NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONS AGAIN !! New EVO X for 2009.
Nathalie first got involved in rally in 1999 after watching one of her brother, Pat's, first events. She was immediately hooked and quickly became his team manager and substitute co-driver. In 2001, Nathalie moved to Australia, where she continued to rally before returning in 2004 to team up with Pat as Subaru Rally Team Canada and on his private team, Rocket Rally.
After a very successful two seasons together, they teamed up again for the 2006 Summer X Games 12 in LA. Nathalie had spent the 2006 season hosting the Rally America tv show and co-driving for various different drivers. She competed in the Baja 1000 desert race with Kathy Jarvis and finished the last three 2006 Canadian rallies with Antoine L'Estage, winning the Ladies' Championship and helping Antoine win his first Canadian Championship title!
In addition to hosting the Rally America TV show on ESPN in 2007, Nathalie co-drove for Antoine for numerous events, including the entire Canadian calendar and X Games 13, as well as for Wyeth Gubelmann in several US rallies and WRC Mexico. Together that year, Antoine and Nathalie won the Overall Canadian and North American Championships.
2008 was a year of highs and lows. Mechanical problems resulted in several DNFs and troubled rallies ... but Antoine and Nathalie still won enough rallies in both Canada and the US (SnoDrift, Perce Neige, STPR, and PFR) to edge out Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino for the 2008 North American Rally Cup! Nathalie was also pulling double duty ... make that TRIPLE duty as co-driver and TV host for the English Canadian Rally Championship on TSN and the French show on RDS.
Big changes for 2009 ... John Buffum and crew built a brand new Mitsubishi Evo X and Mitsubishi and Rockstar Energy Drink joined Royal Group/Concerto as co-title supporters. Antoine and Nathalie finished FIRST at the new car's inaugural event, the Rallye Perce Neige in the Canadian Rally Championship. As quoted in Autosport Magazine ... it's the "first significant victory" for the Evo X. The team lead the championship until the very last stage of the year, when clutch problems and an uphill start to the last stage handed the team an heartbreaking end to a great season. Their efforts were strong enough to earn Nathalie a FIFTH North American co-driving title.
The 2010 season starts with back-to-back winter events - Michigan's SnoDrift Rally (Rally America) and Quebec's Rallye Perce-Neige. The team will compete in the full Canadian Championship and over half of the Rally America series with the intention of seeing Antoine in his third X Games in August of this year.
