“This was awesome, the course was fun and challenging but it was the wheel-to-wheel racing with a field of great drivers and cars that made it special,” explained Mirra. “My team just built a new Subaru meant just for rallycross and it’s a beast, an amazing machine. This new car is a lot different from our stage rally STI with many new components, so we have a lot of work and testing still to do. I’m really looking forward to the next rallycross where I hope we can battle for a podium spot.”

Mirra was slowed in the preliminary heat races with a rear suspension problem but his results were still sufficient to place him in the B-Main race where he finished in a close 2nd place. Mirra would have needed to win the B-Main to have advanced to the final race, the A-Main, but was advanced on to the A-Main via the ‘promoter’s option’ rule which enables the event promoter to add a 6th car behind the five-car main event grid. With just five short laps in the A-Main Mirra went on maximum attack and fought his way up to fourth overall, just short of a podium position. As a stipulation of reaching the A-Main via the promoter’s option Mirra will receive 6th place points.

“Dave [Mirra] adjusted quickly to his new rallycross car and drove an exceptional event to give Subaru a solid result upon which we can build upon”, added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “As this is a debut event for our current competition car, I’m confident that our Subaru WRX STI will be a regular contender for podium finishes with some further development and testing.”

Full race coverage will air April 17th on ESPN2 (check local listings). The series has a multi-year programming relationship with ESPN, with Global RallyCross Championship broadcasts slated to follow NASCAR Nationwide and NHRA shows on ESPN and ESPN2. Round two of the Global Rallycross Championship will be in the Seattle area April 15-16 at the Old Mill Rally Park near Seattle, Washington.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Vision X, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, VP Fuels and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit subaru.com/rally and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

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The Sno*Drift Rally featured nearly 130 miles of snow and ice-covered roads in northern Michigan with nearly one third of the miles run at night. Constantly changing weather and road conditions historically make this rally one of the most difficult in the Rally America Championship. The event is made even more challenging due to Rally America rules that prohibit the use of spiked or studded ice tires, placing a premium on traction.

Mirra started the rally cautiously, as he grew accustomed to working with his new co-driver, the experienced Marshall Clarke, as well as the difficult conditions that the Sno*Drift Rally is notorious for. However, the duo would encounter a major setback when they were forced to stop on stage late into day one and change a punctured tire, losing nearly five crucial minutes in the process. But Mirra stayed composed and patient, slowly increasing his speed on day two and began to leapfrog up the leader board from 5th to 3rd position. Then on the final two stages Mirra moved into 2nd Overall position and held on for his best ever stage rally finish.

“I had a game plan for Sno*Drift to start slow and stay composed and mistake free, while not worrying much about stage times,” explained Mirra at the podium. “So much can happen here, the conditions and the traction change from turn to turn. As things progressed I felt more and more comfortable with the car and the notes, plus Marshall and I were working perfectly together. It feels great to earn a podium here after having stuck to my strategy and staying patient. My Subaru ran great in these tough conditions.”

Mirra’s new teammate, multi-time British and American Rally champion David Higgins made his competition debut with Subaru Rally Team USA at Sno*Drift. An expected battle for overall victory between Higgins and 2010 Canadian and Rally America Champion Antoine L’Estage never materialized as L’Estage retired after sliding off the road on the opening loop of stages. Higgins then inherited a strong lead of over two minutes heading into the final night stages of day one. However Higgins and his co-driver Craig Drew had their rally abruptly cut short when their Subaru experienced an engine issue forcing them to retire.

“Although my debut with the 2011 Subaru STI was cut short, I had a really good feeling with the car and came away from Sno*Drift with a very bright outlook on the 2011 season,” explained Higgins. “I’m really looking forward to driving on the high speed gravel stages at next month’s 100 Acre Wood Rally.”

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Vision X, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, VP Fuels and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit subaru.com/rally and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.
***

Chris Yandell
Marketing Manager
Vermont SportsCar / Subaru Rally Team USA

The Mt. Washington Hillclimb: www.climbtotheclouds.com

office: 802.655.3533 ext16
cell: 802.233.7633
email: chris@vtcar.com
www.vtcar.com

Subaru Rally Team USA
subaru.com/rally

Follow the team on Twitter: www.twitter.com/srtusa

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The Sno*Drift Rally features nearly 130 miles of snow and ice-covered roads in northern Michigan with nearly one third of the miles run at night. Constantly changing weather and road conditions historically make this rally extremely challenging made even more treacherous as Rally America rules prohibit the use of spiked or studded ice tires here placing a premium on road traction.

“I’m really looking forward to my first event with SRT USA,” explained Higgins. “I’ve driven the team’s 2011 STI several times in test sessions over the past two months on both gravel and snow and I’ve already got a comfortable feeling with the car which is important entering such a challenging event like the Sno*Drift Rally.” Higgins will be co-driven by the UK’s Craig Drew and it will be the duo’s first time working together in competition. Higgins is a past winner of the Sno*Drift Rally, taking victory in 2003.

Higgins brings extensive rallying experience to SRT USA, most recently competing in the Chinese Rally Championship having gone on to help his team secure championship titles in 2004, 2007 and 2009. No stranger to the American rally circuit, Higgins claimed consecutive SCCA ProRally titles in 2002 and 2003 before returning to the UK and winning the 2004 British Rally National Championship. Notably, the 38 year-old driver has also won the Group N British Rally National title in 1997, 1999, and 2002. As a testament of his passion for the sport, Higgins and his family also operate a UK-based training facility, The Forest Experience Rally School.

Dave Mirra meanwhile is looking forward to working on car setup development and driving techniques with the veteran Higgins as he looks to advance his driving in 2011. Mirra earned Rally America Rookie of The Year honors in 2008 and achieved two podium finishes in three rounds of the inaugural RallyCar Rallycross series in 2010 as well as a podium finish in the Olympus rally that same year. “It’s going to be a fun year with David and with my new co-driver Marshall Clarke, who has a lot of experience as well,” said Mirra. “Sno*Drift can be really tough and grip levels change constantly, so I plan on being conservative with my pace as Marshall (Clarke) and I get up to speed together with the notes and conditions.”

Competition begins Friday afternoon (January 28, 2011) with seven stages covering nearly sixty miles. The Sno*Drift Rally continues Saturday (January 29, 2011) with eleven more stages covering seventy snow and ice covered miles. For exclusive video and photos of SRT USA’s pre-event test session as well as event updates visit Subaru.com/rally. For event results and live updates fans can visit rally-america.com.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Vision X, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, VP Fuels and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit subaru.com/rally and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

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Teammate Pastrana Foregoes Event Due to Schedule Conflict

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra will be the lone team entry in this weekend’s 2010 Oregon Trail Rally based in and around Portland, Oregon. A previously scheduled engagement with the Nitro Circus Live tour in Australia precludes Subaru driver Travis Pastrana, the 4-time defending Rally America National Champion, from competing at the Oregon Trail Rally. Mirra currently holds 4th Overall in the 2010 Rally America National Championship standings while teammate Pastrana sits in 2nd having won the last round of the series, the Olympus Rally, late last month.

Pastrana will headline Nitro Circus Live in Australia this month, a series of stadium based events that will feature action sports stars performing never before seen tricks and stunts in a spectacular live action format.

The Oregon Trail Rally, round four of the 2010 Rally America National Championship, features over 115 miles of competition run over the course of three days. The action kicks off this Friday in Portland with a night of fan-friendly mixed-surface stages at Portland International Raceway. The bulk of the rally however will take place east of Portland in the Mt. Hood area on technical and flowing gravel roads. The ever changing Pacific Northwest weather adds to the challenge for drivers and crews. Area roads can get extremely muddy and wet with rain; however, it is just as possible for them to be dry and dusty.

Mirra, driving a BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI enters the Oregon Trail Rally on a high note after having earned his best-ever national finish at the previous round , the Olympus Rally, where he placed 3rd Overall.. “I can’t wait to get out to the Oregon Trail Rally and pick up where I left off at Olympus. My pace was solid but I’m not where I want to be yet,” explains Mirra. “I’m progressively getting quicker and more confident in my new, more powerful Subaru [Impreza WRX] STI this season, but I feel I made a lot of progress at Olympus. I’m hoping to find some more at Oregon and get a bit faster still.” Mirra will again have co-driver Martin Headland sitting alongside.

Dave Mirra will meet fans at the Oregon Trail Rally Fan Appreciation Show this Thursday (May 13, 2010) from 11 am – 1 pm at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. Later that same day, Mirra and his #40 Subaru Impreza WRX STI raly car will make an appearance at Dick Hannah Subaru in the Vancouver Auto Mall from 6:00pm – 7:30pm for an autograph session.

The Friday Fan Spectacular at Portland International Raceway (PIR) begins at 6 pm kicking off with a Parc Expose (car display) where fans can view the competition cars up close and mingle with drivers. This will be followed by a series of mixed surface competitive special stages specifically designed for spectator viewing.

Event updates, news and results can be found at www.Rally-America.com starting Friday evening. Nightly Subaru Rally Team USA updates and photo galleries can be found at rally.subaru.com.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Vision X, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, VP Fuels and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

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Named after the storybook home of Winnie the Pooh, the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and features very high speeds on smooth and flowing gravel roads that are a favorite of many rally drivers. Pastrana, with co-driver Christian Edstrom, pushed hard from the first stage and pulled away from a very competitive field, winning the first seven stages of the event. After Pastrana’s closest challenger, former Canadian Rally champion Antoine L’Estage, lost time with a problem early on the second day Pastrana found himself with a comfortable lead of over one-minute on rival and former Subaru driver Ken Block.

However, late in the event, Pastrana’s run toward an expectant victory came to an abrupt halt. Damage to a suspension component on Pastrana’s Subaru resulting from a hard rear-wheel impact into a ditch cut Pastrana’s rally short. The incident occurred on the short spectator viewing stage held within a town park, and Pastrana was able to nurse his Subaru to finish the stage. Although they feverishly attempted a roadside repair, there was insufficient time for Pastrana and Edstrom to complete the effort nor was there a scheduled service stop where their Subaru Rally Team USA crew of mechanics could work on the car.

“This one is really tough to swallow. I had everything I needed to win here,” explained a dejected Pastrana. “Our Subaru was perfect and totally unbeatable. We were able to just pull away from everyone on the first half of the rally and then just had to cruise to the finish. It was a small mistake; I cut a corner and then exited too wide and didn’t know there was a drainage ditch there. I just can’t believe it.”

Pastrana’s Subaru teammate Dave Mirra adopted the strategy of gaining experience in his car rather than showcasing outright pace and did so successfully, finishing a trouble-free 4th Overall. The 100 Acre Wood Rally was Mirra’s first gravel rally in the higher specification 2010 Open Class Subaru after spending the 2009 season in the more restrictive Super Production class. Mirra was also sitting for the first time with veteran co-driver Martin Headland. “I’m very happy with the result. I wanted to just drive through this event and carefully learn the potential of the Open Class Subaru,” explained Mirra. “This car has better handling, braking and power than anything I’ve ever driven so it’s a lot to get used to and I still have to learn where the limits are. I took it easy and slowly increased my pace where I was comfortable.”

“Although SRT USA departs from this event without the win we were seeking, the display of performance and reliability from our Open Class Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars leads me to believe we were in a league of our own,” pointed out James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “Kudos to the team for having developed such an impressive yet very drivable package. Travis drove an aggressive but comfortable pace and was in a great position for the finish if not for that untimely error. Dave took a sensible approach to learning his car and finished just one position from the podium.”

Subaru Rally Team will compete next at the Olympus Rally, based in Olympia, Washington on April 23-25.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Vision X, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, VP Fuels and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

Photos: Lars Gange | rally.subaru.com

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Named after the storybook home of Winnie the Pooh, the 100 Acre Wood Rally is set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Based in and around the town of Salem, the 100 Acre Wood Rally features very high-speeds on smooth and flowing gravel roads that are a favorite of many rally drivers. However, in recent years the weather has unleashed freezing rain, sleet or snow in the days leading up to and during the event turning the roads treacherously icy. Weather reports for this weekend’s event currently indicate clear and seasonably cool conditions.

“Subaru has won the 100 Acre Wood Rally four years in a row so we know we have the right car and the right setup,” explained Pastrana. “Our goal here is to win and extend our championship lead. I think if the weather holds out this will be one of the fastest, most tightly contested events of the year.” Pastrana leads the six-round 2010 Rally America National Championship after a win last month at round one, the Sno*Drift Rally in northern Michigan.

Subaru driver Dave Mirra will have veteran co-driver Martin Headland alongside at the 100 Acre Wood Rally in place of co-driver Derek Ringer, with whom he worked with in 2008 and 2009. Headland, a former two-time Canadian Rally Champion has 35 years of co-driving experience and has entered over 150 performance rallies. Headland was a long time co-driver of one of Mirra’s key rally tutors, driving instructor Tim O’Neil. “The roads in Missouri are very fast and I drove really well there last year, but I was in a lower specification Super Production class Subaru STI at the time,” said Mirra. “This year I will have more power and even better handling with Subaru Rally Team USA’s Open Class car and am looking forward to adapting to the new car this season .”

The rally action kicks off at approximately 4pm CST local time this Friday, February 26th, and continues through Saturday, February 27th. For daily event photos and news updates visit www.rally.subaru.com or follow the team at www.twitter.com/srtusa. Results and other event news can be found at www.rally-america.com.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Vision X, Alpinestars, Motul, GReddy, Exedy, VP Fuels and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

Photos: Lars Gange | rally.subaru.com

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photo from Rally-America.com

Mark Fox in the #54 National Guard rally car received the 2009 Rookie of the Year award capping an action packed rookie season in the Rally America Championship Series.

Fox joins the company of recent winners Ken Block, Kyle Sarasin, “Cowboy” Kenny Bartram, and Dave Mirra who have all gone on to successful rally careers.

Rally America presents the award to the driver who has made the most significant pro-gress in his first year of national competition and holds the highest overall year-end standings. Fox was a clear leader in the competition having nearly secured the title after Rally Colorado’s tie for third, resulting in a fourth place finish. Adding to the accom-plishment is the fact that Fox competed the entire season with rookie co-driver, Jake Blattner at his side. “It’s a real honor to be in the company of the past winners” said Fox. “It feels great to be rewarded for the hard work and difficulties that accompany a first championship season”.

“It’s a steep learning curve, and it couldn’t have happened without such a solid team”. “We learned continually throughout the season, and that knowledge insures we will com-pete successfully next year” The 2009 campaign was defined by change with team adjustments and Fox driving three different cars. The team finally purchased a 2007 WRX Impreza. In the new car he went on to place fourth, seventh, and tie for third in the last three races of the year.

We would like to thank our fans and everyone who helped make this season such a great success. See you next year!

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Block crashed his Open Class Subaru heavily at the previous event, The Ojibwe Forests Rally. Although Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino walked away unharmed their Subaru rally car was terminally damaged. With insufficient time to prepare a spare rally car, SRT USA has opted to provide Block with the team’s Super Production class Subaru in Mirra’s absence at Rally Colorado.

The Super Production (SP) class, a new category in the 2009 Rally America series, features minimally modified, production-based cars. The SP class features much more restrictive regulations on modifications than the Open Class, where Block has been driving for the past three seasons. The SP Subaru features a stock engine, stock gearbox and very limited body shell modifications.

“It will be a big challenge to just get in and drive that car, the handling and power will be different and I won’t be able to be as aggressive with it,” explained Block. “But with Travis [Pastrana] having locked-up the Rally America Championship already, I have no pressure to win. We can treat this outing as an extended testing and development session for the SP car, but of course I’ll be trying my best to keep up with my usual Open class competitors!”

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana mathematically secured his 4th consecutive Rally America National Championship with a win at last month’s Ojibwe Forests Rally. Pastrana and his co-driver Christian Edstrom will enter Rally Colorado with no pressure and have vowed to drive flat-out to put on a show for their fans this weekend. Rally Colorado is based in the picturesque resort town of Steamboat Springs, just 150 miles into the mountains west of Denver. The rally includes over 100 miles of fast, high-altitude gravel roads that are dusty when dry and notoriously slick when wet. The action starts Saturday morning and runs through Sunday afternoon. Fans can follow the rally live at www.rally-america.com and view daily SRT USA photo and news updates at rally.subaru.com.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, DiRT2, RECARO, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, GReddy, and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

Photos: Lars Gange | rally.subaru.com

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“It is game-on for the next two rallies,” said Pastrana at podium. “It’s great to drive without any pressure. A lot of the other drivers have had hard a season and bad luck, but things have just gone my way. My Subaru Impreza WRX STI has been perfect all year. It just works for me at every rally, it’s easy to drive and lets me focus on winning.”

“Travis really has transitioned into rally like fish to water ever since his first event with Subaru in 2004,” said James Han, motorsports marketing manager at Subaru of America, Inc. “To think that he has earned four consecutive national titles under Subaru Rally Team USA is all testament to Travis’ skills as a rally driver, thorough preparation by our team partner Vermont SportsCar, and consistent performance capability of the Impreza WRX STI regardless of terrain or driving condition.”

The Ojibwe Forests Rally featured over 130 miles of technical, sandy gravel, forest roads in northern Minnesota, around the town of Bemidji. The event is a favorite amongst rally drivers for its demanding fast and flowing roads and numerous stages run in darkness of night.

The rally began with a duel between Pastrana and his Subaru Rally Team USA teammate Ken Block. Entering the Ojibwe Forests Rally, only Block had a mathematical chance to catch Pastrana in the standings but needed to secure a win to keep his hopes alive. After the first two stages, the highly competitive friends and rivals were separated by just seconds. The challenge however was cut short on stage three when Block impacted a large rock while cutting the inside of a corner that launched his Subaru off the road, hitting a tree and rolling to DNF. Both Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino were unharmed in the crash. With Block out of the picture and several of his closest challengers experiencing small problems of their own, Pastrana found himself with a healthy lead early in rally. The driver of the #199 SRT USA car backed off his pace but was still able to win all but three of the event’s fifteen competition stages.

In 2nd place overall for the majority of the event was the third Subaru Rally Team USA entrant of Dave Mirra and co-driver Derek Ringer, driving a 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI in the Super Production class. Mirra drove one of his best events of his young rally career, consistently finishing each stage ahead of the rest of the field and chasing Pastrana while maintaining a healthy lead in the Super Production class. However, on the penultimate stage Mirra’s car suffered an electrical issue that brought his car to halt, ending his run to the podium prematurely. “Everything was going our way and I was driving really well so it’s unfortunate not to finish and get the result on paper,” said Mirra. “My Subaru was running great until that [electrical] problem forced me out of the event. But that’s rally, anything can, and does, usually happen.”

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, DiRT2, RECARO, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, GReddy, and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

Photos: Max Lawton | rally.subaru.com

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The premiere action sports event in the World, ESPN’s X Games 15 features a variety of action sports including BMX, Skateboarding, Freestyle Motocross and Rally car racing. The X Games rally event featured a large dirt gap-jump as the centerpiece of the approx 1.9 mile course laid out at the Home Depot Center Stadium in Los Angeles. The course included a dirt section within the stadium while the bulk of the course is a serpentine loop through the paved parking lots and access roads outside of the stadium.

Pastrana graciously acknowledged that his driving error in the final was a result of pushing hard to win against a very determined Kenny Brack, a former winner of the Indianapolis 500. “If Kenny [Brack] wasn’t so fast it would have never happened. I was really impressed by him,” said Pastrana. “On my first lap it seemed like we were dead-even, but I knew I could drive smoother and faster, so I tried to take a clean tight line through the very narrow turn that enters back into the stadium for the second lap. I just apexed too early and clipped the inside cement barrier with my front right wheel, I would have kept going but I had no steering and knew I wouldn’t make it over the large jump. It was a wild event as always and Subaru again provided me a perfect car that worked so well everywhere.”

Pastrana entered the X Games Rally Car final bruised and battered after attempting a seemingly impossible backflip with a 360 degree rotation in the Freestyle MotoX competition on Friday night. Pastrana landed hard on his right arm and hip leading to painful swelling. “As long as I can physically drive, everything is OK. The pain just goes away when I get in my Subaru, it didn’t slow me down,” explained Pastrana.

Pastrana’s Subaru teammate Ken Block was well on his way to winning his quarter-final match against Freestyle MotoX legend and Off-Road Truck racer Brian Deegan before a small mistake cost him the win. With a sizable lead on Deegan after the first lap, Block slid wide and hit his right rear wheel on a cement barrier. As Block powered through the turn and headed for the daunting 70ft-gap jump at the center of the stadium, he noticed the car was not getting power down to the ground (Block would later learn the impact had broken the right rear wheel and driveshaft). With just a split second to decide if he could gain enough speed to clear the gap-jump, a potentially dangerous situation for himself and the ESPN commentator riding along inside the car, Block decided against going over the jump. Instead Block swerved around the jump and went on to continue his lap with an ailing rear wheel, eventually finishing ahead Deegan. ESPN however disqualified Block for going off-course around the jump. “I had less than a second to make a decision, I didn’t know what was wrong with the car but I knew I hit that wall and I suddenly had trouble accelerating toward the jump,” explained Block. “I had an ESPN commentator riding in car and I just didn’t want to potentially hurt her; I would probably have gone for it otherwise.”

Subaru Rally Team USA’s third entry was BMX legend Dave Mirra, driving an identically prepared 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI to those of Block and Pastrana. Mirra was paired against eventual Gold Medal winner Kenny Brack in the quarter-finals. In a tightly fought match-up, Mirra drove smooth and mistake free but Brack edged him out for the win. “The course was a lot of fun and I’m glad I made a clean, mistake free run, but it was Brack’s day and his smooth driving style really worked well on this type of course,” said Mirra. Mirra didn’t leave the X Games empty handed. The BMX icon won a Bronze medal in the BMX Freestyle Big Air competition, bringing his lifetime X Games medal count to 22. Mirra is this most decorated X Games athlete with 14 gold medals, four silver and four bronze

“Although we fell just short of winning X Games Rally, the heightened competition certainly helped fuel this year’s spectacle,” said James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “I’m proud that every member of Subaru Rally Team USA including our three drivers worked tirelessly to meet the challenge, and leaving X Games unfulfilled makes us even more determined for the following year.”

Pastrana and his Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Ken Block and Dave Mirra all entered the the X Games driving the same production-based 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars that they utilize in the 2009 Rally America National Championship. Pastrana is well on his way to earning his fourth consecutive Rally America National Championship after winning four of the six rounds run thus far in 2009.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, DiRT2, RECARO, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, GReddy, and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

Photos: Lars Gange, rally.subaru.com

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