CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2023 CHAMPIONS & PRIZE FUND RECIPIENTS
The 2023 OPRC season concluded with the Rally of the Tall Pines’ Small Pines Rally. A season that took us down stage roads in both Quebec and Ontario, competitors battled at times some challenging conditions & experienced roads consisting of snow, ice, gravel and - with the return of the Shannonville Stages Rally - tarmac! The five event calendar consisted of 3 events running alongside a CARS National event, and 2 standalone competitions. The return of PMSC’s Shannonville Stages meant there were no double headers this year, & we hope to see this event continue to join us in the future.
Congratulations to Emmanuel Cecchet who claims the 2023 OPRC Drivers Championship crown. Cecchet, a US based competitor hailing from Huntington, MA, was one of only two drivers to compete in all the OPRC events this season. It’s great to have the support from across the border & we hope to see you back up here in the future. Although Cecchet was leading the Driver’s Championship by 14 points after Rallye Defi, having won the Shannonville event and taking 3rd at the Black Bear, he still had to ensure he put in a strong performance at the Tall Pines, with Vincent Trudel hot on his heels. Securing 4th place last weekend gave him the points he needed to keep that lead, and in turn earn himself that OPRC Driver Championship title.
Congratulations Emmanuel, we hope you’ve enjoyed your season up here.
Top 3 OPRC Overall Drivers:
Emmanuel Cecchet (62 points)
Vincent Trudel (50 points)
Jean-Sebastien Besner (44 points)
The 2023 OPRC Codriver Champion title goes to Michael Szewczyk, whose consistent performances this year (3 out of 3 events on the podium) gave him the win with 50 points - rather fitting seeing as this year’s Tall Pines - and OPRC season finale - was his 50th rally event. Congratulations Michael, we hope to see you out on the rally stages again soon!
Top 3 OPRC Overall Codrivers:
Michael Szewczyk (50 points)
Yvan Joyal (44 points)
Jean-Sebastien Delisle (41 points) - also the only codriver to compete in all five events on the calendar this season.
The 2023 2WD Driver Championship was won by Mark Toufanov. Mark, who competed in four of the five events this year, took the title in his Toyota GT86 with the 2WD win at Shannonville & the Black Bear and a second place finish in 2WD at Rallye Defi. A retirement in the penultimate stage of the Tall Pines unfortunately only gained him a single point at the event, but his lead in the championship was good enough that he came out on top at the end of the season. Congratulations Mark!
Top 3 OPRC 2WD Drivers:
Mark Toufanov (62 points)
Grant Rawcliffe (42 points)
Jim Morton (41 points)
In the 2023 OPRC 2WD Codriver Championship, David Bell, having partnered with Mark Toufanov for the season, was able to secure his 2WD title. A close battle all year with Brandon Pace meant that it was down to the last event for them both, and in the end David managed to hold onto the lead with a 3 point margin. Congratulations David, we hope you’ll join us again next season.
Top 3 OPRC 2WD Codrivers:
David Bell (62 points)
Brandon Pace (59 points)
Alton Gonsalves (31 points)
This year’s OPRC Novice Driver award goes to Michel Drapeau. Michel, from Brossard, QC took top novice honors at two of his four OPRC events this season. Congratulations Michel, good luck next year!
Full championship & class results can be found on the RSO website www.rallysport.on.ca
A BIG thank you to all the competitors who supported the OPRC Championship events this season, it's great to see so many of you out on the stages. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed your year and we look forward to seeing you all out in the woods again real soon.
Also, we can’t forget to thank the huge number of volunteers who spend countless hours organizing and working at these events. It’s a huge undertaking and we are very appreciative of your dedication to the sport - Thank You!
Bring on 2024!
PRIZE FUND:
Thanks to our incredible sponsors we were able to offer a prize fund to competitors for the 2023 season. The funds are subject to eligibility as outlined on the RSO and OPRC websites.
The end of season funds distribution is shown below, congratulations to you all - RSO will reach out shortly to get these to you:
Overall
Emmanuel Cecchet $2000
Sebastien Clark $1500
Jeremy Drake $750
2WD
Mark Toufanov $2000
Grant Rawcliffe $1500
Jim Morton $750
Novice
Michel Drapeau $2000
Thanks for the support of the prize fund go to our sponsors: