Rockstar Energy Team's Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard begin their Canadian title defense by claiming wins on both of the opening two stages of Rallye Perce-Neige.

L'Estage tackled the first loop of the day on snow tires while rival Pat Richard of Subaru Rally Team Canada gambled in ice tires. The choice paid off for L'Estage who beat Richard by 2.4 seconds on the 2.02km Marie-Anne 1 stage and by 3 seconds on the 6.30km Des Eaux 1 stage.

L'Estage leads the rally over Richard by 5.9 seconds after Stage 2. more...

With the North American rally season now underway, the 47th edition of the Rallye Perce-Neige opens the six-round 2012 Canadian championship. 40 crews are set to start the classic winter event based in Maniwaki, Quebec, the capital of the Upper Gatineau region.

The rally features 16 special stages spanning over 244.37 compeitive kilometers (151.84 miles) all run over the course of a single day. This format makes it one of the longest events in all of North America and will undoubtedly challenge the endurance of all contestants. more...

The biggest names in Canadian rallying are set to start the Rallye Perce-Neige in Maniwaki, Quebec.

First on the road is CrazyLeo Urlichich and his new co-driver Carl Williamson, then 2009 Canadian champion Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell will be second followed by main rivals 2011 Canadian champions Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard.

Maybe the biggest name currently is 2010 and 2011 champions L'Estage and Richard. In addition to their recent domination in Canada they've been the North American champions both years and the American champions in 2010. more...

Saturday's Rallye Perce-Neige is the first event in the 2012 Canadian national championship. The event is based in Maniwaki, Quebec, a resort area about an hour north of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capitol city.

Perce-Neige is obviously a winter snow rally being in early February. But apparently that hyphen is pretty important for the event's identity. more...

There's a lot of anticipation in the camp of CrazyLeo Urlichich, the Canadian privateer driver who won the Tall Pines Rally last November to finish second overall in that National championship's standings.

Urlichich ran last weekend in the treacherous ice and snow at the Sno*Drift Rally in the U.S. and wound up third before protests still under consideration may push him back to sixth.

This weekend at Rallye Perce-Neige, the Canadian season opener near Maniwaki, Quebec, he'll start stage one first on the road, a position he's never had before. more...

Krzysztof Hołowczyc is coming to America.

Tuesday, WorldRallySport.com broke the news that the ex-European Rally Champion planned to contest the 100 Acre Wood Rally this February 24-25. Hołowczyc confirmed to us today that he is entering the event as we reported.

Hołowczyc will make his competitive U.S. debut driving Arkadiusz Gruszka's Open class-spec 2006 Mitsubishi EVO IX in the Missouri-based rally. He is not yet listed on the event's official entry, but has assured us that he'll be running. more...

UPDATE: We spoke with a representative of Krzysztof Hołowczyc Wednesday. The representative verified that Hołowczyc does intend to run this year's 100 Acre Wood Rally. He also told us that they are finalizing details before Hołowczyc can confirm his entry. We’re working with his office to talk with Holowczyc.

Original Story Below:

Krzysztof Hołowczyc could be coming to America. more...

Antoine L'Estage expects better conditions at this weekend's Rallye Perce-Neige than were seen on the Sno*Drift Rally's treacherously icy roads.

Coming off a second place finish in Michigan last weekend, L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard begin defense of their championship titles at the Canadian Series opener in Maniwaki, Québec.

"We’re looking forward to a nice winter rally, with nice winter conditions!" exclaimed L'Estage. "The roads in and around Maniwaki are hopefully covered in snow and the route that we follow for the Rallye Perce-Neige is fantastic." more...

David Sterckx is delighted with his result on the 2012 Sno*Drift Rally in Atlanta, Michigan.

The ex-Belgian Group N champion overcame unfavorable conditions on unfamiliar roads to finish third on the Super Production (SP) podium and eighth overall. Sterckx had no prior competitive experience on snow and ice and was adjusting to a newly built Subaru, which he had driven for the very first time only two days before the start of the event. more...

Our Facebook moment for former SCCA Pro Rally champion Steve Nowicki had mixed results at the Sno*Drift Rally weekend. Steve finished both regional events on Friday and Saturday. He didn't damage the vintage Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste/Plymouth Fire Arrow.

But "I forgot how hard rallying was," Nowicki said on the drive home Sunday afternoon. "Maybe when I get home and chill a bit I'll feel different."

Chill might be the wrong choice of words after running in sub-freezing tempertures on glare, polished ice all weekend at Sno*Drift. more...