Richard keeps title hopes alive with win at PFR

Posted on 03. Oct, 2009 by Dean in Pacific Forest Rally 2009

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.