2011 CANADIAN AND NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONS !!
Nathalie first got involved in rally in 1999 while living in Toronto,after watching one of her brother, Pat's, first events. She was immediately hooked and quickly became his team manager and substitute co-driver. In 2001, Nathalie moved to Australia, where she continued to rally before returning in 2004 to team up with Pat as Subaru Rally Team Canada and on his private team, Rocket Rally.
After a very successful two seasons together, they teamed up again for the 2006 Summer X Games 12 in LA. Nathalie had spent the 2006 season hosting the Rally America tv show and co-driving for various different drivers. She competed in the Baja 1000 desert race with Kathy Jarvis and finished the last three 2006 Canadian rallies with Antoine L'Estage, winning the Ladies' Championship and helping Antoine win his first Canadian Championship title!
In addition to hosting the Rally America TV show on ESPN in 2007, Nathalie co-drove for Antoine for numerous events, including the entire Canadian calendar and X Games 13, as well as for Wyeth Gubelmann in several US rallies and WRC Mexico. Together that year, Antoine and Nathalie won the Overall Canadian and North American Championships.
2008 was a year of highs and lows. Mechanical problems resulted in several DNFs and troubled rallies ... but Antoine and Nathalie still won enough rallies in both Canada and the US to edge out Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino for the 2008 North American Rally Cup! That year Nathalie was pulling double duty ... make that TRIPLE duty, as co-driver and TV host for the English Canadian Rally Championship on TSN and the French show on RDS.
Big changes for 2009 ... John Buffum and crew built a brand new Mitsubishi Evo X as Mitsubishi and Rockstar Energy Drink joined Royal Group/Concerto as co-title supporters. Antoine and Nathalie finished FIRST at the new car's inaugural event, the Rallye Perce Neige in the Canadian Rally Championship. As quoted in Autosport Magazine ... it's the "first significant victory" in the world for the Evo X. The team lead the championship until the very last stage of the year, when clutch problems and an uphill start to the last stage handed the team an heartbreaking end to a great season. Their efforts were however strong enough to earn Nathalie a fifth North American co-driving title.
The 2010 season started strong in the United States but a bit worrisome in Canada. The season improved as Nathalie and Antoine found themselves on the podium for all of the Rally America events, including two victories, enough to win the title! In Canada, they won four of the six events and clinched the Canadian Rally Championship at the last rally of the year. These two titles, combined with the North American Rally Cup, earn the duo the Triple Crown. This is the second time in history that the same team has won all three championships in the same year (first time was when Nathalie and her brother Pat won in 2004). Antoine's Summer X Games bronze medal and our inclusion on the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association's 2010 ALL-AMERICA TEAM ... makes this the most decorated rally season on the continent ! Yeah!!
In 2011, the chances of reproducing the amazing 2010 season was extremely low... but the team was not to be counted out! Subaru Rally Team USA hired former British Rally Champion David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew to attempt to win back the Rally America championship for Subaru. They were successful but our private team put up a very strong fight, coming a close second in the American series. The Canadian Rally Championship was another story - the team started off the year winning the first four rounds, making it seven consecutive Canadians victories. In September, the duo claimed the North American Rally Cup and three weeks later, they clinched the Canadian Title. Another fantastic season!
