First Overall Victory for Joël Levac, Stéphanie Lewis and the Compact Autosport Team

Montreal (Quebec), April 19, 2010.– Driving a Mini Cooper S for the Compact Autosport team, Joël Levac of Rivière-Beaudette, co-driven by Stéphanie Lewis, earned the team’s first ever overall victory at this weekend’s round of the Québec Rally Championship, the Rallye Sanair presented by Pole-Position Magazine and Subaru. It also marks the first North American Rally overall competition win for a Mini since 2002.

Registered in the Jon Nichols Cup for modified two-wheel drive vehicles, the duo of Joël Levac/Stéphanie Lewis maintained a "Top 3" standing throughout the first half of the event before scoring the fastest time on the last three stages of the rally. I had so much fun in this event! Compact Autosport’s Mini Cooper S is so agile, reliable, and powerful - a true Mini ! explains Joël Levac, we didn’t encounter even the slightest mechanical problem all day, which allowed us to really attack on the afternoon stages and enabled us to come away with not only our class win but to beat out the four-wheel drive cars for the overall win as well. That was our initial goal and we attained it! he adds.

As for Stéphanie Lewis, Joël’s girlfriend, it was her very first rally. To win the first rally I’ve ever entered is really such a great feeling. I want to pursue performance rallying by entering other regional rallies this year before I take part in some national events she indicated.

Joël Levac and Stéphanie Lewis participated in the 25th Rallye de Sanair with the support of Compact Autosport, Mini Original Parts, Mini Mont Royal dealership, Pirelli and Pneus Touchette, Gulf Oil and ATPAC International. A special thank you goes to Octane Motorsports and Alain Lauzière, the Mini-driving 2009 Canadian Touring Car champion.

Compact Autosport will next compete at the Rallye Saguenay on June 19th, for the second round of the Québec Rallye Championship. In early July, Joël Levac will return to his Subaru Impreza WRX for the Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs, as part of the Canadian and North American Rally Championships.