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Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Cochrane Rally
April 2, 2007
MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Coldwell Banker Horizon Realty rally car takes 1st place honours in the Open Class
at the 2007 season opener in Cochrane, Alberta
What started as a shakedown for the team in a new vehicle ended up with better
than expected results with a 4th place overall and 1st in class, continuing last year’s
form.
Mark Jennings-Bates, the team’s driver, entered the event with a cautious optimism
“We were really feeling our way around a new car that we knew going into the event
required some much needed work. As luck would have it, everything continued
working to the end of the event and we were a little surprised with the finish after
approaching the event somewhat cautiously”
Jennings-Bates has switched allegiances from Mitsubishi to Subaru this year, with a
1993 Impreza. “It was a little uncomfortable, sitting on the start line with no seat
time at all, entering a snow/ice/gravel event and having no idea as to how the car
would handle on the first corner, coupled with the fact we had a new co-driver, I
was very pleased with the result” added Jennings-Bates.
The car is now being worked on by the volunteer mechanics and the sponsors to
get an engine swap before the next event and a new paint job and decals. The new
livery will be unveiled before the Rocky Mountain Rally in Calgary at the end of May.
This year’s Cochrane Rally was dominated by the rivalry between Aaron Neumann
and Colin Armstrong who traded times on the stages right to the last stage with
Aaron finally taking the first place podium position on the last stage.
The Western Canada Rally Championship is a series of events throughout BC and
Alberta that allows teams to compete in a controlled environment on gravel roads
for fastest overall times throughout the day. The Cochrane Rally received a record
number of entries this year with 25 teams registered for the event.
The Sun FM Prescribed Burn Rally Team is an Okanagan based performance rally
team that is supported by Coldwell Banker Horizon Realty, Agar Paint & Autobody,
BigO Tire in Westbank, Okanagan Hosting.com, Wildcat Helicopters, Stacy Screen
Print, The Great Canadian Oil Change, Motor Tabs and Amsoil.
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Contact information: Mark Jennings-Bates 250 317 1457
Hi Res photo attached, credit Shwan Bishop, RallySport.ca
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