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Jon Nichols Tall Pines Rally summary

Jon Nichols earns a podium and a fifth championship! Bancroft, ON, November 23, 2004 -- Jon Nichols made the best of his Golf Gti RMR for one of his best ever performances and finished second in the Tall Pines Rally, the last of the season in ...

Published: Nov 24, 2004, 2:31 PM

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Jon Nichols earns a podium and a fifth championship!

Bancroft, ON, November 23, 2004 -- Jon Nichols made the best of his Golf Gti RMR for one of his best ever performances and finished second in the Tall Pines Rally, the last of the season in the Canadian Rally Championship, held in the Bancroft area, in northeast Ontario. Leading the 2WD class Canadian championship, Nichols went on to win a fifth class championship, a record, ahead of Gord Olsen, his eternal rival from Alberta. Moreover, the points for his second place finish put him in third place in the 2004 overall championship, two points short of second place taken by Antoine L'Estage and Yannick Napert, the winners of this year's Tall Pines. On his way to victory, Nichols won 10 of the 14 stages and even made the third best time on a few occasions.

"It's a victory the way we like them," admits the driver from Lachine. "There were several competitors with 4WD cars much more powerful than our Golf, but we drove hard while they had mechanical problems or went off road. L'Estage is the only one who beat us and he's the one who's cutting us off from a second in the overall championship, by two points. But I'm very proud of this third place overall and a fifth title in 2 wheel-drive class."

A second-by-second battle with Olsen

The battle of the seconds was hard fought with Albertan Olsen and started right from the first stage. Nichols took the lead, but Olsen won the next few ones. Nichols got back in the lead for good at the seventh stage. From then on, he went from seventh to second place, to finish on the podium. Again, Jon Nichols lives up to his reputation of being one of the best and most spectacular drivers in North America.

"Our Yokohama tires worked perfectly well," continues Nichols, "and the pace notes that Carl read helped us go hard. We beat Gord (Olsen) by 1:25 minute, but he's on the podium with L'Estage and us. We had hopes of finishing second in the overall championship, but Antoine (L'Estage), with his win, edged us by two points. With such a great finish, I think it's the best way to thank our team and our sponsors. We can't wait for the next season!"

Another championship

With the help of their sponsors, Jon Nichols and Carl Shenk have finished third in the Canadian Rally championship, and first in 2WD class, a record fifth win for Nichols. Jon receives support from FCP Mags and Tires, RMR Autosport, Automotion Bodyshop, Bosch, Momo Canada, Technolift, Sticky Media, Yokohama and Foreign Car Parts.

-Nichols Motorsports

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