Details

Category: Rallying

Returning to its traditional date in the heart of winter, the Rallye Perce-Neige Maniwaki, held in the Haute Gatineau region of Québec, kicked off the Canadian national rally season this past weekend. Competing in the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) portion of the rally, this season-launching event was won by two-time series champion (2016, 2018) Jean-Sébastien Besner, in a Mitsubishi Evo Lancer. Co-driven by Yvan Joyal, the Montreal driver was consistent on the icy and snowy roads that made up this challenging rally.

Showcasing excellent speed while avoiding any mishaps, Besner and Joyal claimed victory by a margin of just over 2 minutes and 15 seconds over Simon Aubé and François Joanisse. At the wheel of their Subaru WRX STI, the novice team of Aubé and Joanisse passed the majority of the favoured and more experienced teams by finished second in ECRC and first amongst the novice competitors. Their performance in such a tricky rally contested on very difficult road conditions that left no room for error, demonstrates that this duo has a very promising season ahead of them. 

In addition to finishing in third place overall, Vincent Trudel, co-driven by Albertan Michael Szewczyk, also won the Production 4-Wheel Drive Class in a Subaru WRX STI. They finished with a slim lead of 25.8 seconds ahead of the Francophone-American Emmanuel Cecchet and his Quebec co-driver Jonathan Desgroseilliers, also in a Subaru WRX STI.

Back to rally competition after spending several seasons contesting the Nissan Sentra Cup, Simon Vincent’s rally-driving muscle memory didn’t take too long to kick in and bring him amongst the event leaders. Accompanied by his co-driver Hubert Gaudreau, Vincent was poised for victory in his Subaru WRX STI but losing 5 minutes on the ninth stage eliminated those hopes. The Vincent/Gaudreau eventually finished in fifth spot, 4 minutes and 54 seconds behind the fastest team.

The Top 6 in the ECRC overall standings was rounded out by Mathieu Leblanc and Éric Dubé.  In their Honda Civic, this team also won the 2-Wheel Drive Class. On the icy Perce-Neige roads, this class victory, coupled with their 6th place overall, is an excellent weekend for a two-wheel drive team. This result puts the team from Gaspé as the early favourites for the ECRC 2WD title. 

Finishing less than 5 seconds off the overall Top 6, Gabriel Monette and Danny Hudon (Subaru) ended in seventh, ahead of William Pardiac and Manuel Arsenault (also in a Subaru and second in Novice).

The ninth and tenth overall places went to the teams finishing in second and third in 2-Wheel Drive Class. After a tight battle, Mathieu Royer and Alyssa Voyzelle-Montminy beat defending class champion Kurt Duddy, co-driven by Matthieu Toupin. Both teams were contesting the event in Nissan Sentras.

At the start of this 57th edition of the Rallye Perce-Neige, the recorded temperature was -36 degrees Celsius. Despite these frigid temperatures, this year will go down as one of the least mechanically destructive in history. Only three of the 22 ECRC-registered teams couldn’t finish the event.

The Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) consists of eight events this season, spread out between Ontario and Quebec. The next round will take place on Jun 10th, as part of the Rallye International de Mékinac, in Mauricie (Quebec).

The 2023 Rallye Perce-Neige also counted towards the North American Rally Cup and the Canadian Rally Championship. Quebeckers Alexandre Moreau and Ian Guité (Subaru WRX STI) claimed overall victory in those standings, ahead of Jean-Sébastien Besner and Yvan Joyal.

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

2023 Calendrier ECRC

Details

Category: Rallying

Read More The Rallye de Charlevoix Is Confirmed For Next October, While Adapting To New Realities

Details

Category: Rallying

Burlington, Ontario – REV TV CANADA'S MOTORSPORTS & AUTOMOTIVE DESTINATION 24/7 is thrilled to announce that we are set to air the chilled and blisteringly fast Race Of Champions Snow + Ice from Pite Havsbad, the biggest resort in the North of Sweden.

Some of the world's best drivers from several major motorsport series—including Formula 1, World Rally, NASCAR, IndyCar, Le Mans, Touring Cars, and X-Games—come together for a unique chance to compete head-to-head in identical cars to decide who really is the fastest of them all, the “Champion of Champions,” and to crown the “World’s Fastest Nation” in the ROC Nations Cup.

“Last year’s Race Of Champions was an absolute pleasure with its mixture of super fast racers, freezing temperatures and frivolity,” said Ed Kanerva, Director of Programming at REV TV. “It is a delight to see some drivers from such a wide range of disciplines going head-to-head and letting their hair down in such a fun environment, and, as exciting as the racing is, we can’t wait to see who takes the polar plunge into the Baltic this year!”

To see all of the incredible drivers involved in this year’s ROC click HERE.

“We are very happy that Canadian motorsport fans will be able to watch the return of the Race Of Champions World Final on Snow + Ice, to the frozen ocean 60 miles from the Arctic Circle at Pite Havsbad in Sweden on REV TV,” said Fredrik Johnsson, President of Race Of Champions. “It will be wonderful to see how some of the world’s best drivers adapt to the circuit, especially the newcomers, and to see who will come out on top.”

Built on the frozen Baltic Sea, the ROC SNOW+ICE course will use the series’ iconic parallel track and cross-over bridge. This proprietary track design ensures the head-to-head action fans have come to expect from ROC, and is optimized for broadcast productions. ROC is dedicated to providing a platform for innovation and 2023 marks the return of the incredible all-electric FC1-X. This commitment includes cars powered by electric and 100% fossil-free biofuel engines.

The ROC Nations Cup will be broadcast LIVE on Saturday, January 28th at 6AM ET, with the Race Of Champions airing on Sunday, January 29th at 3PM ET following REV TV flag-to-flag live coverage of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona The Race Of Champions 2023 series will also have highlight airings that will be available in the weeks following.

About Race Of Champions

The Race Of Champions (ROC) is a defining contest in global motorsports. For over 30 years it has given audiences and world champions a unique head-to-head showdown designed to level the playing field and crown the world's very best of the best. ROC draws on a diversity of disciplines from Formula One®, IndyCar®, and other open-wheel leagues, to the grittier contests of NASCAR®, World RallyCross® and even MotoGP®, as it travels the world and exotic venues.

About REV TV

YOUR MOTORSPORTS & AUTOMOTIVE DESTINATION is available to over 8 million households across Canada and features over 200 races from around the world and right here at home. From two-wheels to four and so much more. REV TV showcases all forms of high-octane racing, such as MotoGP, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Monster Jam, World Rally Championship, INDY NXT, World RX Championship, WorldSBK, along with news coverage such as The Inside Line (F1), Winged Nation (winged sprint cars) and PASMAG’s Tuning 365. We also have a slate of original programming with REV Culture with Todd Lewis that features interviews with motorsports luminaries, All North Racing which focuses on grassroots racing, a slew of how-to and behind-the-scenes programs, and so much more. REV TV is your MOTORSPORTS & AUTOMOTIVE DESTINATION 24/7.

Details

Category: Rallying

Read More Local Favourites André And René Leblanc Win The Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs