Vancouver, BC -- Canadian rally champion and North American Group N champion Patrick Richard will be back in New Richmond, Quebec this weekend to compete in the sixth round of the Canadian Rally Championship. Patrick and co-driver Ian McCurdy will once again be thrilling the spectators as they challenge other top Canadian teams for the national title at the Rallye Baie des Chaleurs on July 4th and 5th.

The race is being held on the southern side of the Gasp� Peninsula and is one of Patrick's favorite events. "I like the conditions at this event." said Patrick. "I like the surface of the roads. It's quite rough and there are loads of jumps so you should see the car fly. It's also one of those rallies that's known for its crazy fans. So I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

Patrick has competed in the Rallye Baie des Chaleurs several times before but has never won the event. He is keen to claim his position at the top of the podium especially since he finished in second place for the last two years running. In previous years Patrick demonstrated astounding driving skills despite driving in less powerful Group N and P4 cars. In 2002 he was only just beaten by his Subaru team mate Tom McGeer who took first place in a more powerful open class WRX.

This year Patrick and the Subaru Rally Team Canada are hoping to set a blistering pace with their Open Class 2004 Impreza WRX STi. However the team has decided to replace the racing-style dog box with a standard STi gearbox. The standard gearbox is about a second per kilometer slower but is basically bullet proof.

"Despite being slower, the standard gearbox has always been more reliable for me and with a more reliable car I'm going to be able to push that much harder for the win" said Patrick.

Forty two cars will be racing on over 200 kilometers of stages this weekend. The event is expected to draw large crowds, especially at the Camp Br�l� "sp�ciale" where close to 3,000 spectators typically gather to watch the race.

Patrick is the only North American to also be competing in the World Rally Championship and following the event in Quebec, he and the team will have two weeks of rest before departing to Germany for the next leg of the World Rally Championship, July 24th - 27th.

Further information about Rallye Baie Des Chaleurs: http://www.rallyebdc.com/

For further information about Patrick Richard go to: http://www.patrickrichard.com

Press inquiries: Tim Gage
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604 737 2531