pacific Forest Rally after taking a penalty leaving service five minutes late.

The crew for the Subaru Rally Team Canada could not remove a wheel nut on the rear of the car and were forced to cut the nut off to remove the wheel. The work saw the team take a 50 second penalty, and dropped their lead from 53 seconds to just three seconds.

For Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard, the plan to retain second place and keep an eye on the championship is now up in the air. The pair could push for a win and further widen the gap in the points standings.

Two more passes of Helmer special stage remain, with a distance of nearly 50kms to be contested. Both Richard and L'Estage will not want to ease off and let the other win, but neither can fall too far back. The mountain tops have been clouded in and competitors are reporting that the stage is muddy, making the largely downhill stage treacherous.

Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell have taken the lead at the 2009 Pacific Forest Rally in Merritt, B.C., after five opening stages.

“We've got one game plan, and that's to win,” said Richard after the first three stages. “If Antoine wants to settle for second and let us win, that's ok but we really want to have a battle.”

Richard and Ockwell need to win here to retain a chance for the Canadian Rally Championship. After the first three stages, the pair were leading by 11 seconds.

Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard sit in second at days end, after a problem cost time on the first stage.

“We had a problem on the first stage, where the lights weren't working for half the stage,” said L'Estage. “As for the championship, I don't need to win here, but I want to keep the pressure on Pat.”

Third place is “Crazy” Leo Urlichich and Martin Headland. This is Leo's first time at Pacific Forest Rally, and the pair have had a few troubles adjusting to the roads.

“I'm not happy with the notes yet,” said Urlichich. “The hairpin wasn't really well marked, so it was hard to tell where to turn.”

For Simon Losier, who is trying PFR for a second time, the 2009 edition has already been kinder to the Quebec driver.

“Last year I broke the clutch here,” said Losier, waiting for a second run through the Railyard Mall super special. “Already it's better than last year, and we're only a couple of second behind Leo.”

A healthy battle is shaping up in 2wd, with four teams all in striking distance of a class win.

Gord Olsen, who has won three national titles, has returned in his Group 2 VW Golf, and after a short adjustment period is already back on the pace.

“I'm not really watching times right now,” said Olsen. “I haven't really driven this car since I parked it, and so I have to remember how to drive it, but it's all coming back.”

Olsen and the Zedrils shared the 2wd lead heading into the fourth stage this evening, showing that Olsen still has “the jam.”

“On the first pass, we struggled a bit with rhythm,” said Jody Zedril. “With the stages all being repeats, we picked up speed, probably like everyone.” The Zedrils are also using GPS tracking at this rally, and fans can follow along at home by going here.

Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junilla as well as Zebe Szewczyk and Tomasz Karzynski are also both in the hunt for 2wd.

“We're working as hard as we can,” said Grochowski. “We're at a bit of a power disadvantage, and todays stage was a bit of a hill climb, but tomorrow should be good, we can really work the momentum.”

Tomorrow, teams will contest more than 130 kms of stage. The high altitude stages were coated with snow, and will likely be wet and slushy for the teams tomorrow.

Predictions from the top of the order on Friday at the Rallye Defi all sang the same refrain – whoever could lead the event out of the stages on Saturday morning would be the winner. These words soon proved prophetic, as Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard took the lead by midday on Saturday and went on to win the 2009 Rallye Defi.

“We're very happy, the car was perfect the entire rally, and we now have the lead in the championship,” said L'Estage.

L'Estage and Richard have been campaigning the Mitsubishi Rockstar Energy Drink Concerto EVO X since the start of 2009, but as with any car in development, the Evolution suffered teething problems. With the rough roads of Defi behind them, it appears that the troubles may be in the past.

“The car is exactly where we want it now, which is perfect. We're stoked about the future, and also to have tied the record for most wins at Defi,” said L'Estage of a record he now jointly holds with John Buffum.

The rally would end early for L'Estage's closest competition, Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell of the Subaru Rally Team Canada.

“Near the end of one stage, we got some air over a rock section and the transmission jammed in fifth gear,” said Richard. “We could barely get going again, and after a hairpin, the clutch gave out. We just couldn't get the car going up the hill in fifth.”

For Richard, the retirement means he drops into second place in the points standings, 11 points behind L'Estage.

“We broke the record on Mulgrave by 15 seconds,” said Ockwell, indicating the pace the two had run up to the failure.

Andrew Comrie-Picard and Robbie Durant also suffered mechanical problems, putting them out of the event.

“We clipped something on stage nine,” said Durant. “We think maybe a rock got pulled into the front wheel well and rattled around inside. It seems to have broken the line to the oil cooler. We tried to make repairs at the side of the road, but couldn't keep going without risking blowing the engine.”

With Richard and Comrie-Picard both out, Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy moved into second place. The pair were driving Sylvain Erickson's Subaru STI for the event. A few big impacts on the rough morning stages broke a wheel and bent a lateral link, but were not enough to stop Henderson.

“We were trying very hard to learn the car,” said Henderson. “It's very different than my usual car, with more power and anti-lag as well, so you have to drive differently.”

Third place was the surprise of the event. Jean Sebastien Besner appeared to have third locked up until he blew a turbo late Saturday. His retirement handed the final podium position to newcomer Steeve Hobbs and Jean-Mathieu Tremblay, who were running just their second national event.

“We started the rally in 29^th place, and we've finished third,” said Hobbs. “It's amazing!”

"Crazy" Leo Urlichich and Martin Headland suffered problems early Saturday, causing the rear brakes to catch fire. The two were able to continue, but lost a lot of time. Once repairs were made, they climbed back up the order, eventually finishing fourth.

Simon Losier also had a great deal of trouble through the day.

"I've never broken so much stuff in a rally but still be able to fix it and keep going," grinned Losier. "We broke two front shocks, brake lines. It's amazing."

On the top step of the regional podium was Martin Donnelly and Dave Shindle.

“After ten years of running rallies, I have finally won a regional event,” said Donnelly. Despite numerous podium finishes, a top result had until now eluded the Irish driver. “All we were looking for was a top ten finish, so this is amazing!”

Second in the regional was Nick Mathew and Keith Morrison. Trouble had dogged the team all day, with throttle issues, and brake issues and a loss of power on Saturday.

“We needed this to stay in it for the Ontario championship,” said Mathew. “We had so many problems, that we were able to podium is fantastic. Amazing work by the Planet Motorsport crew to keep us in it all the way to the end.”

Third place went to the rear wheel drive Mazda RX-7 of Neil and Lorna Wright. Recent transplants from Calgary, the pair were able to keep the Mazda reliable despite the rough conditions.

“We blew a strut but we were able to finish on a mix of Hot Bits and Koni suspension,” said Neil Wright. “Six years of running this car, and never has a Mazda suspension component failed, only aftermarket parts.”

“This also lets us clinch the Production Sport National Championship,” said Wright. “Now I can build this into the Group2 car it should be, with that title under it!”

The Zedrils were the fastest two wheel drive car overall, pulling away from their competition through the entire event.

“It was tough. We had to be really careful not to make mistakes and get a puncture, because the competition was really tight, we couldn't risk them catching us,” said Jody Zedril. “Still, you can't go too slow either.”

The competition mentioned came from Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junnila in their VW Golf, and Peter Kocandrle and Jimmy Brandt in a Suzuki Swift.

“We were struggling to find our pace at the start,” said Grochowski. He and Junnila haven't run an event since the Rocky Mountain Rally in May, where they tore a rear corner off the car. “We were starting to get back into the groove, but really, we wanted to break our Defi curse of not finishing.”

The two wrapped up the event third in Gr2, placing 16^th overall.

For Kocandrle, the event tested the endurance of the car and the creativity of the crew.

“The car just took a beating, and I broke the suspension in ways that we've never seen before,” said Kocandrle. “It was a real lesson in bringing spares, because if we hadn't, we never would have finished.”

Though known for fast, at the limit driving, Kocandrle kept his pace steady and his lines clean to try to minimize the damage the rough roads would do to the car.

Others would not be so lucky. Twenty cars – nearly half the entry – were forced out of the event either due to a crash or mechanical problems.

Subaru Rally Team Canada's Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell have opened a small lead Friday at the Rallye Defi. Competitors ran five short stages to set the tone for the bulk of the rally tomorrow.

“We've won every stage so far, except one, which we tied,” said Richard after four stages. The two would go on to win the final stage of the night, with a total lead of four seconds over Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard.

“Second on road is perfect for us tomorrow,” said L'Estage.

Unlike previous versions of the Rallye Defi, the longest stages are run on Saturday morning this year, with little to no opportunity to make up time in the afternoon. Pat Richard will be forced to clean the road for the cars behind, potentially giving an advantage to L'Estage.

Both drivers agreed that the shorter stage mileage this year means that drivers will have to alter their pace.

“You cannot waste any time hoping to catch up later, there just won't be time,” said L'Estage.

“I think if you're 10 seconds down after the long stages tomorrow, it'll be nearly impossible to make that up,” said Richard.

Andrew Comrie-Picard and Robbie Durant are in third place, 17 seconds back from Richard and Ockwell, but a comfortable eight seconds up on the fourth place pairing of Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy, who are driving Sylvain Erickson's higher-spec Subaru for added pace.

Jan and Jody Zedril sit in 21^st overall, but are the fastest two wheel drive car in their Mitsubishi Lancer. Second in two wheel drive is Peter Kocandrle and Jimmy Brant, 24 second back from the Zedrils.

“We're pretty happy with where we are, given how fast the roads are,” said Kocandrle who is driving a Suzuki Swift.

Third in two wheel drive are Eric Grochowski and Leanne Junnila in their Gr2 VW Golf.

“Our last event was at Rocky, and we haven't run the car since,” said Junnila. “We are having a hard time getting back into the groove. These short stages make finding a rhythm difficult.”

The pair are hoping for a strong finish here to push them back into the lead in two wheel drive, ahead of the Zedrils.

Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino entered the Rallye Defi with an unusual car - a Ford Escort MkII. The car was meticulously prepared for Block and was to get it's first rally here.

Unfortunately, the pair ended their event early when their Escort locked a wheel, sending them into a ditch. Damage to the car initially appeared minor, but the two were unable to restart the car on the stage.

After repairs in service, the two were allowed to run the final three stages before being excluded from the event. Unfortunately, damage was more severe than originally expected, and the team returned from the transit, unable to continue.

“When the car loaded up heading around a tarmac corner on the first stage, one of the wheels locked up after compressing up against the body,” said Block. “The car darted off to the left and into the ditch. We got it back out, but we'd broken a ground to the fuel pump, so we couldn't get it restarted.”

“The crew got the ground fixed in service, but we'd also shifted the transmission crossmember, which pulled the tranny back about an eighth of an inch, and we'd broken a bolt in the suspension. When we left to transit out to the next stages, the handling was all over the place, and the shifting wasn't good, so we decided to park it.”

For Block, this is his third consecutive DNF at a Canadian rally.

Tomorrow morning, the rally relocates to Montpellier, with teams taking on the longest stages in the morning. Standings after the long stages could very well stay the same through the short stages, with so little distance to make up any time on rivals.