Held this weekend under perfect weather conditions, with fall sunshine and dry roads throughout the event for both fans and competitors, the 33^rd edition of Rallye de Charlevoix was a resounding success. It also saw Ontario driver Michael Dimkovski and his Quebec co-driver Simon Levac secure their third victory of the season in the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC), guaranteeing them the 2026 championship title with one round remaining in the season.

Behind the wheel of their Subaru WRX STI entered by Toronto-based Can Jam Motorsports, Dimkovski and Levac delivered a remarkably consistent performance at the front of the field throughout the two days of competition. The event featured a combination of short urban asphalt stages and forest special stages, some extending more than 30 kilometres. This unique mix, which has earned Rallye de Charlevoix international recognition and is renowned for its challenges and demanding sections, did not prevent Dimkovski and Levac from shining. They claimed victory by one minute and seven-tenths of a second over two-wheel-drive class winners Vincent Lalande of Quebec and his French co-driver Fabien Craen.

The Lalande/Craen duo once again impressed, capturing the class victory and second place overall with their Peugeot 208 Rally4. Combined with the retirements due to mechanical failures of Frenchman Maxime Galpin and Quebec driver Dave St-Pierre, this victory revives their chances of winning the 2026 title in the two-wheel-drive category. At this popular edition of Rallye de Charlevoix, which attracted thousands of fans along the stages, they managed to finish 26.5 seconds ahead of Quebec driver Vincent Trudel, co-driven by American Michelle Miller in a Subaru WRX STI. This highly spectacular crew experienced its share of ups and downs. A regular podium contender at this event, the duo was slowed by a mechanical problem during Saturday’s stages before working its way back up the standings. Trudel and Miller finished third overall in the ECRC and second in the four-wheel-drive category.

Another noteworthy performance came from Marc-André Drouin, co-driven by Colorado native Michael Hordijk. Competing in their Subaru WRX STI, they finished fourth overall, ahead of Mathieu Royer and Alyssa Voyzelle-Montminy in a Nissan Sentra. This crew attacked from start to finish, completing some spectacular passages on two wheels that fortunately ended without incident. They secured 5^th place overall while also finishing 2^nd in the two-wheel-drive category.

Maine driver Andrew Benson, co-driven by Ontario’s Brandon Pace in a Subaru WRX STI, continued to demonstrate his usual consistency, completing the overall top six ahead of rookie Christopher Trudel and co-driver Antony Constant, also competing in a Subaru. Karianne Hubert, co-driven by Ian Guité in another Subaru, finished eighth, ahead of Dan Galipeau and Colin Turk in a Ford Fiesta, who completed the top three in the two-wheel-drive category. They finished ahead of local favourites Michel Voyer and Pierre-Olivier Chiasson, who were making their series debut. The duo secured fourth place in two-wheel drive class and a top-10 overall finish with their Toyota Echo Hatchback.

In total, 16 of the 24 crews entered in the ECRC completed this penultimate round of the 2026 season. Simon Vincent, driving a new Subaru, had to settle for 14^th place overall after losing considerable time on Saturday following a ball joint failure. Victory in the Canadian Rally Championship went to Jean-Sébastien Besner and Hubert Gaudreau in a Škoda Fabia RS WRC2.

The Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) features eight events this season, spread across Quebec (four), Ontario (three) and Nova Scotia (one). The season finale will take place in three weeks with another traditional event, the Tall Pines Rally, in Bancroft, Ontario.

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

Photo credit:

• Overall winners: © Marie-Lyse Tremblay / poleposition.ca
• 2WD class winners: © Clément Tavernier / poleposition.ca