Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 6

SUBARU 360°
Answering the rally call:
An Interview
with Karel Carré
STORY BY ERIK OCKWELL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON NUGENT
O
ver the GP3R weekend in Trois-Rivières, another
series that hit the track was the Challenge Xtrème Elite
(CXE), a stage rally organization based in Quebec. Despite
being primarily a stage rally series, this championship
includes one event run using the rallycross format. The
series includes different classes for rally cars, motorcycles,
quads and side-by-sides.
After the event, we caught up with Karel Carré, who came
home second in the CXE final in his 2005 Subaru WRX
STI. His father, Bruno, was a top stage rally competitor
who handed over the keys to his son a few years ago.
We wanted to learn more about how Karel managed the
transition to rallycross and what’s ahead for him in stage
rallying.
How long have you been rallying?
I’ve been rallying for the past four years. My first event was as
co-driver to my dad at Rallye Perce Neige in 2014.
How do you prepare the car for the demands of rallycross
versus stage rally?
There were no major changes done on the car, only small
adjustments to the centre differential and the brake bias so we
could get more braking power in the front of the car.
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Did your driving style need adjustment for rallycross?
The main thing we needed to get used to is the fact that you’re
not racing yourself like in a rally stage. You’re racing against
other people and, most importantly, with other cars on the
track, which makes it exciting! For the rest, it’s really similar
to a rally stage with the dirt section and jumps.
Do you feel that being one of Canada’s up and coming
drivers, coupled with your family history in rally, adds
pressure on you to succeed?
Sure does! The pressure is always there and it’s hard to deal
with it. As I get more and more rallies under my belt, I manage
to deal with it more easily, but there’s always that voice in the
back of my head which reminds me that I can’t fail and must
perform. One thing that makes me happy and reassures me
is that we’ve already progressed further than my dad ever did
in the Canadian Rally Championship. I’d love to win so he
knows all this effort was the right thing to do!
What are your future goals for rallying?
We are focussed on winning the championship this year and
see where that brings us afterwards. The things I aim for in
the long run are to have fun and drive a rally car for free,
backed by sponsors.