Author: Planet Motorsport
Photos: Andrew Harvey

Guelph, Ontario – The Guelph-based Planet Motorsport Rally Team is gearing up to tackle the Rallye Défi Ste-Agathe/Duhamel in Quebec this weekend.  At the Galway-Cavendish Forest Rally three weeks ago, John and Alan were running in 3rd overall for almost the entire event and closing in on second place.  While pushing hard on the last stage of the rally, the team was forced to retire when their Subaru Impreza found a ditch.  Despite the misadventure, the team proved that their previous podium finish was not beginners luck.  The Planet Motorsport Rally team holds first place in the Production 4 (P4) category and has a clear lead in the novice standings in the Ontario Performance Rally Championship.  

“It is very important for us to get a good result at Défi to keep our P4 championship hopes alive,” said driver John Vanos.  “We’ve been getting faster at every rally.  We will continue to increase our pace in Sainte-Agathe and maintain a quick tempo over the course of the rally.”

Regular co-driver Alan Ockwell will be missing this event because of work commitments, but the team puts great faith in guest co-driver Ryan Huber.  “Ryan has demonstrated his talent in road rallies and preseason testing,” Ockwell said. “We’re confident that he will impress.”  

Competition will be fierce with over forty entrants from all over Canada and the United States.  The rally route is known to be fast and quite demanding with several stages over 25km in length.  “Planet Motorsport provides us with a car that is both fast and reliable,” said Vanos.  “We will take full advantage of the car’s strength on the challenging roads.”

The team would like to thank the following partners for their support:

Hot Bits Suspension

Moyersport Rally Service Crew

Andrew Harvey Photography
www.andrewharvey.ca

Planet Motorsport specializes in Subaru drivetrain conversions, as well as performance products and upgrades for any model of car, including Hot Bits products.  For more information, contact Iain Fraser at (519) 826-0311 or at iain@planetmotorsport.com

For more information on the 2005 Rallye Défi Ste-Agathe/Duhamel, visit www.rallyedefi.com