Rock Turned Missile Ends Rally Race for Mitsubishi Evo X Near Quebec, Canada

Driver Andrew Comrie-Picard had a tough time at Rallye Defi Ste-Agathe in Round 4 of the Canadian Rally Championship Series near Montpellier, Quebec. Comrie-Picard and co-driver Robbie Durant were forced to abandon the contest at the mid-point in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

Racer Andrew Comrie-Picard in Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X at Canada's Rallye Defi Ste-Agathe, photo by onalimbracing.com
Racer Andrew Comrie-Picard in Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X at Canada's Rallye Defi Ste-Agathe, photo by onalimbracing.com

The next Canadian Rally Championship Series is the Pacific Forest Rally in Merritt, British Columbia, October 2-3
The next Canadian Rally Championship Series is the Pacific Forest Rally in Merritt, British Columbia, October 2-3
“We were running a strong third overall in the rally when a rock thrown up in the right wheel well damaged the oil cooler,” said Comrie-Picard. “We stopped between stages, re-routed the lines to delete the oil cooler, drained the oil from a spectator vehicle and transferred the oil into the rally car.”
2007 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and Andrew Comrie-Picard will return to the United States for Rally America Round 8 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado
2007 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and Andrew Comrie-Picard will return to the United States for Rally America Round 8 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Rallye Defi Ste-Agathe in Montpellier, Quebec was Andrew Comrie-Picard's first rally event since his top-five result at X Games 15 in Los Angeles, California
Rallye Defi Ste-Agathe in Montpellier, Quebec was Andrew Comrie-Picard's first rally event since his top-five result at X Games 15 in Los Angeles, California

Unfortunately, the spark of roadside ingenuity took too long. Comrie-Picard and Durant were just over the thirty minute time limit and were not allowed to continue the race. Subaru Rally Team Canada competitor Patrick Richard also stopped on the same leg of the race with gearbox damage. Richard was leading the event until he was sidelined.

“It was very frustrating,” said Comrie-Picard. “We would have probably finished second and could have used the championship points. But you have to have the endurance to push on.”

There are still two events left in the Canadian Championship Series that will allow Team ACP to pull back up in the standings. The Canadian Rally Championship consists of six events from February through November. The next event on the Canadian Rally Championship calendar is the Pacific Forest Rally in Merritt, British Columbia, October 2-3.

Comrie-Picard also remains a top contender in the North American Rally Championship Series and is on the way to Colorado for Round 8. Once there, he will drive his NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX.

He is currently in fourth place, only two points behind Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block. “It’s a tight battle, but I’m confident I can move up,” said Comrie-Picard. “There’s going to be some great racing in the final two rounds. We’re playing catch-up to the other guys, but we’re going to make every round count this season and claw our way back up the ranks.”

Rally America allows two event drops in the season, counting seven of nine rallies toward the championship. “Some teams, like the factory-backed Subaru Rally Team USA, run all nine events,” said Comrie-Picard. “We contested seven rounds in 2009, so every rally counts for our team’s points standings.”

Team ACP Rally uses K&N filters on his vehicles. “I’ve used K&N since I began rally racing more than a decade ago,” said Comrie-Picard. “We compete under tough conditions, with dust, mud and water splashes. We do the most extreme things we can do in a car and K&N is the perfect formula for our turbo charged motors. There is no compromise with K&N.”

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described as real cars, real roads and real fast. This all season motorsport tests drivers and their modified vehicles to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover hundreds of miles of gravel, dirt or snow covered roads. Fans are allowed to witness the action up close in the service areas or catch all the action from designated spectator points located at the best spots along the route.

Rally America Round 8 resumes September 19 and 20 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

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