Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard and Team Scion Rally xD Score Second Place at Icy SnoDrift Rally
ATLANTA, Michigan (ACP Racing) January 30, 2012 – Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and the Scion Rally xD team scored a well-earned second place in the two-wheel-drive classes of the 2012 SnoDrift Rally in Atlanta Michigan this past weekend.
The podium result was hard-won after the team lay in fifth place overall after the first night of competition: “Honestly, on Friday night, I was questioning whether we could turn the race around” said Comrie-Picard, “but between some smart setup changes on the team’s part and a bit of a reset in my driving style, we managed to turn the tables on our competition on Saturday and go from over a minute out of second place to a solid result and a kickoff to our championship. I’m as proud of this result as of any in more than ten years of rally driving.”
The Scion team is competing for the overall two-wheel-drive Rally America Championship in 2012, and is very happy with the finish this weekend. Said Gordon Ting, team principal: “This is a solid result and a terrific points haul. We know from last year that we have what it takes to win on gravel, and we’re looking forward to the 100 Acre Wood Rally in late February to prove it!”
The conditions were treacherous, with a combination of water on ice, glare ice, and a dusting of snow over ice. Said co-driver Jeremy Wimpey: “Imagine your worst nightmare of an icy road surface, then drive it through the woods on a one-lane road at 90mph. It was that sort of weekend…”
BFGoodrich Winter Slalom KSI tires provided the traction for the team. Said Comrie-Picard: “Nothing should be able to grip the glare ice we were on; it’s a testament to the tires that we stayed on the road at all. The Winter Slalom’s compounding and tread pattern gave us the advantage we needed.”
The team shared the podium with Ford Fiestas in first (Chris Duplessis) and third (Dillon Van Way) places. It marks the sixth time in seven Rally America appearances that the Scion xD has been on the podium. The team plans to contest the entire Rally America Championship.
--
ABOUT ACP: Andrew Comrie-Picard is the 2009 North American Rally Champion, five-time X Games Athlete, and an X Games medalist. He has also competed in the RallyCar Rallycross series, the FormulaD drift championship, short-course off-road racing, and in the Baja1000. When he isn’t racing, Comrie-Picard works in film, television, and print media as a precision driver, producer, and host. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
"I sign a waiver, strap on a helmet and step toward my first rally car ride.
The tires are caked in mud and the car is sprinkled with dust. It’s bright orange and littered with sponsored stickers. Rally cars don’t go quite as fast as stock cars, but they race over gravel and under any weather. The cars are four-wheel drive and built to handle all elements."
MANIWAKI, Quebec (ACP Racing) – A flat-out charge from defending North American rally champion Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard ended in a snow bank this weekend at Canada's icy season opener.
"No regrets," said Comrie-Picard. "A podium finish would have been nice but we had a clear shot at the win – we had to go for it."
The NOS Energy-backed rally team of ACP and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey had already overcome an early misstep and were angling for the win when they went off road just a few kilometers from the end of the grueling ice and snow contest.
The duo had planned a strong start, but a surprisingly slick corner on the first stage caught them off-guard. They were the second leading car to wind up in the ditch early in the event, following defending Canadian champion Pat Richard's tracks right off the road at a popular spectator corner.
"You can count on Quebec spectators to help you out, but even we thought this was a lost cause," said Comrie-Picard. "The car was deep in a ditch; I can't believe they got us out."
The crowd of spectators, led by legendary Quebec rally driver Sylvain Erickson, hooked a tow rope to the team's competition car and pulled them back on course. The incident cost them five minutes, damaged the driveline, and dropped them to fifty-third overall.
But the team didn't give up. The service crew repaired the car and Comrie-Picard and Wimpey put in a clean performance, steadily moving up the standings until the long, deep forest stages late in the contest when they turned up the heat and clawed into second place overall.
A cautious drive to the end would have virtually guaranteed the team a podium finish, but with one long stage to go and a minute-and-a-half to gain, Comrie-Picard saw an opportunity.
"Points are points, but it’s called ‘racing’ for a reason," said Comrie-Picard. "We decided to push for the win."
The team drove to the limit, sliding wildly at times and using the low snow banks to nudge the car back into line at full speed.
With just six kilometers to go, the team was on pace for the victory when they slid wide on a treacherous corner and wound up in a snowy field. The team dug frantically and put deadfall wood under the tires, but it took a hard pull from the car of competitor Ian Crerar to get them back on the road. The team lost 20 minutes on the stage and finished out of the points.
Comrie-Picard's team was not the only one to have difficulties. All three of the key championship contenders had problems this weekend so the points race remains wide open.
Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.
The sport is featured in the annual X Games, the premier action sports event on the globe, featuring athletes competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally. Comrie-Picard has been among the dozen invited drivers in each of the four years since the rally discipline was introduced to the contest and he expects to return in 2010.
--
ABOUT THE DRIVER: Defending North American Rally Champion Andrew Comrie-Picard is a contender for the American, Canadian, and North American rally championships and expects to return to compete in X Games this summer for fifth time. When he isn’t racing, Comrie-Picard works in film, television, and print media as an automotive expert and divides his time between Toronto, Canada, and Los Angeles, California.
--
ABOUT THE CO-DRIVER: Jeremy Wimpey first paired with ACP at the 2009 Colorado Rally where they quickly gained confidence and an overall win. A trail scientist by day, Wimpey brings his attention to detail and warped sense of humor to the team. He has been involved in rally car competition since 2002.
For more information and video highlights, visit: www.acprally.com. To arrange interviews or find out more, contact +1647-500-2729 or media(at)acpracing(dot)com. Find us on Twitter, YouTube or Facebook under ACP Rally. Photo courtesy of Mat Janiak, www.WorldRallySport.com.
ATLANTA, MI (ACP Racing) -- Defending North American rally champion Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard earned some strong early-season points with a fourth-place finish at the icy U.S. season opener this weekend in northern Michigan.
The NOS Energy-backed rally team of ACP and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey took a cautious approach to the contest in some of the most challenging winter conditions ever seen in U.S. rally competition.
"It was like a luge course out there," said Comrie-Picard. "The first few stages were the iciest I have ever seen… and the rally just got icier from there."
Racing on ice is about keeping it tidy and making fewer mistakes than the competition. It's a strategy that earned ACP the win at this event in 2006, and he has finished on the podium in each of the past two years.
The rally was going to plan, with the team working toward a podium finish, but a misstep led to an off-road excursion that cost them eight minutes. Pro mountain bike riders Carl Decker and Adam Craig – both national team members who ride for Giant and rally on their off weekends – stopped in the middle of the race to yank them out so the team didn't lose any more time shoveling.
The incident dropped the team to eighth but, with some smart driving, they were able to bring their car home in fourth-place overall.
The event drew thousands of spectators to northern Michigan to cheer on the teams – despite the cold and icy weather.
Special thanks from the team to the Garland Lodge and Resort in Lewiston, MI, for their support at this event.
The Rally America national championship is a challenging, all-season series comprised of six events across the country. Rally America also organizes the marquee X Games rally contest each summer, airing on ESPN and ABC.
The 2010 season will also see the launch of the European-style rally cross discipline mid-year. Comrie-Picard is expected to take on both of these US rally series and make a return to the X Games for a fifth time. He will also compete in the Canadian Rally Championship.
Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.
The sport is featured in the annual X Games, the premier action sports event on the globe, featuring athletes competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally. Comrie-Picard has been among the dozen invited drivers in each of the four years since the rally discipline was introduced to the contest and expects to return in 2010.
--
ABOUT THE DRIVER: Defending North American Rally Champion Andrew Comrie-Picard is a contender for the American, Canadian, and North American rally championships and expects to return to compete in X Games this summer for a fifth time. When he isn’t racing, Comrie-Picard works in film, television, and print media as an automotive expert and divides his time between Toronto, Canada, and Los Angeles, California.
--
ABOUT THE CO-DRIVER: Jeremy Wimpey first paired with ACP at the 2009 Colorado Rally where they quickly gained confidence and an overall win. A trail scientist by day, Jeremy brings his attention to detail and warped sense of humor to the team. He has been competing in rally car competition since 2002.
For more information and video highlights, visit: www.acprally.com. To arrange interviews or find out more, contact +1647-500-2729 or media(at)acpracing(dot)com. Find us on Twitter, YouTube or Facebook under ACP Rally. Photo courtesy of Mike Proulx, www.worldrallysport.com.
ATLANTA, Michigan (ACP Racing) January 30, 2012 – Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and the Scion Rally xD team scored a well-earned second place in the two-wheel-drive classes of the 2012 SnoDrift Rally in Atlanta Michigan this past weekend..png)
