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Saturday - Day 2 Weather: Sunny Temperature: 70's Road Surface: Dusty Gravel with rougher sections  Subaru Rally Team USA had a banner weekend with a dual podium finish at the New England Forest Rally. Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom held the lead from the first stage and never lifted the throttle, locking down first place. Teammates Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino also had an outstanding weekend with not even a single “incident” on the stages. They finished third overall with over a minute lead from the fourth place spot. This was a big win for SRT USA and the excitement was clearly evident at the finish line. Big smiles could be seen from across the parking lot as cars were being positioned for the champagne spray. With X Games 13 on the horizon this was a huge morale booster that is sure to help carry the team into their final preparations for X. Hundreds and hundreds of hours go into maintaining and building these incredible rally machines and there is nothing like seeing all the hard work pay off. The whole team deserves huge congratulations for their efforts and success this weekend! This was well deserved. Both Pastrana and Block did an excellent job and kept their cool as management made it clear they wanted a win. The rough roads and sneaky rocks were no match for the dueling Subaru Impreza WRX STI’s as they raced through almost eighty miles of special stages. Saturday’s weather was more or less perfect for rallying. There was some moisture in the roads as the race began, helping to control the dust. In years past, the dust conditions at the New England Forest Rally have been some of the worst on the circuit. In addition, there were regular wind gusts that also helped to clear out any lingering dust clouds. First in the Production GT class was Stephan Verdier and Scott Crouch who placed ninth overall in their 2004 Subaru WRX. Right behind was Patrick Moro and Mike Rossey, also in a PGT Subaru WRX who ran a clean rally and made it into the top ten. It should also be noted that Subarus made up an impressive thirteen of the top fourteen spots in the final results. The next Rally America event is the Ojibwe Forests Rally in Bemidji, Minnesota August 24-25. It’s a fast event with smooth roads but does have one unique characteristic in that a significant portion of the stages take place at night. Stay tuned to Subaru.com/rally for more rally news as X Games kicks off in just over two weeks. Friday - Day 1 Weather: Sun, Clouds, and Showers Temperature: 70's Road Surface: Mostly packed gravel  With no hesitation despite a long break since the last event, Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom strapped in and went all out in their 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Right off the line Travis took the lead and as Christian explained "we pushed hard - but didn't take any risks". Winning three of the five stages run on Friday the #199 Subaru performed like a dream. Christian also noted "Both Travis and I were a little worried about how long it had been since we last raced, but Travis felt right at home from the first run down the shakedown stage this morning". At the completion of the first day, Travis holds the lead which means first on the road again tomorrow. Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino had no complaints either ending the day in third place overall. "The car feels great and my driver is very happy" exclaimed Alex at Service. The #43 SRT USA car managed to edge up on Travis on two stages, claiming two stage wins. This means all stages run today were won by SRT USA! Today's stages were filled with huge jumps. A fantastic spectator jump at the Mexico Recreation park got things started and then it only got bigger. Both Ken and Travis never lifted and flew about 100 feet on Concord Pond which was the last stage of the day. Spectators that had made it down to the jumps were in awe as Subarus were literally whizzing by several feet in the air. Speeds as cars approached the first jump were likely in excess of one hundred miles per hour! After completing the final stage, cars transited back to the Phoenix House at Sunday River where the final service and re-prep took place. Vermont SportsCar technicians expertly went through each car and double checked everything for tomorrow's stages. The weather forecast for Saturday calls for some clouds, but currently the skies are crystal clear and conditions very calm. The first stage goes off at 9:15AM just outside Berlin, New Hampshire and the race is expected to finish up around 6:30PM. Six stages will be run, but overall they are much longer than today's. Saturday's stages also have rougher sections that could spell trouble if drivers are not careful. Maine is notorious for huge rocks that seem to lie invisibly along the road. For this reason it is critical that drivers keep clean lines and stay on the packed road surfaces. Stay tuned to subaru.com/rally to see what goes down tomorrow and be sure to check the photo gallery for today's action. Thursday- Recce Day Weather: Beautiful Sunny Skies Temperature: 70's Road Surface: Packed Gravel  The Recce or reconnaissance component of the 2007 New England Forest Rally got underway Thursday morning despite significant issues caused by a powerful storm Thursday evening. Bethel, Maine was inundated with water after approximately 3 inches of rain fell over a three hour period. The resulting storm surge and flash floods caused serious damage, wiping out several mayor highways leading to the area, including busy US Route 2. During the peak of the storm a car was even swept off the road leading to the Rally Headquarters Hotel and pushed a couple hundred yards down the river. Thankfully nobody was seriously injured. Rallying has always been unpredictable – but this was a first. Tomorrow, the race kicks off with a shakedown stage at 8:00 AM. At Noon, the drivers will gather in Mexico for a Parc Expose, followed by a Spectator Stage at the Mexico Recreation Area. Tomorrow the drivers will compete in six stages, covering may miles of brutal terrain. Although the majority of the stage roads are similar, sections can vary greatly, with some being rather smooth and others extremely rough with jagged rocks. Check back tomorrow night for a full update. |
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