Press Release - Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina - Friday May 9, 2003

Patrick Richard and the Subaru Rally Team Canada are forced out of the Rally Argentina.

Lady luck has taken another swing at Pat Richard's attack on the 2003 Production Car World Rally Championship. Friday afternoon the rough roads and aggressive jumps combined to break a rear CV joint on the Group N Subaru Impreza, leading to an overheated centre differential. Time lost on stage 9 and time spent on a roadside repair added up to the team being barred from continuing.

"We were actually having a good day, driving it really mellow," said Richard, who had planned to run a relaxed event to help assure a finish and some points. "About 2 Km from the end of stage 9 we lost all drive and had to stop. We wired the electronic diff to be completely locked up and eventually we got going." Unfortunately, teams are only allowed to be 15 minutes late between any two timing controls, and the team went over their allowance and could not continue.

Rally Argentina is known for both its rough roads and water crossings. Pat felt in control on the rough roads, and the Friday stages were fairly hard dirt, and not as chewed up as he thought they night have been. So for the most part the road conditions were not a great surprise but the water crossings were a new challenge. "I don't think I've totally figured how to handle the water crossings," admitted Richard. "Taking them too fast can bog down the motor with water, and if you go too slowly the water will really dig into your speed."

Event organizers were expecting close to 1 million spectators on the stages, and Richard finds it easy to believe that number. "The fans are knowledgeable and enthusiastic to get a feel for the race. They lean out in the middle of corners to try and touch the car." Said Richard, "You don't know they're there, so it's a bit of a surprise."

This second PCWRC event DFN in a row is also heart breaking for co-driver Mikael Johannson of Sweden and the support crew for the Subaru Rally Team Canada. Four mechanics and a crew chief from Canada as well as two mechanics from England regularly crew for this car, and have always come ready to meet all challenges.

As Pat summed it up, "The crew worked their buts off to get the car going. They had to change the transmission this morning in the first service of the rally and then this happened. It's heart breaking for them"

The next event for the Subaru Rally Team Canada is the Bighorn Rally in Edson, Alberta, the third round of the Canadian Rally Championship on May 17 and 18, followed by the Rocky Mountain Rally on May 23rd and 24th.

Pictures in low resolution: www.morisoncom.com/srtc/arg/web

high resolution: www.morisoncom.com/srtc/arg/media

Information: Mike Hurst: mhurst@rocketrally.com

Press Relese - Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina - Thursday May 8, 2003

Richard and crew plan for a safe event

After a nearly event free Recce and Shakedown stage, driver Pat Richard, Swedish co-driver Mikael Johansson the Subaru Rally Team Canada are ready to make their mark on the fast but challenging roads at the Rally Argentina.

“The country is great and everything is going great,” said Richard, adding that the rally route is not only lined with fans, but also made up of sone of the fastest and roughest roads in eth championship.

“It’s going to be a survival Rally. These roads are rougher than anything we have back home except for perhaps Prescott or Rim of the World. We can’t push too hard on these roads.”

The rough roads gave Richard a reminder just how tough the roads can be on the car when the team lost a skidplate from the car during the second pass on the shakedown stage.

Co-driver Mikael Johansson also recognizes the challenge ahead for Richard.

“You have to find a speed that is fast enough without braking the car. If we can finish I am sure it will be in a good Position,” said Johansson.” It is important for the championship to score some points.”

With the team not finishing in New Zealand the only strategy is to drive conservatively and let the conditions and rough roads take care of their competition. For a driver like Richard, however, that is a lot easier said than done.

“It’s going to be difficult knowing that I can go faster. But I have to take it easy on this event. It’s a learning year for us and I have to finish in order to learn as much as I can.”

Thursday’s action was limited to the official start and the super special stage in Villa Carlos Paz. Friday, the rally heads into the countryside of Cordoba province with 115Km of competitive in 11 stages

Pictures in low resolution: www.morisoncom.com/srtc/arg/web

high resolution: www.morisoncom.com/srtc/arg/media

Information: Mike Hurst: mhurst@rocketrally.com

Press Release - Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina - Tuesday, May 5, 2003

Canadian Rally Champion, Pat Richard and the Subaru Rally Team Canada prepare to challenge the high altitude, twisty rally roads at the Rally Argentina May 8-11.

Pat Richard, his co-driver, Mikael Johansson and the entire Subaru Rally Team Canada crew are in host city of Carlos Paz in the Penilla Valley, Argentina for the 23rd running of the Rally Argentina, the only World Rally Championship 2003 event in the Americas. This will be Pat's third Production Cup WRC event for the season following a very respectable 8th place and one championship point performance in Sweden and a DNF in New Zealand.

The Rally Argentina, regarded as one of the most popular on the WRC circuit, is set in the beautiful, tourist regions of the Province of Cordoba. The Rally features stages at high altitudes across very tricky and rough gravel roads with many water crossings.

"The high altitude stages at this rally represent a real challenge to getting the setup right", said Richard. "Its our first time at all these WRC events so getting the pace notes right adds to the challenges. But we learned a lot about high altitude rally racing from the recent Corona Rally of Mexico, and the rough, twisty roads fit my style well, so we are pumped and ready to go".

The PCWRC Rally Argentina is the first of three rally weekends in a row for Pat and the Subaru Rally Team Canada. Immediately following the WRC event, the team returns to Canada to defend their Canadian Championship title at the Bighorn Rally in Edson, Alberta, May 17-18, followed by Calgary's Rocky Mountain Rally on May 23-24.

While Pat and the Subaru Rally Team Canada reflect on the first part of this season and prepare for the Rally of Argentina, it will be impossible for them to forget the tragic loss of fellow PCWRC competitor and rally legend Possum Bourne, who died from injuries sustained in an accident while making pace notes for an event shortly after the Rally New Zealand. The thoughts of the entire Subaru Rally Team Canada crew are with his family and friends.

The Rally Argentina can be followed via: www.rallyargentina.com

Press releases will be issued throughout the event

pictures will be available as follows: Low resolution: www.morisoncom.com/srtc/arg/web

High resolution: www.morisoncom.com/srtc/arg/media

Information: Mike Hurst: mhurst@rocketrally.com