Competition at the Olympus Rally gets hotter!

One of the most scenic events on the Rally America calendar promises to be one of its most competitive when round three of the Rally America National Championship takes place in Washington State’s picturesque Olympic Peninsula on April 24-25.

The Olympus Rally includes mountain backdrops, temperate rain forests, and ocean views all of which will complement top national rally teams slipping, sliding and jumping along the peninsula’s gravel roads at formidable speeds.

This year, however, two new teams have quietly joined the championship with the skills to win and that will stir up the competition at Olympus.

Canada’s current rally champion and Canadian Subaru Rally Team driver Patrick Richard and Former Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ramana Lagemann have both entered the Olympus Rally. Both are former X Games competitors. The Richard and Lagemann teams aren’t full time competitors in the Rally America Series but they are expected to steal points from teams that are. Richard and Lagemann will play a role in the 2010 championship. Both are expected to compete for overall podium finishes.

These two enter Olympus when points will be on everyone’s mind, as the top four teams with the most points not already invited to the X Games will be one step closer to being invited to X Games competition. Last year’s X Games medalists have already been invited back.

Richard will be competing in the Open Class threatening the dominance of four-time defending champion Travis Pastrana and Ken Block, winner of February’s 100 Acre Wood Rally in Missouri. Lagemann’s presence will threaten the points spread that current Super Production Class leader, Travis Hanson, has secured after winning the Class in the first two events of the season.

There will be other small changes in this year’s Olympus Rally. The headquarters has moved from the birthplace of Grunge Music in Aberdeen to the Ocean Shores Convention Center in Ocean Shores, Washington. But many of the competition roads will remain closer to the Pacific Coast, except for the addition of the mountainous Crane Creek Stage set more inland in the Olympic mountain range.

The Olympus Rally has been part of the Rally America calendar since 2007. It brings a rich rally history that’s revered by Rally America fans. Olympus was part of the first U.S. Rally Championship in 1973 and hosted international teams in the World Rally Championship from 1986-1988 during the “Group B” years (light rally cars with big horsepower). Olympus actually hosted the last “Group B” event- the spirit of which still lingers in the gravel.

The Rally America Championship battle resumes after a month long break and fans will be given the opportunity to meet their favorite drivers making headlines across the world.

* The Monster World Rally Team and driver Ken Block will be returning to the U.S. from their international rally racing debut in Mexico and Turkey. Block is also coming off his fifth 100 Acre Wood Rally win in Missouri back in February.
* X Games athletes and Subaru Rally Team USA drivers, Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra, will be waiting to make a statement at Olympus after uncharacteristically not finishing on the podium at the 100 Acre Wood Rally.
* Consistency by drivers Antoine L’Estage and Bill Bacon has them leading the Rally America Championship after the first two rounds of the season. L’Estage, a former Canadian and North American champion, leads the standings. Bacon, a firefighter from Massachusetts, is in second. Both are still looking for an overall rally win to validate their threat as championship competitors.
* In the 2 Wheel Drive Class, Chris Duplessis will look for his third victory in a row. He currently leads his class driving a 20-year-old 1990 Volkswagen GTI that consistently beats newer cars with twice the horsepower.

Before the Olympus Rally on Thursday there will be a public charity function, located at the Pacific Grand Prix (www.pacificgp.com), a karting facility on the grounds of Pacific Raceways in Kent. The charity function will be in support of the Ronald McDonald House. Press stages will also be open to the public on Thursday allowing fans and media another opportunity to catch the rally action first hand.

There will be two Parc Exposes where fans can get up close and personal with teams and drivers. They will be held on Saturday, April 24 at 8:00am and Sunday, April 25 at 7:00am in Ocean Shores, WA.

Olympus is a very tight and technical rally that can dismember a competitor’s car with lots of elevation changes, hidden logs, large rocks, and tire slicing sharp gravel. The weather is very unpredictable along the coast and drivers must prepare for either dry dusty roads or the infamous spring rains of the coastal Northwest.

It looks like 2010 Olympus will be a clash of Titans in North American rally with names like Block, Pastrana, L’Estage, Bacon, Mirra, Comrie-Picard, Hanson, Richard, and Lagemann.

Event schedules, team entries, and a (soon to be available) spectator guide complete with driving directions can be located at: http://rally-america.com/events/2010/Olympus/

Top teams in the Series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games 16 Rally Car Racing event, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN.

About Rally America, Inc.:
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. Rally America competitors reach speeds well over 100 mph in modified street cars on natural-terrain courses of gravel, dirt or snow. In the Fall of 2010, Rally America will also introduce European-style wheel-to-wheel rally cross to North America. For more information regarding Rally America, Inc., the 2010 Rally America National Rally Championship or the new European-style rally cross events taking place at the New Jersey Motor Sports Park in the fall of 2010, please call (763) 553-2742 for details or visit www.rally-america.com.

Rally America, Inc. is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., BFGoodrich Tires, Able Planet, RECARO, Exedy Racing Clutches, Hawk Performance Brakes, Rally-Tire.com, Mazda and the Team O’Neil Rally School, the official rally school of Rally America. For more information regarding Rally America, visit www.rally-america.com.

Photo Credit: Lorne Trezise/Rally America

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Two drivers capable of winning have quietly entered the Olympus Rally, round three of the Rally America National Championship.

Olympus is set among the wooded mountainsides along the Washington Coast April 24-25th. Many teams are looking to pad their point leads or rewrite their fates on the tricky and gravelly Washington stages.

That will be difficult, however, because of Patrick Richard and Ramana Lagemann the two championship contenders who could become spoilers at Olympus.

Richard hails from Squamish B.C. and, actually, has a championship pedigree. He won back-to-back Canadian National titles in 2008-09 and added the 2005 Rally America Championship. In addition he was an X Games 12 competitor in the Rally Car Racing competition. But Richard has not been readily seen south of the Canadian border since his 6th overall finish at the 2008 Olympus Rally.

“I took some time off from rally before Olympus 2008 and only used that event as a primer to get back into the sport,” explained Richard, “I had fuel problems on day 1 of the event, but after fixing it we won the last three stages of the Rally.”

The mere fact that a rusty Patrick Richard could win three stages at the fastest event of the 2008 season means that Rally America teams should pay attention to a champion who can arrive and drive.

However, Richard has not determined what vehicle he will campaign at this year’s Olympus Rally. He is the current Canadian Subaru Rally Team driver and he has permission to bring his team car to the States. But Richard needs to iron out his logistics before deciding on running the late model Subaru at Olympus. “Though, whatever I bring down will definitely be an Open Class Car.”

“I am looking forward to coming back to the States,” said Richard. “Not many people realize Olympus is my home rally and where I cut my teeth driving. It’s easy for me to get here and I am really looking forward to rallying against the U.S. guys! I compete against (Antoine) l’Estage and (Andrew Comrie-Picard) ACP in Canada every weekend, but it’s going to be a new challenge to race some unseen competitors. ”

Depending on the Olympus Rally outcome the Unites States may see more of Richard as he fights for another X Games invite or the 2010 North American Rally Championship title.

Ramana Lagemann from Boston, MA also has history with the Subaru brand in the U.S. and the World Rally Championship. He once drove for the Subaru Rally Team USA when he was only 22 years old. In 2002, Lagemann was selected to drive for Subaru in the SCCA ProRally Championship. He quickly earned 3rd overall the following season and even extended his success to the World Rally Championships when he finished 10th overall at Rally New Zealand while becoming the first American to compete in WRC since the 1990s.

After Subaru, Lagemann continued to rally and also was an athlete in the inaugural X Games Rally Racing event in 2006. He returned in 2007 and made the ESPN highlight reels being the first to crash a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO while practicing the new 70 foot jump introduced in X Games that summer. Lagemann was okay, but his car had to be completely repaired in 2 days to be race ready. He made the start line but his X Games competition was cut short with engine power difficulties, but still gained a 4th overall victory at X Games.

Since then Ramana has taken a break from Rally but we’ve learned that he’ll be at Olympus in the Super Production Class battle supported by Rally-Tire.com. Barak Tuglu, owner of Rally-Tire.com added, “I feel that the car is more of ‘Team Rally Tire’, since ‘.com’ makes things a bit virtual and too commercial where it’s all about our sweat and blood. Of course, that is just my humble opinion.”

“Timing really worked out to drive this car at Olympus,” said Lagemann, “It was the site of my last win in 2007 but the roads were different back then, though the character of the event is the same. We are just trying to spend our resources wisely. I don’t think you need the best car to win.”

Lagemman’s Super Production Class entry adds an instant challenge to SP points leader Travis Hanson, who is entered at Olympus looking to increase his points spread over Tim Rooney. Lagemann is a definite wild card with the skills and experience to win the SP class. Lagemann has understandably reserved expectations but you can still hear the anticipation in his voice when talking about returning to the driver’s seat.

“During my break I was attending rallys as a fan and watching Travis Hanson and Tim Penasack. I am looking forward to finally competing with them, but I think an SP car could still be good enough to take an overall podium finish.”

The entries of Patrick Richard in the Open Class and Ramana Lagemann in Super Production add more suspense to the Olympus outcome and that’s a good thing for Rally America followers and fans. One thing is certain, the results landscape could look much different after Olympus at the end of April and leading to the Oregon Trail Rally on May 14-15.

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.

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.

Patrick Richard Photo Credit: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com
Ramana Lagemann Photo Credit: Arthur Partyka/artpartphoto.com

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Rally driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard put in an aggressive drive this weekend at the Olympus Rally to finish second overall and extend his lead in the Rally America championship series.

“This was an incredibly tough rally,” said Comrie-Picard. “The competition between the top teams was intense; we fought hard for this result.”

It is the third podium finish for the NOS Energy Mitsubishi in three starts in the series.

Entering the event, Comrie-Picard was tied with Rockstar Energy’s Tanner Foust for the championship lead. After a two-day battle over more than 100 miles of rugged stages, Comrie-Picard came out ahead in the points.

After three rounds of the Rally America championship, Comrie-Picard tops the standings with 48 points, while Foust and Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana are tied for second with 45 points apiece.

“We’re thrilled to be leading the championship,” said Comrie-Picard. “We’re gunning for top points this year and we’ll be battling hard at every round.”

The rally opened with a series of extremely fast stages that saw teams top 120 mph on some of the straightaways. Comrie-Picard and co-driver Robbie Durant finished the first day in the third-place position and prepared to charge on the more technical Day 2 course.

Serious mechanical trouble for the early rally leader, Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block, meant the battle was on between Comrie-Picard and Red Bull’s Travis Pastrana for Day 2. The two traded seconds all weekend, even finishing stages in a dead-heat tie.

But as Comrie-Picard prepared to push into the final miles Sunday afternoon, an ailing transmission began to cost them time. Without the use of third or fourth gear through the final two stages of the event, he was unable to catch Pastrana.

“Everybody had problems; Travis and Tanner both had to do some serious transmission work overnight after Day 1, and Ken (Block) blew two motors,” said Comrie-Picard. “There’s no doubt this is a tough sport.”

Third place went to Foust. The driver had made an early bid for the lead but lost time to the leaders on Sunday while running with a back-up gearbox.

The next round for the team is the Portland-based Oregon Trail Rally in a month’s time (May 15-17). Driver Comrie-Picard is also slated to begin running select events in the prestigious Formula D drifting series in the coming months.

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 hundreds of miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

The sport is also featured in the annual X Games, the premier action sports event on the globe, featuring athletes competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally. Comrie-Picard has been among the dozen invited drivers every year since the rally discipline was introduced to the contest, and he has already secured an early invitation to return in 2009.

The Rally America national championship includes nine events in a cross-continent season that extends from January to late October. The Canadian Rally Championship has six events from coast to coast. ACP Rally will contest a busy season, with rally events on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, select drift events — and the X Games.

The ACP Rally program is made possible by: NOS Energy (www.drinknos.com), K&N (www.knfilters.com), Mitsubishi Canada (www.mitsubishi-motors.ca), Yokohama Canada (www.yokohama.ca), Motul (www.motulusa.com), AMS (www.amsperformance.com), Works (www.worksevo.com), Brian Crower (www.briancrower.com), JE (www.jepistons.com), Exedy (www.exedyusa.com), Ohlins (www.ohlinsusa.com), Pfitzner Performance Gearbox (www.ppgearbox.com.au), Mishimoto (www.mishimoto.com), Oakley (www.oakley.com), Innovate Motorsports (www.tuneyourengine.com), Team Dynamics (www.teamdynamicsracing.com), Endless (www.endlessusa.com), NBB (www.nbblights.ca), Sparco (www.sparcousa.com), NGK (www.ngksparkplugs.com), Piloti (www.piloti.com), and Skull Candy (www.skullcandy.com).

Photo by Jen Horsey

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Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana came out on top of a hard fought battle at the Olympus Rally, round three of the 2009 Rally America National Championship, to earn his second win of the season. Pastrana, with co-driver Christian Edstrom, drove a faultless rally in their 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car but needed to go flat-out on the final stages of competition to pull away from a strong field of challengers, winning by a convincing forty seconds. Pastrana’s Subaru teammate Ken Block led the rally after Day One but an engine problem sidelined him midway through the final day. Bad luck also befell Subaru Rally Team USA’s newest team member, BMX legend Dave Mirra, who damaged his STI in a spin late in the rally while sitting in 2nd place in the Super Production class.

The 2009 Olympus Rally featured over 100 miles of sinuous, tree-lined logging roads near Aberdeen, Washington. The typically unpredictable Pacific Northwest weather was absent throughout the event allowing calm dry conditions to persist. Although the Olympus Rally is relatively new to the Rally America calendar, having returned to the national series in 2007, the event has a memorable past. It was first run as a national event in 1973 and served as a stop on World Rally Championship calendar from 1986 to 1988.

Pastrana found himself in 3rd position in the Olympus Rally at the conclusion of the first day, trailing rally leader and teammate Ken Block by over twenty seconds. On Day Two, Block dropped out of the hunt for victory early with engine trouble, leaving Pastrana locked in a tight battle for overall victory with Canadian driver Andrew Comrie Picard. “It was a great battle, our stage times were really close with ACP (Andrew Comrie Picard), we even tied on a stage to the tenth of a second,” explained Pastrana. “But I managed to pull out a small lead and keep it for most of the day, then charged hard on the last few stages for the win. It’s a great feeling to win with such strong competition.” Having secured two wins from three events, Pastrana now sits tied for 2nd Overall in the Rally America National Championship points standings.

Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino had their sights set on their third victory of 2009 after winning the previous Rally America round, The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, as well as the non-championship Rally New York USA event. Block leapt into the lead at the start of the Olympus Rally, winning half of Day One’s eight stages to amass a lead of over twenty seconds. However, Block’s impressive run was halted early the next day when his Subaru experienced engine trouble, forcing him out of the event. “Although we hit some bad luck my confidence is boosted from our stage times on the first day where the competition was so good and everyone was going flat-out. The next round in Oregon has roads similar to Olympus so I’m sure we will have the speed again there,” said Block.

BMX legend Dave Mirra debuted his new Super Production (SP) class 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI at the Olympus Rally. The SP class is a new Rally America competition category introduced this year and features minimally modified, production-based cars with the backing of prize money from Subaru of America. Mirra, along with former WRC Champion co-driver Derek Ringer, took a conservative approach to the rally while getting accustomed to the new car and spent most of the rally residing in 2nd overall in the SP class standings. Towards the end of the rally, Mirra ran wide hitting a bank and incurring three flat tires plus some light damage to his Subaru. After changing out two of the three flats with the on-board spare tire units and limping to the stage finish, Mirra retired from the rally. “I was driving conservative with the new STI and getting faster as the rally progressed,” explained Mirra. “The new STI has a lot of potential and I just need some more miles with it to get fully confident.”

Subaru Rally Team USA will visit the Pacific Northwest again next month for the Oregon Trail Rally, based in Portland, Oregon and Hood River to the east on May 15-17.

Follow Subaru Rally Team USA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/srtusa

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. Visit www.subaru.com/rally for Subaru Rally Team USA photo galleries, news and team information.

Photo: Lars Gange | subaru.com/rally

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Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana took his second win of the season at the Olympus Rally on Sunday, after a fierce Day 2 battle with Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard.

“It was awesome – we tied to the 10th of a second on the first stage of the last leg,” said Pastrana the finish. “The competition was amazing.”

Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom hauled into the lead at the Olympus Rally early Sunday, after their Subaru teammate Ken Block suffered a turbo problem and dropped off the pace.

NOS Energy’s Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard and co-driver Robbie Durant finished in second place overall, unable to make up time to the Subaru crew in the final stages while fighting an ailing transmission.

“We lost third and fourth gear in the last two stages today, and had to hold it in fifth,” said Comrie-Picard late Sunday. “But this finish means we’re still in the championship lead, and we’re happy.”

Comrie-Picard and Pastrana traded times all weekend, entering Day 2 one-two, separated by only two seconds.

In third place was the Rockstar Energy Team of Tanner Foust and co-driver Chrissie Beavis, who had been in the hunt for the lead early on but suffered trouble with their transmission late Saturday that put them at a disadvantage.

After overnight repairs, Foust and Beavis were forced to start Sunday’s stages with a replacement synchromesh transmission and they spent the day fighting to stay on the pace. It’s the duo’s second run in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

“It was pretty good out there,” said Foust. “We were battling on the first day and putting good time on Travis until we had our problem – it’s a promising thing for the car.”

Top Open class cars use a dog-engagement gearbox that allows the drivers to shift without using the clutch – saving them time on every corner. Teams say it’s worth a second per mile and while Foust’s technical skills meant he put up an able fight, he was unable to catch the leaders.

The result means Comrie-Picard holds onto the championship lead with 48 points, followed by Pastrana and Foust, who are tied for second with 45 points apiece.

In fourth place were Polish ace Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski, followed by Super Production class winner Pitor Wiktorczyk and co-driver Grzegorz Dorman in fifth.

Young driver Dillon Van Way and Joshua Knott took top honors in the two-wheel drive class in their 2002 Ford Focus

Wiktorczyk and Dorman had been battling with Matt Johnson and co-driver Jeremy Wimpey for the Super Production class lead on Day 1, but brake failure for the latter duo took them out of contention.

Subaru Rally Team USA’s newest member, Dave Mirra, and co-driver Derek Ringer were reported out of the rally late on Day 2. Mirra had said he was struggling to adjust to his new Subaru WRX STi.

Drivers smashed the stage record on the Brooklyn Stage on Sunday, with Pastrana, Foust and Comrie-Picard all wiping out Carl Jardevall’s top time of 6:33, set in 2004. After Sunday’s run, the new record holder is Pastrana, with a time of 6:27.9.

Subaru’s Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino suffered a turbo failure early Sunday and dropped out of podium contention. Team mechanics were able to repair the trouble, but they withdrew from the contest after further mechanical problems.

Weather in the region is notoriously unpredictable at this time of year, but the rally was clear and dry throughout. Teams lined up in Aberdeen, Washington, for the opening Parc Expose under sunny skies Saturday morning and, after a sprinkle of rain overnight, the sunshine continued until the Sunday finish.

The storied Olympus Rally is relatively new to the Rally America calendar, having returned to the national series in 2007. But the event has a lengthy history.

It was first run as a national event in 1973 and was a favorite stop on World Rally Championship calendar from 1986 to 1988. Rally racing legends including Rod Millen, Juha Kankkunen and American John Buffum are among those who have claimed victories at the famed contest.

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.

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. Eight top teams have already been invited to this August’s contest. Among the marques typically represented in Rally America events are Subaru, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Ford and Volkswagen.

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