A 2WD Overall Podium at the 2025 Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs
Tuesday, July 1st, 2025
The 47th edition of Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs, held in New Richmond, Quebec, delivered a weekend full of surprises, mechanical drama, and a historic podium that will be remembered for years. The last time a 2WD car made it to the overall podium at BDC was back in 2004, when Jon Nichols & Carl Schenk did it in their Volkswagen Golf III GTi. And the last all-2WD overall podium? That was in 1986, when Bo Skowronnek & Terryl Epp won in their Volvo 242 GLT. (See more rally statistics on EWRC)
Penalty Shakes Up the leaderboard
Mexican champions Ricardo Cordero and Marco Hernandez, who led the rally in their Citroën C3 R5, were dealt a 20-minute penalty for an early check-in at a time control. Despite winning 12 of 14 stages, the added time dropped them out of contention and changed the entire landscape of the results. Despite the disappointing result following their domination in the stages, the Mexican driver remains positive:
“Great rally! Fun stages, great organization, and awesome people. I’d love to come back. And we’re still leading the championship, so it’s far from a bad weekend!”
— Ricardo Cordero
Swedes Win Big on Their First CRC Appearance
On their first rally on canadian soil, Swedish duo CalleCarlberg and his father, Torbjörn took the overall win in a front-wheel-drive Peugeot 208 Rally4. Representing Stellantis Motorsport, the father-son team delivered an outstanding drive, even setting a stage win on SS6. Their consistent pace secured a well-earned victory.
“I am very happy to have been a part of BDC. It was a great experience and I am very thankful to Stellantis for this opportunity. I hope to come back and also to see more European drivers give it a go”— Calle Carlberg
Tough Conditions Push Teams to Their Limits
Saturday brought dust, while Sunday’s light rain turned the roads into mud, making conditions unpredictable and challenging for all teams.
Arsenault & Zigby delivered another strong performance in their Peugeot 208 Rally4
This makes it a 1–2 finish for Team FJ at Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs. Solid pace, clean execution, and more proof that this duo is a serious contender for the 2WD championship!
“I’m happy to have been part of this historic rally finish, 40 years after the last 2WD podium in the Canadian Championship. We were well prepared: the car was perfect, and so was the team.” — Mikael Arsenault
The Leblanc Brothers Flat-Out All Weekend
“It was a full-send weekend! We were often less than a second behind Mikaël, so we had to keep pushing—except during two night stages where the dust was too intense (maybe still a bit shaken from our crash at PFR…). After that, we knew catching him wasn’t realistic, but we pushed hard to keep Besner behind us. It’s insane how fast these cars can go—just look at the Carlbergs! Honestly, more people should ditch their big AWD cars and come have fun with us in 2WD.”
— André Leblanc
Besner & Poirier Miss the Podium by Just 9 Seconds
Jean-Sébastien Besner & Philippe Poirier were on pace all weekend and even grabbed a stage win on SS12. But a spin and puncture on Stage 8 cost them 7 minutes, knocking them to 4th overall—just 9 seconds behind the Leblancs.
Farewell Fiesta: Laverdière’s Perfect Send-Off
“After years of chasing this result, we finally finished Baie with the Fiesta—and not just finished it, we crushed it. First in Prepared 2WD by a large margin, and Top 5 overall, tying our best-ever result—even when we ran the EVO. This was the Fiesta’s last dance with us, and she gave us her best performance. We’re proud, grateful, and will never forget this weekend.”
— Nicolas Laverdière
Karianne Hubert & Marie-France Trepanier Desmarais win the ladie’s cup and finish 3rd in regional (RSQ) 4WD Limited.
“The event went pretty good! On Saturday, we pushed harder aiming for an RSQ podium, even though we had a close call with a tree that slowed us down, and I lost brakes on the 28 km Chaleur stage. After that, we decided to have some fun in the rain on Sunday!” — Karianne Hubert
Perfect weekend for the BDC Organization
“Everything went incredibly well! Over 5,000 people took part in the weekend’s activities here, in the New Richmond area. Fans truly got the full BDC experience—an energic crowd from start to finish, with heat and dust on Saturday, followed by rain and mud on Sunday! Huge thanks to the 150 volunteers who made it all possible.” — Danny Hudon
The 2025 edition of Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs not only showcased international talent, but also signaled a shift in the Canadian Rally Championship landscape. With faster 2WD cars proving they can lead the way, the rest of the season is shaping up to be exciting for drivers and fans alike.
| Pos | CAR | DRIVER / CO-DRIVER | CL | CAR | Stage Compl |
SS 1 | P O S |
SS 2 | P O S |
SS 3 | P O S |
SS 4 | P O S |
SS 5 | P O S |
SS 6 | P O S |
SS 7 | P O S |
SS 8 | P O S |
SS 9 | P O S |
SS 10 | P O S |
SS 11 | P O S |
SS 12 | P O S |
SS 13 | P O S |
SS 14 | P O S |
PEN | TOTAL | Diff to 1st comp |
Diff to prev comp |
CAR | |||||||||||||
| 1 | 204 | Calle Carlberg / Torbjörn Carlberg | 2wheel Open | Peugeot 208 Rally 4 | 14 | 16:03.6 | 2 | 15:32.3 | 2 | 6:26.5 | 3 | 12:46.1 | 2 | 6:23.3 | 2 | 12:46.1 | 1 | 6:30.2 | 2 | 19:09.1 | 2 | 19:04.4 | 2 | 1:22.8 | 3 | 6:29.1 | 3 | 1:23.4 | 3 | 6:35.4 | 3 | 1:24.7 | 3 | “”:”” | 2:11:57.0 | . | . | 204 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 230 | Mikael Arsenault / Layla Zigby | 2wheel Open | Peugeot 208 Rally 4 | 14 | 16:50.9 | 5 | 16:20.7 | 4 | 6:42.7 | 5 | 13:22.6 | 3 | 6:36.8 | 4 | 13:57.5 | 3 | 6:58.5 | 4 | 19:51.4 | 3 | 19:51.5 | 4 | 1:24.1 | 4 | 6:45.9 | 4 | 1:25.9 | 6 | 6:56.6 | 6 | 1:27.1 | 6 | “”:”” | 2:18:32.2 | 0:06:35.2 | 0:06:35.2 | 230 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | 73 | André LeBlanc / René LeBlanc | 2wheel Open | Ford Fiesta r2t | 14 | 16:50.2 | 4 | 16:29.8 | 5 | 6:42.9 | 6 | 13:31.1 | 4 | 6:39.9 | 5 | 14:43.4 | 6 | 7:28.2 | 9 | 20:00.6 | 4 | 19:53.1 | 5 | 1:24.9 | 5 | 6:50.9 | 5 | 1:25.5 | 4 | 6:47.2 | 5 | 1:27.0 | 5 | “”:”” | 2:20:14.7 | 0:08:17.7 | 0:01:42.5 | 73 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | Jean-Sébastien Besner / Philippe Poirier | 4wheel Open | Ford Fiesta Proto | 14 | 16:09.1 | 3 | 15:36.5 | 3 | 6:21.3 | 2 | 15:01.6 | 16 | 6:28.4 | 3 | 13:59.8 | 4 | 6:46.3 | 3 | 23:55.2 | 22 | 19:15.7 | 3 | 1:20.1 | 2 | 6:24.8 | 2 | 1:19.1 | 1 | 6:24.9 | 2 | 1:20.9 | 2 | “”:”” | 2:20:23.7 | 0:08:26.7 | 0:00:09.0 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | 69 | Nicolas Laverdière / Nicolas Fouteret | 2wheel Prod | Ford Fiesta ST | 14 | 17:42.7 | 11 | 17:25.1 | 10 | 7:01.4 | 9 | 14:11.6 | 7 | 6:59.6 | 9 | 14:32.6 | 5 | 7:29.6 | 10 | 21:12.4 | 6 | 21:22.4 | 7 | 1:29.8 | 9 | 7:10.4 | 8 | 1:28.4 | 9 | 7:07.0 | 8 | 1:30.7 | 10 | “”:”” | 2:26:43.7 | 0:14:46.7 | 0:06:20.0 | 69 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | 614 | William Pardiac / Manuel Arsenault | 4wheel Open | Subaru TR-GRD | 14 | 17:19.1 | 9 | 16:53.2 | 8 | 7:03.1 | 11 | 14:30.0 | 11 | 6:58.3 | 8 | 15:02.5 | 8 | 7:10.9 | 6 | 22:10.9 | 12 | 21:37.6 | 11 | 1:27.2 | 6 | 7:02.4 | 6 | 1:26.8 | 7 | 7:00.6 | 7 | 1:27.5 | 7 | “”:”” | 2:27:10.1 | 0:15:13.1 | 0:00:26.4 | 614 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | 399 | Ricardo Cordero / Marco Hernandez | 4wheel Open | Citroen C3 – R5 | 14 | 15:56.4 | 1 | 15:24.9 | 1 | 6:11.8 | 1 | 12:42.7 | 1 | 6:08.9 | 1 | 12:51.4 | 2 | 6:14.0 | 1 | 18:54.6 | 1 | 18:49.2 | 1 | 1:17.4 | 1 | 6:14.2 | 1 | 1:19.5 | 2 | 6:16.8 | 1 | 1:19.2 | 1 | 0:20:00.0 | 2:29:41.0 | 0:17:44.0 | 0:02:30.9 | 399 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | 126 | Olivier Martel / Vincent Hubert | 4wheel Open | Subaru TR-GRD | 14 | 18:12.4 | 14 | 17:56.0 | 15 | 7:06.8 | 12 | 14:16.8 | 8 | 7:15.2 | 14 | 15:44.7 | 14 | 7:39.3 | 11 | 21:22.7 | 7 | 21:18.2 | 6 | 1:30.1 | 10 | 7:22.1 | 13 | 1:30.8 | 12 | 7:15.5 | 14 | 1:30.6 | 9 | “”:”” | 2:30:01.2 | 0:18:04.2 | 0:00:20.2 | 126 | |||||||||||||
| 9 | 33 | Andrew Miller / Zach Godstein | 4wheel Open | Subaru WRX | 14 | 18:12.7 | 15 | 18:17.0 | 20 | 7:07.9 | 13 | 14:27.7 | 10 | 6:56.4 | 7 | 15:49.4 | 16 | 7:49.4 | 16 | 22:14.2 | 14 | 21:27.2 | 8 | 1:28.4 | 7 | 7:26.2 | 16 | 1:28.5 | 10 | 7:10.2 | 11 | 1:32.2 | 11 | “”:”” | 2:31:27.4 | 0:19:30.4 | 0:01:26.2 | 33 | |||||||||||||
| 10 | 141 | Andrew Benson / Brandon Pace | 4wheel Prod | Subaru Impreza | 14 | 18:06.3 | 13 | 17:54.6 | 14 | 7:11.1 | 14 | 14:45.1 | 14 | 7:11.2 | 12 | 16:02.9 | 17 | 7:39.7 | 12 | 21:35.6 | 8 | 23:09.4 | 17 | 1:35.5 | 17 | 7:13.3 | 11 | 1:27.6 | 8 | 7:08.5 | 9 | 1:29.3 | 8 | “”:”” | 2:32:30.1 | 0:20:33.1 | 0:01:02.7 | 141 | |||||||||||||
| 11 | 40 | Simon Aubé / Ian Guité | 4wheel Open | Subaru WRX STI | 14 | 17:55.3 | 12 | 17:38.2 | 11 | 7:21.6 | 17 | 15:08.3 | 19 | 7:13.8 | 13 | 16:27.9 | 20 | 8:04.1 | 18 | 22:02.6 | 11 | 22:10.9 | 12 | 1:31.2 | 12 | 7:25.9 | 15 | 1:35.1 | 17 | 7:30.3 | 16 | 1:36.5 | 19 | “”:”” | 2:33:41.7 | 0:21:44.7 | 0:01:11.6 | 40 | |||||||||||||
| 12 | 208 | Maxime Galpin / Jonathan Desgroseilliers | 2wheel Open | Peugeot 208 Rally | 14 | 19:35.0 | 25 | 18:26.9 | 22 | 7:35.0 | 22 | 15:05.1 | 18 | 7:38.4 | 21 | 15:34.2 | 12 | 7:44.9 | 13 | 21:41.3 | 9 | 21:28.5 | 10 | 1:33.0 | 16 | 7:23.6 | 14 | 1:34.4 | 15 | 7:23.3 | 15 | 1:35.3 | 17 | “”:”” | 2:34:18.9 | 0:22:21.9 | 0:00:37.2 | 208 | |||||||||||||
| 13 | 544 | Karianne Hubert / Marie-France Trepanier Desmara | 4wheel Open | Subaru STI | 14 | 18:16.0 | 17 | 18:37.8 | 23 | 7:19.3 | 16 | 15:25.1 | 20 | 7:33.6 | 19 | 16:13.3 | 19 | 7:45.5 | 14 | 22:50.7 | 18 | 22:56.7 | 16 | 1:32.9 | 13 | 7:29.8 | 17 | 1:35.0 | 16 | 7:31.8 | 18 | 1:32.5 | 12 | “”:”” | 2:36:40.0 | 0:24:43.0 | 0:02:21.1 | 544 | |||||||||||||
| 14 | 777 | Sébastien Clark / Patrick Lévesque | 4wheel Open | Subaru Impreza | 12 | 17:04.3 | 6 | 16:31.4 | 6 | 6:59.2 | 8 | 13:59.9 | 5 | 6:42.9 | 6 | 15:21.1 | 11 | 7:08.9 | 5 | 22:47.1 | 16 | 28:49.2# | 22 | 6:17.4* | 22 | 7:04.7 | 7 | 1:25.6 | 5 | 6:44.2 | 4 | 1:25.3 | 4 | “”:”” | 2:38:21.2+ | 0:26:24.2 | 0:01:41.2 | 777 | |||||||||||||
| 15 | 223 | David Gagné / Pierre-Charles Babin | 2wheel Prod | Honda Civic | 14 | 18:15.9 | 16 | 17:59.8 | 16 | 9:57.4 | 31 | 17:31.6 | 28 | 8:31.7 | 28 | 15:19.9 | 10 | 7:14.4 | 7 | 23:35.1 | 21 | 21:28.1 | 9 | 1:29.5 | 8 | 7:16.0 | 12 | 1:36.7 | 19 | 7:14.6 | 13 | 1:34.3 | 16 | 0:00:10.0 | 2:39:15.0 | 0:27:18.0 | 0:00:53.8 | 223 | |||||||||||||
| 16 | 18 | Mathieu Royer / Alyssa Voyzelle-Montminy | 2wheel Prod | Nissan Sentra | 14 | 24:05.4 | 32 | 17:46.4 | 12 | 7:02.4 | 10 | 14:37.2 | 12 | 6:59.8 | 10 | 15:40.0 | 13 | 7:26.5 | 8 | 21:56.9 | 10 | 23:39.0 | 20 | 1:33.0 | 14 | 7:11.5 | 10 | 1:30.4 | 11 | 7:13.8 | 12 | 1:33.0 | 14 | 0:01:30.0 | 2:39:45.3 | 0:27:48.3 | 0:00:30.3 | 18 | |||||||||||||
| 17 | 76 | Patrick Richard / Jean-Sébastien Delisle | 4wheel Prod | Subaru STI | 14 | 19:23.4 | 23 | 19:16.4 | 25 | 7:35.0 | 21 | 15:37.4 | 21 | 7:39.0 | 22 | 17:09.0 | 21 | 8:07.2 | 19 | 22:46.2 | 15 | 22:42.7 | 14 | 1:33.0 | 15 | 8:12.1 | 23 | 1:55.2 | 23 | 8:16.1 | 23 | 1:59.6 | 22 | “”:”” | 2:42:12.3 | 0:30:15.3 | 0:02:27.0 | 76 | |||||||||||||
| 18 | 388 | Alexandre Laviolette / Alexandre Cyr | 4wheel Prod | Subaru WRX | 14 | 20:37.6 | 27 | 19:26.8 | 26 | 7:49.5 | 24 | 16:41.3 | 25 | 7:40.6 | 23 | 17:29.3 | 23 | 7:59.7 | 17 | 23:34.4 | 20 | 22:53.3 | 15 | 1:31.0 | 11 | 7:34.7 | 18 | 1:32.1 | 13 | 7:33.3 | 19 | 1:32.7 | 13 | “”:”” | 2:43:56.3 | 0:31:59.3 | 0:01:44.0 | 388 | |||||||||||||
| 19 | 287 | Marc-Olivier Leblanc / Marc-Olivier Cavanagh | 2wheel Prod | Mazda Protege | 14 | 19:06.4 | 21 | 18:23.1 | 21 | 7:32.8 | 18 | 23:59.2 | 30 | 7:27.5 | 16 | 16:12.5 | 18 | 7:47.9 | 15 | 22:49.5 | 17 | 22:41.4 | 13 | 1:36.7 | 18 | 7:38.0 | 20 | 1:38.0 | 20 | 7:46.4 | 20 | 1:36.1 | 18 | 0:00:30.0 | 2:46:45.5 | 0:34:48.5 | 0:02:49.2 | 287 | |||||||||||||
| 20 | 335 | Michel Drapeau / Caroline Moreau | 4wheel Prod | Subaru WRX | 14 | 19:18.3 | 22 | 19:03.2 | 24 | 8:24.8 | 29 | 22:29.9 | 29 | 8:03.8 | 24 | 18:00.8 | 26 | 8:37.9 | 21 | 23:23.0 | 19 | 23:16.9 | 18 | 1:38.4 | 19 | 7:35.1 | 19 | 1:35.7 | 18 | 7:31.8 | 17 | 1:33.8 | 15 | “”:”” | 2:50:33.4 | 0:38:36.4 | 0:03:47.9 | 335 | |||||||||||||
| 21 | 783 | Vincent Bourque / Simon Lamarre | 4wheel Prod | Subaru WRX | 14 | 21:35.1 | 31 | 20:05.5 | 28 | 8:24.2 | 28 | 17:09.4 | 26 | 8:13.5 | 25 | 18:09.5 | 27 | 8:44.4 | 22 | 25:04.9 | 25 | 23:32.1 | 19 | 1:44.3 | 21 | 7:57.4 | 21 | 1:38.9 | 21 | 7:51.2 | 21 | 1:40.7 | 21 | “”:”” | 2:51:51.1 | 0:39:54.1 | 0:01:17.7 | 783 | |||||||||||||
| 22 | 919 | Pascal Besse / Nicolas Tousignant | 2wheel Open | Porsche 911 Groupe B | 11 | 20:25.2 | 26 | 19:54.7 | 27 | 8:09.6 | 25 | 17:28.5 | 27 | 16:23.3# | 29 | 17:46.1* | 24 | 11:30.2* | 24 | 24:04.5 | 23 | 24:04.1 | 21 | 1:39.1 | 20 | 8:02.5 | 22 | 1:39.7 | 22 | 8:06.8 | 22 | 1:39.9 | 20 | “”:”” | 3:00:54.2+ | 0:48:57.2 | 0:09:03.1 | 919 | |||||||||||||
| DNF | 944 | Ronald Grandin / Michel Voyer | 2wheel Prod | Posrche 944 | 8 | 20:50.3 | 30 | 20:06.5 | 29 | 8:27.2 | 30 | 16:30.3 | 24 | 8:24.5 | 27 | 17:58.8 | 25 | 8:52.1 | 23 | 24:08.2 | 24 | DNF | DNF | 944 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 12 | Charles L’Estage / Juliette L’Estage | 2wheel Prod | Ford Focus | 7 | 19:28.3 | 24 | 18:05.4 | 18 | 7:34.9 | 20 | 14:45.8 | 15 | 7:31.8 | 18 | 14:57.7 | 7 | 22:13.2 | 13 | DNF | DNF | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 101 | Olivier Guité / Simon Levac | 2wheel Open | Ford Fiesta R2 | 7 | 18:30.2 | 18 | 18:14.9 | 19 | 7:34.2 | 19 | 15:04.4 | 17 | 7:30.6 | 17 | 17:16.3 | 22 | 8:14.8 | 20 | DNF | DNF | 101 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 305 | Yvan Joyal / David Legault | 4wheel Open | Subaru TR-GRD | 6 | 17:04.6 | 7 | 23:29.4 | 32 | 6:46.8 | 7 | 14:27.4 | 9 | 7:36.2 | 20 | 15:46.0 | 15 | DNF | DNF | 305 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 875 | Vincent Trudel / Michelle Miller | 4wheel Open | Subaru STI | 6 | 17:29.7 | 10 | 16:42.6 | 7 | 7:42.6 | 23 | 14:02.7 | 6 | 7:02.2 | 11 | 15:15.7 | 9 | DNF | DNF | 875 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 58 | Vincent Lalande / Leah Brisset | 4wheel Open | Subaru WRX STI | 5 | 17:06.6 | 8 | 16:56.9 | 9 | 6:41.4 | 4 | 16:13.6 | 22 | 20:16.4 | 5 | DNF | DNF | 58 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 71 | Blu Vandaalen / Heidi Fennell | 4wheel Prod | Subaru Impreza | 5 | 18:46.9 | 20 | 17:50.2 | 13 | 7:16.0 | 15 | 14:44.0 | 13 | 7:15.5 | 15 | DNF | DNF | 71 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 369 | Roderick Jones / Omar Khan | 2wheel Prod | Mazda 3 | 5 | 20:40.7 | 28 | 20:07.3 | 31 | 8:12.5 | 26 | 16:14.2 | 23 | 8:19.1 | 26 | DNF | DNF | 369 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 19 | Mathieu Leblanc / Éric Dubé | 2wheel Open | Honda Civic | 3 | 7:11.1 | 9 | 1:32.4 | 14 | 7:10.1 | 10 | DNF | DNF | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 112 | Samuel Motreff / Malcom Swann | 4wheel Open | Subaru Impreza WRX | 3 | 20:44.9 | 29 | 20:06.6 | 30 | 8:19.8 | 27 | DNF | DNF | 112 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 331 | Cal Valdaalen / Meg Grandmaison | 4wheel Prod | Subaru Impreza RS | 3 | 18:41.8 | 19 | 18:00.2 | 17 | 43:37.7 | 32 | DNF | DNF | 331 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DNF | 114 | Dave St-Pierre / Pierre-Luc Chouinard | 2wheel Prod | Nissan Sentra | 1 | 28:39.5 | 33 | DNF | DNF | 114 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NHY = Not Here Yet, Miss stage, # = 10 min. * = 5 min. + =Added missing stages © www.RallyScoring.com, 2025-07-01 13:33:48 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Data from : Rally Scoring
Photography : Jason Rail & Danny Bujold
Story : Frédéric Senterre
Related
