Contact: Michel Poirier-Defoy Tel: (450) 491-2480 E-mail: lpindfoy@sympatico.ca

Date: May 30, 1999

1999 Standings: Frank Sprongl, 80 points; Sylvain Vincent, 52; Tom McGeer, 40; Yves Barbe, 20; Éric Tremblay, 17; Jeff Smith, 16; Jean-Sébastien Besner, 12; Jean-Marc Alcaraz, 12

Class Leaders: Open: Sprongl; Production GT: Vincent; Group 2: Hammer; Prod. Sport: Mendham, Lévesque; Prod. 1750: Rosenshein, Krawczyk

Leading Marques: Open: Audi; Group 2: Suzuki; Production GT: Eagle; Prod. Sport: Toyota, Nissan; Prod. 1750: Suzuki, Subaru

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Calgary, Alberta- The Rocky Mountain Rally -- the forth event of the Subaru Canadian Rally Championship and the second consecutive Alberta rally -- started out with a reversal of roles. By the end of the third stage, Tom and Trish McGeer, in their Subaru Impreza WRX, had finally found some good fortune. They managed to open up a 12-second lead over rivals Dan and Frank Sprongl driving their Audi Quattro. This good Fortune was the break the McGeers were looking to get their first win this season.

Frank Sprongl however, knew exactly what the problem was. «Our air filter came off. It cost us some time, but I can’t say how much,» he said. The problem was fixed quickly at a service stop, and the Sprongls were back in business. For the nine remaining stages, the Sprongls worked at winning back top spot, and then solidifying their position by gaining a two-minute margin. When all was said and done, the Sprongls were first, the McGeers second... again!

Olsen, Alcaraz and Vincent shoot it out
The battle for the third step of the podium was even closer. Local rally driver Gord Olsen was running an outstanding race beating many all-wheel drive competitors with his two wheel drive Volkswagen GTi. Engine failure forced him to bow out at the end of the fifth stage.

That left the door open for other all-wheel drive competitors to sort out their order. In the end, it was Jean Marc Alcaraz in his Import Expert Mazda, and Sylvain Vincent in his Eagle Talon who duked it out for third. The two drivers were so close, spectators were left guessing as to who would take the number three spot on the podium. It was Alcaraz and co-driver Shirley Normandin who secured third place, with Vincent and co-driver Dominique Cyr crossing the finish line in fourth. The Vincent/Cyr team – now sponsored by Yokohama tires – holds on to second place in the overall national standings.

Dark, grey skies poured heavy rain on Calgary, which turned into large, heavy flakes of snow in the higher elevation of Porcupine hills (near Pincher Creek). This made for changeable driving conditions, and kept tire selection an important consideration. By mid-day, roads were a melange of snow and soft, heavy mud; a thick fog also hampered visibility. Canadian Association of RallySport president, Terry Epp, said weather conditions are part of the sport’s attraction «The roads might be the same, but if you change the weather, you change the rally. It’s the same attraction for spectators. Spectators benefit, because changing conditions demonstrate driver prowess to adapt, and that makes for exciting entertainment.»

The next event will be back east in the Gaspe area with the popular Baie des Chaleurs event.

The Subaru Canadian Rally Championship is presented eight times in 1999, between February and November. It is sanctioned by the Canadian Association of Rallysport and is supported by Subaru Canada and Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. Additional information is available from the CARS website at www3.sympatico.ca/rally.cars

INFORMATION:
CARS (905) 640 6444
Stephan Mostad smostad@hotmail.ca
Michel Poirier-Defoy (450) 491 2480
lpindfoy@sympatico.ca

RESULTS
SUBARU CANADIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
presented by
YOKOHAMA TIRES OF CANADA

EVENT: ROCKY MOUNTAIN RALLY
28 – 29 May 1999

# TEAM CAR HOMETOWN CLASS FINAL
1 Frank / Dan Sprongl Audi Quattro S2 Mississauga, ON Open 116:33
2 Tom / Trish McGeer Subaru WRX Georgetown, ON Open 118:46
3 J-M Alcaraz /S.Normandin Mazda 323 GTX Quebec, QC Open 128:42
4 Sylvain Vincent/D. Cyr Eagle Talon La Plaine, QC GT 129:15
5 Barry/Sandra Latreille Eagle Talon Cornwall, ON Open 132:08
6 Jeff Smith / Bob Burton Subaru RX Beaumont, Alta GT 137:52
7 John / Clark Paynter Subaru Legacy Sackville, NS GT 140:07
8 Eric Tremblay/ J.F. Guité Subaru RS Quebec, QC GT 141:08
9 Lee Shadbolt / Claire Chizma Subaru Impreza Tigard, Oregon GT 148:41
10 Dave Sharp / Dwight Heck Maxda RX 7 Edmonton, Alta GT 151:44

The high points :
- The Sprongl were able to overcome the McGeers
- Jean-Marc Alcaraz finishes a spectacular third
- Jeff Smith gets a very honourable fifth with his Subaru
- Tom McGeer closes in on Sylvain Vincent for second place in standings
The low points:
- Winter conditions prevailed for this event