MERRITT, BC - The Pennzoil–RSport Rally Team piloted by driver Scott Trinder and navigator Bill Westhead`clinched their second consecutive victory in the Western Canadian Rally`Championship at the Mountain Trials Rally held last Saturday in Merritt, BC.`This year’s event drew over twenty-five cars, including a Mitsubishi Evo VII RS, one of the most technically advanced modern rally cars available today.

Just as he did at the Rocky Mountain Rally three weeks ago, Trinder won the opening spectator stages outright. He continued with this`dominating pace throughout the rally, winning all but two of the event's ten stages.

As the rally encompassed all-new roads, local competitors were left without a home town advantage. Further compounding the situation, on race day heavy rain made for extremely slippery driving conditions.

“When it rains, the roads around Merritt get very slippy and very challenging," Trinder said. "I have to thank PIAA for supplying our team, and every team, with a set of their performance wiper blades - the visibility we had in the rain was amazing.”

The team settled into a quick, consistent pace, clearly feeling at ease in the demanding conditions.

“Scott seems to have found a comfortable pace in the car. Any hesitatation he may have had about driving in a right-hand drive car is gone and he is able to push if, and when needed,” commented Westhead.

“I'm now quite comfortable in the car, although I did miss two shifts this weekend," Trinder admitted. "Once, while shifting under acceleration from 3rd to 4th gear, I grabbed 2nd instead! However, I was able to release the clutch in time to prevent any mechanical damage from over-revving the engine.”

The RSport team now stands well above their nearest rivals in the 2005 championship, having won two of three events and finishing second in the other.

Meanwhile, there will be a two-month long break in the action from the Western Canadian Rally Championship during the high-risk, summer fire season. The next event in the championship will be the Bighorn Rally held out of Edson, Alberta this September.

For more information, check out the event website at www.rallybc.com

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RSport Rally Website:
www.rmtcontracting.com/rsport

Team Sponsors:
www.RMTContracting.com
Richmond Auto Body Collision Plus
www.pennzoil.com
Ampco "advanced durable graphics"
www.techworkseng.com
AMT Machine Works
Pacific Parts
www.scottslistings.ca
www.dragonoptical.com
www.shiftmx.com
BRIDGESTONE Tires