Cochrane Rally of the Ranchlands marked the start of the 2008 Western Canadian Championship. The morning of the rally started off with an unexpected fresh layer of snow, which had not been there the day before during recce. This resulted in the first few stages of the rally proving to be a challenge, as the high-speed stages were combined with very slippery conditions. The second leg of the rally was also very slippery, resulting in a few minor offs. However, as it started to warm up and a few runs were completed, the snow started to clear and the grip level increased substantially. This allowed us to become increasingly comfortable with road conditions and the car, which lead to faster stage times, comparable to the top runners. Resulting in a second fastest stage time just before the second service stop. In the afternoon stages we were unfortunately plagued with gearbox problems, which finally gave out in the third last stage, leaving the golf stuck in 3rd gear. Despite running the last 2 stages in only 3rd gear, the RPI Rally Team finished off the rally 10th overall and 5th in Group 2.

We are looking forward to a successful rally season. If you would like more information about the team or our upcoming race schedule please check out our Rally page. We also have lots of photos of this event, and previous events on our Rally and Gallery pages.