@RallyCharlevoix • January 20, 2016 – The Rallye de Charlevoix is evolving this year. This event has always been very well received by competitors, which has been its main goal since it’s resurrection in recent years. In order to continuously strive for that goal and in order to grow in notoriety, Charlevoix is parting ways with the Quebec Championship and joining the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship.
“The new CRQ regulations are no longer compatible with the reality of what Rallye de Charlevoix is, and our event has therefore shifted towards the inter-provincial and national series,” explained coordinator Émilie Fortin.
“In addition, the CRQ invoked a less flexible structure for the competitors this season. The Rallye de Charlevoix committee aims to think of the competitors above all else and that is one of the reasons why we believe the more liberal formula of the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship corresponds perfectly with what would allow us to grow in numbers and notoriety. Our goal is to constantly improve the Rallye de Charlevoix and to offer competitors a popular and accessible event. The organization is very happy to be adopting this change of championships and we are proud of today’s announcement,” she adds.
The Rallye de Charlevoix organizing committee would like to thank the CRQ promoter for his collaboration during the first few years since the event’s resurrection. Thank you as well to the CRQ competitors who have always given Rallye de Charlevoix spectators an excellent show.
“We hope to see them all again as part of our new formula. We also wish the very best to the CRQ events for every success in the future,” shared Émilie Fortin.
Eastern Canadian Rally Championship : New Format for 2016
The Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) is returning to 2016 with the addition of five new events, for a grand total of nine rallies, all of which will be maintained at the regional level. The four national rallies in Eastern Canada have agreed that it was appropriate to integrate regional rallies into the ECRC championship and in order to maintain continuity across the series, it was decided that the regional portion of these national events would be used.
2015 Season Recap
In 2015, the ECRC was the stage of a nice battle between the young guns and the veteran drivers. The overall title went to veteran Sylvain Vincent who had the drive of his life at the Rally of the Tall Pines, the last event of the season. The title for the best overall co-driver went to Philippe Poirier, who helped drivers Karel Carré and Steeve Hobbs in their quests. Simon Dubé, another veteran driver, went on to claim the two-wheel title with his co-driver Eric Lachance. In production 4WD, driver Bruno Laverdière earned top honours while Nicolas Laverdière did the same in Production 2WD.
Support From the Canadian Association and the Regional Associations
In 2016, the ECRC will benefit from the complete support of CARS and its regional associations, which will primarily be in the form of series promotion. The new 2016 events include the Rallye Charlevoix in Quebec, Ledwidge Lookoff Rally in Nova Scotia, the Lanark Highlands Forest Rally in Ontario, the Galway Cavendish Forest Rally in Ontario and the Black Bear Rally, also in Ontario. Returning in 2016 is Rallye Perce Neige, Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs, Rallye Défi and Rally of the Tall Pines.
In Store for 2016
The organizers of the nine events are putting forth championship prizes totalling $2,250. The first round kicks off in early February with the Rallye Perce Neige. The series will be balanced with four events in Ontario, four events in Quebec, and one event in Nova Scotia. Competitors’ best six results will count towards the overall championship points.
For more information, go to www.ecrc-crec.ca
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