BLACK BEAR RALLY 2026: MICHAEL DIMKOVSKI WINS THRILLER IN ONTARIO

Michael Dimkovski and Simon Levac competing in their Subaru WRX STI at Black Bear Rally 2026.

DIMKOVSKI AND LEVAC TAKE SECOND OPRC & ECRC VICTORY OF THE SEASON AFTER A 2.5-SECOND FIGHT TO THE FINISH

Michael Dimkovski and Simon Levac won the 2026 Black Bear Rally after a closely contested battle that was decided by just 2.5 seconds.

The Ontario driver and Quebec co-driver took victory in their Subaru WRX STI in the Catchacoma region, securing their second win of the 2026 Canadian Eastern Rally Championship season after their Rally of the Voyageurs success in May.

The Black Bear Rally marked the halfway point of the ECRC season and also counted toward the Ontario Performance Rally Championship OPRC.

DIMKOVSKI SURVIVES CLOSE BATTLE

The eight-stage Saturday rally began with Zachary Bourassa and Éric Dubé taking the opening stage by just 0.7 seconds.

Samuel Joyal and Marie-France Desmarais-Trépanier responded by winning SS2, but Dimkovski and Levac's consistency moved them into the overall lead.

The gap remained extremely small throughout the rally. After five of the eight stages, only 0.7 seconds separated Dimkovski/Levac from Joyal/Desmarais-Trépanier.

Joyal briefly moved into the lead, but Dimkovski delivered when it mattered most. The Subaru crew gained 6.9 seconds over Joyal on the final stage to secure victory by 2.5 seconds.

ALL-SUBARU PODIUM

Jonathan Drake and Ian Lantz completed the overall podium, making it an all-Subaru top three.

Bourassa and Dubé finished fourth, while Alton Gonsalves and Mark Gonsalves took sixth overall behind Andrew Miller and Zach Goldstein.

The four-wheel-drive Subaru crews occupied the top positions, while Miller and Goldstein produced a major result in the two-wheel-drive category with their new Lancia Ypsilon R4.

LANCIA TAKES FIRST OPRC 2WD WIN

Andrew Miller and Zach Goldstein dominated the two-wheel-drive class and secured Lancia's first victory in the Eastern Canadian Rally Championship.

Their result also marked only the second victory for a European manufacturer in the CERC two-wheel-drive category, following Maxime Galpin's Peugeot victory at Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs.

Mark Toufanov and David Bell finished second in 2WD with their Toyota GT86, beating Eric Vanderwal and Alexander Dondish by just 6.7 seconds. The Mazda RX8 crew completed the 2WD podium.

13 CREWS COMPLETE BLACK BEAR RALLY

Sixteen crews started the 2026 Black Bear Rally, with 13 reaching the finish.

Three retirements followed off-road excursions, including the Nissan Sentra of Mathieu Royer and Alyssa Voyzelle-Montminy, who had been among the contenders in the 2WD class.

KEY POINTS

• Black Bear Rally 2026: Michael Dimkovski and Simon Levac won by 2.5 seconds.

• Dimkovski and Levac scored their second CERC victory of the season.

• Samuel Joyal and Marie-France Desmarais-Trépanier finished second.

• Jonathan Drake and Ian Lantz completed an all-Subaru podium.

• Andrew Miller and Zach Goldstein won the 2WD class in a Lancia Ypsilon R4.

• Lancia secured its first Eastern Canadian Rally Championship victory.

• Mark Toufanov and David Bell finished second in 2WD.

• Eric Vanderwal and Alexander Dondish completed the 2WD podium.

• 13 of the 16 starters finished the rally.

• Three crews retired following off-road excursions.

GENERAL RANKING — BLACK BEAR RALLY 2026

Pos.	Car No.	Driver	Co-driver	Car	Time	Gap
1	#997	Michael Dimkovski	Simon Levac	Subaru Impreza STI N14	48:25.5	—
2	#14	Samuel Joyal	Marie-France Desmarais-Trépanier	Subaru Impreza STI N14	48:28.0	+2.5s
3	#714	Jonathan Drake	Ian Lantz	Subaru Impreza 22B STI	49:16.6	+51.1s
4	#27	Zachary Bourassa	Éric Dubé	Subaru Impreza STI N8	50:02.5	+1:37.0
5	#33	Andrew Miller	Zachary Goldstein	Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 HF	53:05.8	+4:40.3
6	#77	Alton Gonsalves	Mark Gonsalves	Subaru Impreza WRX	53:11.4	+4:45.9
7	#963	Thomas Rogers	Adrian Rogers	Subaru Impreza	53:37.1	+5:11.6
8	#860	Mark Toufanov	David Bell	Toyota GT86	53:55.2	+5:29.7
9	#787	Eric Vanderwal	Alex Dondish	Mazda RX-8	54:02.1	+5:36.6
10	#382	Jonathan G. Desgroseilliers	Audrey Godin	BMW 128i E82	54:19.0	+5:53.5
11	#705	Dan Galipeau	Colin Turk	Ford Fiesta MK7 ST	54:53.1	+6:27.6
12	#225	Jean-Philippe Courchesne	Juliette L'Estage	BMW 128i E82	57:04.1	+8:38.6
13	#575	Simon Bauman	Daniel Kelly	Mitsubishi Lancer	1:01:20.4	+12:54.9