Susquehannock: Series round five final report

L'Estage Wins Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally

Wellsboro, PA (June 6, 2010) -- Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard win the 34th edition of the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) and maintain their lead of the Rally America Championship. Despite dropping time on day one after their Rockstar Energy Royal Group Mitsiubishi Evo X lost power steering, L'Estage went on to finish the rally with a 1 minute 36.4 second lead over privateer Bill Bacon. L'Estage won STPR in 2008, but this victory marks his first outright win of the 2010 Rally America season.

Bacon and his co-driver, Peter Watt, secured a second place finish by deciding to drive conservatively after L'Estage began to develop his lead over them. The Bacon Motorsports team was happy with their result considering they dealt with a variety of mechanical issues throughout the weekend. Both L'Estage and Bacon qualify for an X Games invitation based on their placement in the championship points.

Ramana Lagemann and co-driver Chrissie Beavis of the Rally-Tire.com team rounded out the overall podium in their 2007 Super Production-spec Subaru. Lagemann is the third competitor ever in Rally America history to put an SP class car on the overall podium. Lagemann has proven his consistency and pace since returning to rallying this past April, but was given an advantage at STPR after two top contenders retired from the rally.

Subaru Rally Team USA's Dave Mirra and Martin Headland blew their car's turbo three miles into SS5 and then crashed out of the event. The Monster World Rally Team's Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino held a promising rally lead up until SS10, when they were forced to retire due to fuel system issues and a failing gearbox.

Top Super Production class teams were embroiled in a fierce battle that lasted to the very end, trading positions in the standings throughout the weekend. Lagemann dominated the class, but the remainder of the SP podium was not determined until the final stage. The PMR racing team had their fair share of mechanical issues at STPR, but drivers Pat Moro and Tim Rooney finished the rally in second and third in class, respectively. During the final stage at the Tioga County Fairgrounds, Moro overtook his teammate Rooney and finished 11.2 seconds ahead of him.

In Two-Wheel Drive, Chris Duplessis made an impressive comeback after a flat tire early on the first day put him 30th overall and third in class. Chris Greenhouse and co-driver Christopher Gordon dominated the 2WD field until rolling their 1995 Plymouth Neon and giving Duplessis the opportunity to take the lead. Duplessis finished the rally ninth overall and first in class. Dillon Van Way and co-driver Ben Slocum finished second on the 2WD national podium while Greenhouse placed third. With this win, Duplessis clinches the 2010 national Rally America 2WD Championship.

Driver Joey Kale and co-driver Scott Nickerson won the Sherwood Forest regional rally 40.9 seconds ahead of Maciej Przybysz and Kristin Przybysz. Peter Hascher and co-driver Scott Rhoades finished third on the regional podium.

The next event on the Rally America calendar is the New England Forest Rally in Bethel, Maine on July 16-17.

-source: rally america