Pat Richard closes out 2008 with a win!

Posted on 22. Nov, 2008 by Dean in Tall Pines 2008

Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell
commandeered a lead of over five minutes heading into the final
stages of the 2008 Rally of the Tall Pines. In an event that has
punished many, even those still in the hunt had to fight to make it
to the end.

The Lower Hastings stage garnered
notoriety three years ago when it was run as the very first stage of
the rally. That year, the 14 jumps spread over it's length helped in
claiming over a dozen competitors on the first pass. Since then,
crews have known the threat that particular stage presents.

“It's a really rough stage in there
with those jumps. It's still dangerous, so we're going to slow down a
bit now.” said Pat Richard.

Craig Henderson had complained earlier
in the day about feeling a little sick to his stomach. Coming in for
the third service, and Craig couldn't even comment on how he felt.
Co-driver Lynn Murphy explained how things were going.

“Craig is very sick, and we had to
stop on stage for him to be sick. We will try to continue and see if
we can finish, even if only in third or fourth.”

Andrew Comrie-Picard has been well down
the order ever since he had an off this morning, and has spent the
rest of the rally working to develop the new Mitsubishi EVO X.

“I'd be surprised if we're in the top
ten,” said ACP, correctly. “Still, we're learning a lot and the
car is getting better and better.”

Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard
ended their rally and season earlier than they had hoped.

“We sheared off our wheel studs on
one wheel. It was just like Calgary, so that's it.” said Antoine. A
disappointing ending to a season that has failed to live up to
expectations. “It's good we won the North American Rally Cup, but
it would be nice to have had a good finish here.”

Nick Mathew had been holding third
place through most of the day until dropping down to fourth behind
Irishman Seamus Burke. This is Nick's first run at Tall Pines and it
hasn't been a clean run for he and co-driver – his sister Kelly.
The two slid wide at one point and struck a few trees. Thankfully,
damage was cosmetic and the pair have been continuing to set fast
times through the day.

“When we started today, I had no idea
we'd be where we are. I like driving at night, and I find it easier
to stay focused, so we'll see how these last few stages go.” said
Nick Mathew.

Peter Kocandrle and Jimmy Brandt have
been flying all day, and were sitting in the top ten heading into the
final three stages. The pair were within striking distance of Randy
Zimmer and Dave Shindle.

Dave Mirra and Lance Smith were forced
to retire after a particularly rough run through the Lower Hastings
stage. Up to that point, the pair had been running consistently, with
Mirra really enjoying the conditions and variability of the event.

“It's just awesome how the conditions
always change. I don't really like the super tight technical stuff,
but there's such a mix here, it's amazing.” said Mirra.

Heading into the darkness, the crews
all took to the Super Special stage, new this year. Short, but smooth
and fast, fans got a good chance to watch the cars at full chat.
Following those two short stages, there was one more service before
the final three treacherous stages. Tall Pines was not done dishing
out punishment just yet.

Over the final few stages, the R32 of
Peter Reilly and Ray Felice left the road, forcing the retirement of
the experienced crew in their new car.

Teams returned to service and the final
Parc Ferme of the year, to await the podiums. As the scores were
tabulated, the results came clear. Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell had
built on their massive lead to finish first overall, closing out the
year with a final win – something Pat has never managed to do at
Tall Pines.

“It's a really fantastic finish,
after such a tricky event. This finish is a great way to lead into
next year.” said Pat Richard.

Craig Henderson had battled through his
earlier illness to finish up second overall. The result meant a lot
in the bigger picture as well.

“We wanted to finish this high
because it means we've finished the season third in the Canadian
Rally Championship, and we've also won the Subaru contingency
program.” said the pleased Henderson.

Third place went to Irishman Seamus
Burke. Visiting from Georgia, USA, Burke has landed a podium finish
on his first visit to Tall Pines. Though short on comments, he was
clearly happy with the result.

“Tall Pines is a great event with
some great competition. There are lots of gotchas on these roads, so
you really need to be careful,” explained Burke. Seamus had driven
with a cool calm maturity and was rewarded as other competitors fell
away through the event.

Perhaps one of the most exciting
stories of the event belongs to Nick and Kelly Mathew. 2008 marks
Nick's first run at Tall Pines, and Kelly's second. The pair have
been blazing fast this season, but have punctuated various events
with retirements. As the sun set over Bancroft today, the question
remained as to whether Nick could maintain his composure and position
through the final stages. Watching the pair pull into the final time
control, the result was clear, they had finished fourth overall, and
second place in the regional podium.

“We're very very very happy,”
smiled Nick Mathew. “It's way better than we could have hoped for
at the start of the event. It's just a fantastic finish.”

Rounding out the top five was Martin
and Patrick Losier in fifth. Further down the order, and the highest
finishing two wheel drive car was Peter Kocandrle and Jimmy Brandt.
The pair wrapped up the day in eighth place in their diminutive
Suzuki Swift Group Two car. It should also be noted that they were
the first non open class car, beating out many open and all wheel
drive cars.

To describe how cold this Tall Pines
has been, Seamus Burke complained on the podium that he couldn't open
his bottle of champagne. The problem – the bottle had frozen shut!

Flatovercrest.com was pleased to bring
you the 2008 Canadian Rally Championship. We've had a great year and
are certain 2009 will be a thrilling one for rally fans.