September 8, 2024.- This past weekend, the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) presented the seventh of nine 2024 season rounds, as part of the Rallye Défi Petite Nation, in the Outaouais region of Quebec. The event, which was holding its 32^nd edition, started under rainy skies on Saturday morning before seeing the dirt and gravel roads slowly dry up, with the sun making its appearance towards the end of the day to celebrate the success of Ontarians Jonathan Drake and Ian Lantz, who were victorious by a handful of seconds ahead of Quebeckers Sébastien Clark and Patrick Lévesque. In 2 wheel-drive, Nicolas Laverdière was triumphant, marking the first series victory for co-driver Nicolas Fouteret, of France.

This 2024 edition of the Rallye Défi experienced plenty of changes on the leaderboard and the registered ECRC competitors were often the instigators. Fourth overall in the Black Bear Rally last month, Jonathan Drake and Ian Lantz were this time rewarded for their consistency.  At the wheel of their Subaru Impreza, they were able to evade all of the race’s challenges, while under constant pressure from three Quebec teams, also driving Subarus, who finished less than a minute behind.

Sébastien Clark and Patrick Lévesque finished in second place, just 3.9 seconds back, in the closest margin seen between first and second spots this season in ECRC. The podium was rounded out by young 16-year-old prodigy Vincent Lalande. Overall winner of the Rallye Vallée de Beauce last May, Lalande was this time co-driven by Amélie Bélanger. They finished 18.3 seconds behind Drake/Lantz.

Another previous overall winner earlier this season, (at the Shannonville Rally Stages), Olivier David and Leah Brisset, finished in 4^th, 49 seconds from top spot. In keeping with the theme of season winners, fifth place went to Ontarians Trevor Pougnet and Ryan Rouleau, who were first overall at the Black Bear Rally. In the end, the top five teams in the ECRC standings were separated by just one minute and twenty-three seconds.  Pougnet/Rouleau were also winners of the Production 4 wheel-drive class.

Gabriel Monette and Alexandre St-Arnaud (also in a Subaru) finished sixth overall, despite experiencing ignition issues towards the end of the rally, ahead of 2 wheel-drive winners Nicolas Laverdière and Nicolas Fouteret in a Ford Fiesta. This team beat their closest competitors in class by over 7 minutes and finished first in Production 2WD.  For Nicolas Laverdière, this was his second victory in 2024 while Nicolas Fouteret earned his first win with Laverdière after not completing his first Canadian rally last May with Vincent Trudel. The 28-year-old Frenchman recorded his first victory as a co-driver since Rallye Charlemagne (France) in 2022. This is also the first time a duo from Canada/France has won in the ECRC since the creation of the championship.

Frédéric Gagné/Alexandre Bessette (Mitsubishi Lancer), Andrew Benson/Brandon Pace (Subaru Impreza) and William Pardiac/Manuel Arsenault (Subaru Impreza) completed the ECRC overall top 10. Nephew of 10-time Canadian champion Antoine L’Estage, Charles L’Estage, co-driven by Simon Levac in a Ford Focus, finished second in 2WD in his inaugural outing at the Rallye Défi. Jonathan Desgroseilliers/Audrey Godin (BMW 128i) finished in third. Twenty-five of the 29 ECRC teams completed the event.

The Rallye Défi Petite Nation continues this Sunday, September 8^th, with stages uniquely for the teams registered in the North American Rally Cup and the Canadian Rally Championship.

The Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) is comprised of nine rounds this season, spread out between Ontario and Quebec. The next event will take place on November 2^nd and 3^rd as part of the Rallye de Charlevoix, in La Malbaie.

For more information, please visit the website www.ecrc-crec.ca

Photo credit © Clément Tavernier