Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana held a fast pace and a comfortable lead over Block and L’Estage until Pastrana broke his car’s left rear control arm on the Super Special Stage in Potosi and was unable to continue. With Pastrana out of contention, L’Estage pushed to catch Block and posted comparatively close stage times with him, but Block was able to maintain his lead to the end.

An ecstatic Block said, “This is the location of my first national rally win, so I have now won this rally five years in a row and it is a pretty good feeling to get the Fiesta home in first.”

Having secured his consecutive second-place finish this season, the Rockstar Mitsubishi Evo driver from Quebec now leads the Rally America Championship with 34 points. Privateer Bill Bacon joined L’Estage on the podium again despite having some difficulties with his Mitsubishi’s new set up, but Bacon’s consistency has now put him second in the overall championship standings with 28 points.

The father-son team of Travis and Terry Hanson had another remarkable performance, winning the Super Production class by over two and a half minutes over their closest rivals. Attrition was heavy in Super Production, with several crews retiring throughout the rally with various mechanical issues. Tim Rooney and Dennis Hotson placed second in class followed by Wazoo Racing’s Tim Penasack and Alex Kihurani.

In the 2-Wheel Drive Class, Chris Duplessis and Catherine Woods remained dominant with another win in their 1990 Volkswagen Golf. Duplessis had reported alignment problems on the first day of the rally, but finished 10th overall with a nearly six minute spread over reigning Group 2 Champ, Dillon Van Way. John Conley and Keith Rudolph finished third in class.

The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood also hosted the Rally America Regional Championship, where regional winners from 2009 gathered to shoot it out for top honors. This year, the husband-wife team of Henry and Cynthia Krolikowski won the showdown for the Central Region in an Open Class 2000 Subaru Impreza.

The next national event on the Rally America calendar is the Olympus Rally in Olympia, Washington this April 24-25.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

This year there will be six forest events from Maine to Washington, before X Games 16, plus three new European style rallycross events after X Games — all based in Southern New Jersey.

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

All results are considered provisional pending official post-event race processes.

About Rally America
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2010, Rally America will conduct six National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Wash., to Bethel, Maine, and three European style rallycross events in New Jersey.

Photo Credit: Neil McDaid/Monster World Rally Team

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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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Former Subaru driver Chris Atkinson has been lined up as Block’s team-mate in the all-new Monster Energy Drink World Rally Team.

The three-year deal, which is likely to be agreed in the next month, would offer the World Rally Championship the chance to break into the all important North American market – a move seen as pivotal to the sport’s development.

The deal, which is being brokered by Block’s management team Wasserman Media Group, is reckoned to be one of the most significant in the sport’s history.

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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79442Autosport

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As well as aligning his name to the rally, the late Colin McRae for many years ran as opening car on the event. For McRae’s Scottish fans this was the only chance to see him drive on home-soil. After Colin McRae’s passing in 2007, the rally was transformed into a star-studded event in 2008 when former WRC champions and dozens of rally legends competed in the event to pay tribute to McRae. The 2008 edition of the event saw Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Block and Travis Pastrana compete in historic cars along with their mentor, American rally legend John Buffum.

Block thoroughly enjoyed his time at event last year and jumped at the chance to attend again in 2009. “Colin was a friend and mentor and is sadly missed by so many, so competing at the Colin McRae Forest Stages is a small tribute to Colin and his fans. It was an honor to be invited to compete last year with so many rally legends, the atmosphere was amazing,” explained Block. “This year I’ll be in my usual Subaru, it’s an extremely powerful car, and I’ll make sure to put on a good McRae-style show for all the fans!”

Block’s Gymkhana Subaru STI also made the trip across the Atlantic for a rare display appearance and as a bonus for the fans, Block is scheduled to perform a short driving demo with his course-opening Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car on Friday night at the Perth Racecourse, where the rally headquarters is based.

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.

Photo: Lars Gange | rally.subaru.com

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“I had to change my driving style to adjust for the power difference between the SP and my usual Open Class car, staying much smoother and less sideways,” explained Block. “I thought it would take a few stages to get used to it and get up to speed but we won the first stage of the rally which was really surprising, that gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the event. It was satisfying that we were able to challenge for a podium position with the top Open Class competitors.”

The Super Production (SP) class, a new category in the 2009 Rally America series, features minimally modified, production-based cars. The budget-minded 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 Impreza WRX STI features a stock engine, stock gearbox and very limited body shell modifications. Block crashed his Open Class Subaru heavily at the previous event, The Ojibwe Forests Rally, he and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino walked away unharmed but their Subaru rally car was terminally damaged. With insufficient time to prepare a spare rally car, SRT USA opted to provide Block with the team’s Super Production class Subaru in Mirra’s absence at Rally Colorado.

“Ken drove well in Colorado and further displayed the performance potential of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI in SP trim,” mentioned James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “By creating the competitive Super Production class, Rally America has established an attractive and more economical alternative to fielding an Open class-specification car for the privateer entrant.”

The SP class is always highly competitive with closely fought battles amongst privateers fighting for nearly $13,000 in prize money per event offered by Subaru of America, Inc. Block, however, was fighting his battle amongst the faster Open class cars at Rally Colorado. The first half of the rally saw Block amass a lead of well over two minutes to the closest SP challenger.

Block’s Subaru Rally Team USA teammate Travis Pastrana was comfortably leading Day 1 of Rally Colorado when a minor driving infraction incurred the driver of the #199 SRT USA STI a 7-minute penalty.

“A disappointing scenario, essentially a matter of Travis hitting three traffic cones in a chicane placed by event officials on-stage, amounted to a time penalty which would have been very challenging even in optimal circumstances to overcome on the 2nd day,” said Han. “Given the lack of spare cars within the team’s inventory, a decision to save the #199 STI for the final round of the Rally America National Championship was a prudent one.” Travis Pastrana mathematically secured his 4th consecutive Rally America National Championship with a win at last month’s Ojibwe Forests Rally.

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.

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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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In the Atlantic Division and overall, the Irish crew of Daniel O’Brien, a former Eastern States Champion, and Brendan McCabe in a Subaru Impreza is leading the AWD Championship at midseason. They have been steadily climbing in the standings by finishing fourth at Rally New York USA and second at Rally Tennessee. Another Irish team of Tom Lawless with co-driver Brian Sharkey, who flies in for the USRC events all the way from Ireland, in a Mitsubishi Lancer is second after winning Rally Tennessee. Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino, in a Subaru Impreza, two-time winners of Rally New York USA are third in the AWD Championship. In the Pacific Division, Keith Jackson and Marra Estep in a Subaru Impreza are leading after winning Rally Idaho. Two more Subaru teams of Paul Eklund with Jeff Price and Byron Garth with Ron Crawford are second and third.

In the 2WD Championship in the Atlantic Division and overall, the Irishmen Dan Brosnan and Shane McCann in Nissan Sentra are leading after winning Rally New York USA and placing second at Rally Tennessee. They are the 2008 USRC runner-ups in the 2WD category. Josh and Jeremy Wimpey in a Volkswagen GTi are second with a second place at Rally Idaho. Wimpey brothers are the 2007 USRC runner-ups in the 2WD category. Brad Morris and Doug Nagy in a 2WD Mitsubishi Lancer are third. They won Rally Tennessee. In the Pacific Division, Lauchlin O’Sullivan, a former Mitsubishi USA Team driver, with co-driver Karen Wagner in a Dodge SRT-4 are leading after winning Rally Idaho. Aurimas and Amy Bakchis in an Eagle Talon are second and Cody Crane with Patrick Darrow in a Honda CRX are third.

Subaru driver William Petrow is leading the AWD Production Cup in the Atlantic Division with a win at Rally New York USA and a second place at Rally Tennessee. The leading co-driver is Austin Gager who has placed third and fourth in the previous events. Another Subaru crew of Byron Garth and Ron Crawford is leading the AWD Production Cup in the Pacific Division.

Michael Reilly and Josh Benthien in a Ford Focus SVT are in the first place in the 2WD Production Cup in the Atlantic Division. Alex Rademacher and John Stewart in a 2WD Subaru Impreza are leading the 2WD Production Cup in the Pacific Division.

The United States Rally Championship will continue with the remaining events that include Gorman Ridge Rally (www.gormanridgerally.com) in California, Prescott Rally (www.prescottrally.com) in Arizona and the final round of the Championship – International Rally New York (www.rallynewyork.com).

Pacific Division teams are competing for coveted cash travel subsidies that will be awarded to top six teams in the Division. The total of $12,000 in subsidies will be distributed to Pacific Division teams to assist them with travelling to the final round of the United States Rally Championship in New York.

The United States Rally Championship is taking bold steps to make national competition more affordable and accessible to a larger number of rally teams. This is the third season of the new Championship structure that minimizes or, for many teams, eliminates the need for repeated cross-country travel during the Championship season by providing competition on each side of the country. The final round of the Championship at the end of the year counts both in the Atlantic Division and the Pacific Division and together with the results from all previous rounds decides the top spots in the Championship.

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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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The 2009 New England Forest Rally featured highly technical and rocky gravel logging roads near the Maine/New Hampshire border. Pastrana, partnered with his co-driver Christian Edstrom, entered the rally with a 21-point lead over his closest challenger and said his strategy from the start was to avoid taking unnecessary risks and get his car to the finish in one piece. “I wasn’t the fastest driver here this weekend,” said Pastrana. “It was hard to keep up with Block, but we were just close enough to capitalize when he hit some trouble at the end of the rally.” The win at New England is Pastrana and Edstrom’s fourth win from six events this year.

Ken Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino were the pace setters for most of the 2009 New England Forest Rally, winning five of the eleven competition stages. However, a spin and a puncture on the final loop of three stages cost Block over twenty-five seconds and allowed Pastrana to slip into the lead. “It’s extremely frustrating,” said Block at the finish. “I put myself in the right position to win and it didn’t work out for us.” Although it wasn’t the victory Block had hoped for the strong 2nd place points haul lifts Block from 5th to 2nd Overall in the Rally America National Championship standings.

A highlight of the rally again this year was the Concord Pond stage, a favorite among drivers and fans for its numerous jumps and serpentine-like flow. Block was able to crush his stage record on the 5.6 mile stage by an impressive eight seconds. “Our Subaru was perfect and the grip was amazing,” said Block. “That stage means a lot to Alex (Gelsomino) and I so to break our record and by such a large margin was really exciting for us.”

In the Super Production Class, Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra and his co-driver Derek Ringer were battling for the class lead all weekend when they were hit with an engine problem. With a long stage to go prior to the next service stop Mirra and Ringer opted to retire from the event in order to prevent further damage to the engine.

A contingent of Subaru Rally Team USA heads next to Germany for the Baja 300 Powerdays, where Ken Block will be in has been invited to compete in his Subaru Rally Team USA 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car. The event will feature a stadium style, two-mile stage in Lausitz, Germany that will feature side-by-side racing with jumps similar to the X Games Rally event. Invited drivers include WRC stars Petter Solberg, Gigi Galli, and Kris Meeke as well as off-road racing and motorcycle racing stars.

Following the promotional Baja 300 Powerdays event will be the much-anticipated X Games 15 to be held again at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. The Rally Finals are scheduled to be televised live on ABC television on Sunday, August 2nd, from 3pm EST – 6pm EST.

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, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, GReddy, and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit www.rally.subaru.com and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.

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