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This weekend, as part of Ontario’s traditional Tall Pines Rally, the 2024 season of the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) concluded. Contested on completely dry gravel roads, which have often been covered in tricky snow and ice in past years, the event was dominated by Ontarian Jonathan Drake and his co-driver Ian Lantz, in a Subaru WRX STI. In 2-wheel drive, Quebecker Nicolas Laverdière, co-driven by Frenchman Nicolas Fouteret in a Ford Fiesta, earned his third consecutive victory, clinching the 2WD championship title.  Vincent Lalande, the young prodigy of 16 years of age who was absent from competition at this final round, was crowned champion in the season’s overall standings.

 

Taking place in one single day of racing on Saturday, the 9 competitive stages making up the ECRC saw Jonathan Drake and Ian Lantz dominate towards an indisputable victory by a margin of 3 minutes and 18.9 second over Nicolas Laverdière and Nicolas Fouteret, winners in 2-wheel drive (entered in Production 2WD). As Drake and Lantz’s performance was without fault, so was that of Laverdière/Fouteret. This third win in a row enabled Nicolas Laverdière to overtake Mathieu Royer in the hunt for the 2WD championship standings, following the latter’s accident during Saturday’s competition.

 

Olivier David, co-driven by Leah Brisset in a Subaru WRX STI, finished 3rd overall in ECRC and 2nd in 4-wheel drive. In order to secure the 2024 title, David needed to win this event. His 3rd place finish, earned after a tight battle with Jeremy Drake/Deric Jackson (who finished 4th in their Subaru WRX STI), did not earn sufficient points to pass eventual champion Vincent Lalande.

 

The young driver made his rally debut at the beginning of the year and turned heads all season long.  With victories at the Rallye Vallée de Beauce and the Rallye de Charlevoix, Lalande’s first championship title was well-earned and the potential and maturity he displayed this year are a sign of more great things to come for him. The Quebecker contested the season with two different co-drivers, which opened the door for Jonathan Drake’s regular co-driver Ian Lantz to claim the 2024 ECRC Co-Driver’s title, ahead of Leah Brisset (2nd) and Pat Lévesque (3rd), who finished 11th this weekend at the Tall Pines Rally, competing alongside Sébastien Clark. In the co-driver’s 2-wheel drive championship, Alyzssa Voyzelle-Montminy (co-driver of Mathieu Royer) was crowned 2024 ECRC champion.

 

Always abundant with leaderboard changes, the Tall Pines Rally saw the consistent Andrew Miller and Zach Goldstein (Subaru WRX STI) round off the Top 5 overall, ahead of Karianne Hubert, co-driven by Éric Dubé as Test Racing’s only finishing duo of their four Subarus entered in the event. 

 

Michal Gielas/Jacek Gielas finished 7th and won the Production 4WD class in their Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS, in front of Mark Toufanov/David Bell (Toyota GT-86, 1st in Open 2RM), Eric Vanderwal/Alton Gonsalves (Mazda RX8), and Jeremie Thibeault/Justin Thibeault (Subaru WRX STI). In total, 14 of the 19 teams registered in the ECRC completed the rally.

 

The 2024 Tall Pines Rally also counted towards the Canadian Rally Championship and the North American Rally Cup. Overall victory went to Jean-Sébastien Besner and Yvan Joyal (2023 Canadian champions and 2023 ECRC champions) in a Ford Fiesta R5.

 

The Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) concluded its 2024 season, which comprised of nine events, spread out between Ontario and Quebec. The 2025 season will begin in February 2025 with the Rallye Perce-Neige, in Maniwaki, Québec.

 

For more information, please visit the website www.ecrc-crec.ca