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

 

St. John’s, Newfoundland - Targa Newfoundland roared to a start with the wave of the flag at the ceremonial start this morning at St. John’s City Hall.

 

Drivers and co-drivers from across Canada, the United States, and as far away as Germany are competing on 18 teams this year. They include competitors from four states - Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey – and five provinces - British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, PEI, and across Newfoundland and Labrador.  

 

Over the next six days, teams will race from eastern to north central Newfoundland and back again covering about 2000 km (1240 miles) including about 500 km of stages closed to public traffic. The rally starts along the Atlantic shore with teams challenging the twisty roads through the communities of Witless Bay and Bay Bulls. 

 

Witless Bay is the site of the Prologue, a non-scored leg that allows teams to get used to the rally course and hone their navigating skills. The first scored stage at speed occurs in Bay Bulls.

 

“We’re excited to be back in the Southern Shore area for the first time in over 20 years,” says Robert Giannou, founder of Targa Newfoundland. “These beautiful communities were part of the inaugural rally back in 2002.”  

 

Targa Newfoundland, the only internationally recognized targa rally in North America, runs until Sept. 19 in communities across eastern and north central Newfoundland. 

 

2024

 

Witless Bay (Prologue, non-scored), Bay Bulls 

 

Cape Shore, St. Bride’s, Cape St. Mary’s, Long Harbour, Gander  

 

Glenwood, Bobby’s Cove, Pleasantview, Point Leamington, Leading Tickles, Glovers Harbour, Appleton 

 

Eastport, Happy Adventure, Salvage, Burnside, Port Blandford 

 

Weybridge, Hickman’s Harbour, Lower Lance Cove and Petley 

 

Conception Harbour, Colliers, Marysvale, Turks Gut, Georgetown, Brigus 

 

Be a smart spectator. Think Safety.  

Stand at least 15 metres from the road.  

Never stand on the outside of a turn. 

Choose high ground.

Never stand behind red tape. 

Always stand, do not sit down to watch, AND Tell others how to stay safe. 

 

During the week-long rally, Targa will be collecting food bank donations for the 

Community Food Sharing Association at evening car shows at Hickman Chevrolet dealerships in St. John’s (Sept. 14), Gander (Sept. 15 and 16) and Clarenville (Sept. 17 and 18) as well as lunch stops in other communities throughout the week. People attending are encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations.  

 

85 Kenmount Road 

Saturday, Sept. 14 

6:30-8:30 p.m. 

 

201 Airport Boulevard  

Sunday, Sept. 15 and Monday, Sept. 16 

6:30-8:30 p.m. 

 

16 Shoal Harbour Drive  

Tuesday, Sept. 17 and Wednesday, Sept. 18 6:30-8:30 p.m.  

 

Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of only three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world.

 

Since 2002, Targa Newfoundland, the ultimate tarmac rally in North America, has attracted professional and amateur racers from around the world. This year’s event runs Sept. 12-19, 2024. Competitors will cover over 2000 km (about 1240 miles) across the island of Newfoundland including about two dozen towns and outports.  

 

 

2024

 

2024

St. John’s, Newfoundland - After six long, grueling days, 2000 km of challenging roads, and variable weather conditions, the winners of Targa Newfoundland 2024 were crowned Thursday afternoon. Targa Newfoundland capped off the 2024 edition of the ultimate tarmac rally with its premier stage in the historic town of Brigus. Teams navigated through narrow winding streets, past stone walls, up and down hills, and across a one-lane bridge while dealing with rain and standing water.

 

Racing legend Randy Pobst from Atlanta, Georgia and Paul Abbott, his co-driver from St. John’s, claimed a well-earned victory in the competitive Targa 1 division in a vintage 1989 Porsche 911 Targa.

 

This is the second Targa 1 title for Randy Pobst, who adds it to his impressive collection of over 100 professional race wins in a variety of sports car classes over his illustrious career. This is Paul Abbott’s fourth Targa and second win.

 

“Paul invited me to drive his vintage Porsche 911 and it was fantastic,” says Pobst. “There is nothing else like Targa Newfoundland. It’s the thrill of the open road at speed. It’s only in a place like this could you have an event like this where they close public roads and we go tearing across the countryside and end up in a fishing village on the coast at speed. It’s a unique thrill and experience that you can’t find anywhere else.”

 

The Targa 2 title for cars with full roll-cages went to the Prince Edward Island team of Keir Pollard and Lance Campbell. They raced a 2006 MINI Cooper S JCW that once belonged to Targa co-founder Doug Mepham.

 

“I just want to thank the volunteers and all the organizers for doing a fantastic job and making this a really pleasurable experience for the past week,” says Keir Pollard. "Lance and I have been having the time of our lives.”

 

Newfoundland and Labrador were well represented on the podium with Rob Thompson and Justin Ronayne of St. John’s taking second place in Targa 1 followed in third by Justin and Erin Crant of Husband + Wife Racing.

 

Targa Tackles Targa - Randy Pobst and Paul Abbott

Newfoundland MotorHead Racing - Rob Thompson and Justin Ronayne

Husband + Wife Racing - Justin and Erin Crant

 

 

Spud Performance - Keir Pollard and Lance Campbell

 

Drivers and co-drivers from across Canada, the United States, and as far away as Germany competed on 18 teams this year. They include competitors from four states - Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey – and five provinces - British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, PEI, and across Newfoundland and Labrador.  

 

 

Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of only three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world. Since 2002, Targa Newfoundland, the ultimate tarmac rally in North America, has attracted professional and amateur racers from around the world. This year’s event runs Sept. 12-19, 2024. Competitors will cover over 2000 km (about 1240 miles) across the island of Newfoundland including about two dozen towns and outports.  Visit the Targa website targanlfd.com for more information. 

This past weekend, the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) presented the seventh of nine 2024 season rounds, as part of the Rallye Défi Petite Nation, in the Outaouais region of Quebec. The event, which was holding its 32nd edition, started under rainy skies on Saturday morning before seeing the dirt and gravel roads slowly dry up, with the sun making its appearance towards the end of the day to celebrate the success of Ontarians Jonathan Drake and Ian Lantz, who were victorious by a handful of seconds ahead of Quebeckers Sébastien Clark and Patrick Lévesque. In 2 wheel-drive, Nicolas Laverdière was triumphant, marking the first series victory for co-driver Nicolas Fouteret, of France.

 

This 2024 edition of the Rallye Défi experienced plenty of changes on the leaderboard and the registered ECRC competitors were often the instigators. Fourth overall in the Black Bear Rally last month, Jonathan Drake and Ian Lantz were this time rewarded for their consistency.  At the wheel of their Subaru Impreza, they were able to evade all of the race’s challenges, while under constant pressure from three Quebec teams, also driving Subarus, who finished less than a minute behind. 

 

Sébastien Clark and Patrick Lévesque finished in second place, just 3.9 seconds back, in the closest margin seen between first and second spots this season in ECRC. The podium was rounded out by young 16-year-old prodigy Vincent Lalande. Overall winner of the Rallye Vallée de Beauce last May, Lalande was this time co-driven by Amélie Bélanger. They finished 18.3 seconds behind Drake/Lantz.

 

Another previous overall winner earlier this season, (at the Shannonville Rally Stages), Olivier David and Leah Brisset, finished in 4th, 49 seconds from top spot. In keeping with the theme of season winners, fifth place went to Ontarians Trevor Pougnet and Ryan Rouleau, who were first overall at the Black Bear Rally. In the end, the top five teams in the ECRC standings were separated by just one minute and twenty-three seconds.  Pougnet/Rouleau were also winners of the Production 4 wheel-drive class. 

 

Gabriel Monette and Alexandre St-Arnaud (also in a Subaru) finished sixth overall, despite experiencing ignition issues towards the end of the rally, ahead of 2 wheel-drive winners Nicolas Laverdière and Nicolas Fouteret in a Ford Fiesta. This team beat their closest competitors in class by over 7 minutes and finished first in Production 2WD.  For Nicolas Laverdière, this was his second victory in 2024 while Nicolas Fouteret earned his first win with Laverdière after not completing his first Canadian rally last May with Vincent Trudel. The 28-year-old Frenchman recorded his first victory as a co-driver since Rallye Charlemagne (France) in 2022. This is also the first time a duo from Canada/France has won in the ECRC since the creation of the championship. 

 

Frédéric Gagné/Alexandre Bessette (Mitsubishi Lancer), Andrew Benson/Brandon Pace (Subaru Impreza) and William Pardiac/Manuel Arsenault (Subaru Impreza) completed the ECRC overall top 10. Nephew of 10-time Canadian champion Antoine L’Estage, Charles L’Estage, co-driven by Simon Levac in a Ford Focus, finished second in 2WD in his inaugural outing at the Rallye Défi. Jonathan Desgroseilliers/Audrey Godin (BMW 128i) finished in third. Twenty-five of the 29 ECRC teams completed the event. 

 

The Rallye Défi Petite Nation continues this Sunday, September 8th, with stages uniquely for the teams registered in the North American Rally Cup and the Canadian Rally Championship. 

 

The Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) is comprised of nine rounds this season, spread out between Ontario and Quebec. The next event will take place on November 2nd and 3rd as part of the Rallye de Charlevoix, in La Malbaie.

 

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