Press Release - November 23 - 2025
Simon Vincent and Hubert Gaudreau Triumph at the Tall Pines Rally and Capture the 2025 Title
November 23, 2025.— The final round of the 2025 Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) season was held this weekend in Bancroft, Ontario. A traditional event in the Canadian rally world, the Tall Pines Rally is also known for its treacherous course, and the 2025 edition was no exception. The fast dirt competition roads were covered in many areas by a thin surface of snow or ice. It was a particularly demanding challenge for the competitors, and in the end, Simon Vincent and Hubert Gaudreau secured the victory, though not without a few tense moments, with their Subaru WRX STI.
After winning the first special stages, Vincent and Gaudreau saw their lead shrink in the second half of the event. Jonathan Drake and Ian Lantz (also in a WRX STI) closed to within 10 seconds in the final stages counting toward the ECRC portion of the event. The Ontario duo ultimately finished 7.7 seconds behind, concluding a spectacular duel.
For Simon Vincent and Hubert Gaudreau, this third victory of the season earns them the 2025 ECRC Championship title. Leading by two points ahead of this final round, Ontarians Trevor Pougnet and Ryan Rouleau were unable to defend their chances after rolling their car two stages from the finish. A low-speed rollover also eliminated the winners of the ECRC round at the most recent Rallye de Charlevoix, 2024 defending series champion Vincent Lalande and co-driver Leah Brisset, in their Peugeot 208 Rally4.
In terms of statistics, the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. In 2015, it was Sylvain Vincent, Simon’s father, who won the inaugural edition of the series. Simon co-drove his father to victory in the Tall Pines Rally.
Newcomer behind the wheel of the CAS Compétition Ford Fiesta Proto, Sébastien Clark and Pat Lévesque completed the podium. They finished ahead of the two-wheel-drive class winners, driver Mathieu Royer and co-driver Alyssa Voyzelle-Montminy (Nissan Sentra). For this crew, it is a second win this year. Royer and Voyzelle-Montminy are also the new champions in two-wheel-drive class.
Mathieu Royer / Alyssa Voyzelle-Montminy - Tall Pines Rally 2025
Photo : © Marie-Lyse Tremblay / poleposition.ca
Samuel Joyal, co-driven by Éric Dubé and making the debut of a brand-new Subaru built by Test Racing for the 2026 season, completed the overall ECRC Top 5, ahead of the all-female duo Karianne Hubert / Marie-France Desmarais-Trépanier, also in a WRX STI/Test Racing entry.
Returning to the series as a driver with his BMW 128i, Jonathan Desgroseilliers, co-driven by Audrey Godin, delivered a solid performance marked by consistency on roads that were especially difficult for two-wheel-drive cars. They finished second in that category, ahead of the Ford Fiesta of Ontarians Dan Galipeau and Sam Roxon, eighth overall. The Subarus of Jérémie Thibeault / Justin Thibeault and Jim Morton / Zach Goldstein rounded out the top 10 in the overall ECRC standings. In total, 18 of the 24 registered crews completed the rally.
The Eastern Canadian Rally Championship (ECRC) featured seven events this season, split between Québec and Ontario. The 2026 season will begin in February with the Rallye Perce-Neige in Maniwaki, Quebec.