Rally America Round 3 – Olympus Rally / Championship Leader Aims to Stay on Top

Montréal (Québec), April 22, 2010.– Rally America championship leaders Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard, both of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), are making their maiden voyage out west for this weekend’s Olympus Rally in Ocean Shores, Washington. The third round of the hotly contested Rally America series will see the fastest drivers on the continent vying for the victory. With two second place finishes at the season’s opening events, the team of L’Estage/Richard currently sit at the top of the championship leader board and plan to keep it that way by the end of the 2010 season, their first year doing the full series.

This year will mark L’Estage’s first time at the Olympus Rally, an event well-known amongst the international rally community for hosting several rounds of the World Rally Championship in the 1980’s. I’m one of the few, if not the only top driver who has never been to Olympus before but I’m confident going into the event that we’ll have a good rally. We have a great package – team, car, and tires – and although it’s tougher when you’re competing against guys that are familiar with the roads, it doesn’t bother me. We’ll make the most of our reconnaissance day on Friday and we’ll be ready indicates the Quebec driver, who relies on a well-prepared Mitsubishi Evo X by rally legend John Buffum, as well as Yokohama tires specifically suited for these challenging conditions. We’ve repeatedly shown that we have the speed to win and that’s what I want to do. confides the two-time Canadian and North American champion.

The Olympus Rally festivities start on Thursday with a press stage and charity karting event at the Pacific Grand Prix in Kent, WA. This rally marks the end of the longest break of the year on either side of the border and launches the start of seven fairly condensed events between the Rally America series and the Canadian Rally Championship. The L’Estage/Richard duo will leave their car out west with the plan of entering the Oregon Trail Rally three weeks later, followed by the Rocky Mountain Rally in Calgary, Alberta.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the entire 2010 Rally America and Canadian Rally Championships with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Yokohama Tires, Mitsubishi Canada, Drenth Motorsport Gearboxes, Garrett Turbos, Énergie Cardio, Libra Racing, Driver's Edge Autosport (OMP), VP Racing Fuels, and MBF Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye .