Houghton, Michigan -- Defending North American champions Pat and Nathalie Richard scored a triumphant victory Saturday to win the overall Rally America Championship title at the eighth and final round in the series.

The team got off to a strong start at the Lake Superior Pro Rally on the forest roads of northern Michigan, building a lead early in the race and driving conservatively to the top spot on the podium. "I didn�t really break too much of a sweat today," the driver said Saturday.

Even so, this has been a challenging season for the brother-sister duo and the pressure was on this weekend. The team has been locked in a fierce fight with fellow Group N competitors Stig Blomqvist, a former World Rally Champion, and co-driver Ana Goni. The Richards were behind in the overall championship before this race and they had to finish first overall at this rally to secure the title.

But Blomqvist and Goni did not contest the race. It appears they had hoped to score enough points early in the season to take the series win without it. "A few rallies ago it looked like we were a long-shot," said Richard Saturday. "This just didn�t come into their plan."

Driver Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom also drove smoothly onto the podium Saturday, finishing 25 seconds back. Pastrana brought his Group N Subaru into second-place overall without a scratch on it -- this, in contrast to his spectacular multiple rollover at the penultimate round a month ago. The rally newcomer�s performance this season has been strong, and it is rumored he might make a first appearance at the World Rally Championship next season.

Driver Matthew Iorio finished in third place Saturday, securing him third overall in the drivers� championship. The Open class driver is also contesting the North American championship, which will be decided next month in Canada.

A tight battle in the Production GT class saw driver Tanner Foust claim the race and series victory over rival Matthew Johnson. The pair fought hard over the two-day rally and Johnson was in the lead when he rolled into the woods on the ninth stage. He landed on his wheels and was able to continue but spun hard on the final stage while pushing to make up for lost time. Foust finished 48 seconds ahead. "We just stayed clean and tried to push a little bit on the last two stages," said Foust Saturday. "It was something we had to learn - you have to go a little slow sometimes to go fast."

Based at the tip of Michigan�s northern peninsula, the Lake Superior Pro Rally is a challenging event that features a range of weather and road conditions. Course roads range from gravel to mud and truly fickle autumn weather means conditions vary widely.

The championship series is sanctioned by Rally America and is aired this fall on the Outdoor Life Network.

Minneapolis-based Rally America, Inc. holds the sanctioning and marketing rights to the Rally America Championship.

For further information:
J.B. Niday, Managing Director, Rally America, Inc. Tel: +1.763.553.2742, [email protected] www.rally-america.com