First Ever National Rally Victory for Subaru Crosstrek

Six Subaru vehicles finish in the top ten to help extend Subaru's lead in the Manufacturer's Championship
Subaru Crosstrek claims first ever Canadian Rally Championsip (CRC) victory in the final stage

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 30, 2017 /CNW/ - Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) is pleased to announce a first ever CRC victory for the Subaru Crosstrek, driven by privateer Brandon Semenuk, along with co-driver John Hall at the Rocky Mountain Rally in Invermere, BC. The pair held steady in second place for most of the stages, but were able to pull ahead in the final stage for a convincing victory, besting the second place team by nearly seven minutes. This is a first ever national rally win for privateer Brandon, and for his 2016 Subaru Crosstrek, which proved to be a formidable competitor on its platform developed by Rocket Rally.

The winning Crosstrek was in good company, with a total of six Subaru vehicles placing in the top ten. This helped extend Subaru's lead in the bid for a record-setting 13^th Manufacturer's title.

Subaru Rally Team Canada (SRTC) driver Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Alan Ockwell started out strong, making quick work of the rough terrain to lead the pack until the last stage of a very competitive race. With the Crosstrek hot on their heels the team continued to push hard in the final stage to try to extend their lead and guarantee the win. The close timing of the lead vehicles led to a dramatic final stage, bringing out the competitive spirit of the contenders. Unfortunately, a field repair done in a previous stage did not hold and suspension issues took the team out of the race just eight kilometres from the finish line. With the season just underway, the team is looking to bounce back and take advantage of the points still up for grabs as they aim for top spot in the Driver's Championship and a repeat victory for L'Estage.

Up next the circuit moves to New Richmond, QC for the Rallye Baie des Chaleurs June 30-July 2, where SRTC will be looking to gain precious points in the bid for a 13^th Manufacturer's Title.

Pos	Time	Vehicle	Class	Driver/Co-driver
1	1:43:38.90	Subaru Crosstrek 2016	4wheel Open	Brandon Semenuk John Hall
2	1:50:36.0	2003 Mitsubishi Evolution 8 FB	4wheel Open	Wim Van der Poel Bryan Lord
3	1:55:25.100	2004 Subaru STI	4wheel Prod	Nicholas Spencer Peter Brook
4	1:55:43.40	1989 Merkur Xrt4i	2wheel Open	Dave Clark Jamie Willetts
5	1:55:55.90	1999 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS	4wheel Prod	Eric Grochowski Leanne Junnila
6	1:56:03.30	2003 Subaru Impreza WRX	4wheel Prod	Eric Pahota Jennifer Daly
7	1:57:49:10	1968 Porsche 911	2wheel Open	Graham Bruce Patrick Levesque
8	2:01:28.00	2004 Subaru Impreza WRX	4wheel Prod	Brandon Liang Michael Szewczyk
9	2:01:43.20	2000 Ford Focus	2wheel Open	Adam Jones Chawna Imber
10	2:08:13.10	2006 Subaru WRX STI	4wheel Open	Krystian Ostrowski Chris Galecki

About Subaru Canada, Inc.
Subaru Canada, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of 92 authorized dealers across Canada. For more information, please visit www.subaru.ca or www.pr.subaru.ca or follow @SubaruCanada on Twitter.

SOURCE Subaru Canada Inc.

CONTACT: Julie Lychak, (905) 568-4959, jlychak@subaru.ca; Naomi Kislanski, (905) 568-4959, nkislanski@subaru.ca; Sebastien Lajoie, Media Relations, Quebec Region, (514) 336-0600, slajoie@subaru.ca