Not even a wayward cow could stop Squamish's Patrick Richard from capturing second place at the Pacific Forest Rally (PFR) in Merritt this weekend.
The rally car driver had a surprise close encounter with lost livestock during the late stages of the race, slowing him down considerably on Saturday (Oct. 2).
"I came around the corner on the second to last stage and saw a cow on the side of the road," he said, noting it's fairly common to see animals near the track at the PFR.
"I didn't think much of it but then the cow stuck its head out and it lightly hit the side of my tire."
Richard suffered a flat from the impact, and the cow may have ultimately cost him that one minute it took to lose to PFR winner Antoine L'Estage.
Despite not winning, Richard said he was pleased with how the weekend went.
"I thought overall the race went pretty good," he said. "Obviously, we would like to win but we're still in the hunt for our third Canadian Rally Championship in a row and fifth one overall."
An issue with the car's transmission also cost Richard valuable time.
"We had to swap transmissions during the race and ended up losing about ten seconds," he said, noting that pit crews are given 20 minutes to fix whatever issues the car may have. "But the crew really stepped it up and were able to replace it in 14 minutes."
The PFR consists of 200 kilometres split up into 12 different stages.
"The Merritt race is the only one in B.C. and it's really tough," said Richard. "It's pretty much farm roads and is one of the more challenging races on the tour."
The Canadian Rally Championship (CRC) series is made up of six races, with three races being held in Quebec, the PFR in Merritt, a race in Alberta and one in Ontario.
Riders are given points based on their final times, and the six race totals are added up at the conclusion of the final race to determine the CRC champion.
Richard, who captured the title in 2009, 2008, 2004 and 2002, currently sits in second place in the standings after the PFR, but everything will be up for grabs at the circuit's final race, which takes place in Bancroft, Ontario.
The Rally of the Tall Pines takes place on Nov. 19 to 20 and Richard said it's among the most treacherous races on the tour.
"Tall Pines is a smooth road but it can get very slippery and dangerous for riders," he said.
Richard also wanted to thank his crew and the people of 麻豆社国产for their support.
"Rocket Rally Racing is based in 麻豆社国产and my entire crew is based here as well," he said. "My car is built and maintained here and we get a lot of support from businesses locally."
For more information on Richard and Rocket Rally Racing, visit www.rocketrally.com.
