Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom have successfully finished the Wales Rally GB!  It was one of the most difficult and unlucky rallies that Pastrana has ever experienced.  Five flat tires and three days of rain and fog were just some of the things Pastrana had to contend with.  Pastrana ended the rally 11th Overall in the PWRC. The time lost from his many flats and the over 15 minutes in penalties from not completing the final stages on Saturday night were too much to overcome.  However, today's final four stages were relatively trouble free and beside another tire puncture that cost Travis some time on the first stage, of the day, he stayed relaxed and set some impressive stage times finishing the final three stages 9th, 8th and 7th fastest respectively in the PWRC.

Pastrana was happy to finish one of the most difficult rallies he has ever experienced.

Immediately after the rally finish, SRT USA began loading up their container, getting it set for the trip back across the Atlantic.  Here you can see the recce car getting loaded first.


The container is then lifted onto a truck and taken to the port, where it will be loaded onto a container ship.

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Pastrana's rally car has returned to the service park on the back of a flatbed truck after stopping on stage 10. Pastrana and Edstrom were hungry and tired after spending several hours stranded out in the forest waiting to be brought back to the service park, but are OK and have left for the hotel.  They report that the front left ball joint sheared off while on a high speed straight with some big crests, causing Pastrana to lose control of the car. Luckily he was able to slow down and avoid any collisions. The duo pulled over and tried some roadside repairs but nothing could be done. The actual cause of the failure is unknown, it may have been caused by hitting something either on stage 10, or on the previous stage where they damaged the front right of the car after going off the road briefly.

WRC rules allow drivers who don't finish a stage to continue on in the rally the next day. For each stage that Pastrana misses he will receive the time on the stage earned by the top finisher in his class plus a five minute penalty.  Although these penalties are extensive, it does enable Pastrana to stay in the rally and compete tomorrow. Considering nearly a dozen other rally cars had the same fate at Pastrana today, he may still have a chance at a good result!  However, he will be most concerned with just getting the seat time tomorrow on the remaining stages and gaining valuable experience.  

The car was fully repaired in the service and will be 100% for Sunday's final leg.  

Here you can see the wheel pushed back, and the car being unloaded in the service area several hours later.

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Pastrana is stopped on stage 10 after, according to Edstrom over the phone, the left front ball joint has sheared off, stopping them on-stage.  They are both OK, and SRT USA is arranging for the car to be brought back to the service area. This does not mean Pastrana is out of the rally. Under WRC rules crews can re-start the next day with just time penalties, based on how many stages they miss.  More updates to come when we learn more in the service park.

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The mid-day service today went well, the damage to the front right corner of Pastrana's car, caused by hitting a rock in edge of the road, was repaired. The damage included a bent front right control arm and steering rack end, as well as the front bumper.  Travis requested a few setup changes to cope with the changing conditions.  Hundreds of spectators swarmed the SRT USA service area to get an autograph from Pastrana, and he obliged.  The teams now head out to run the same loop of stages again, but before heading back to service they will transit to Cardiff for the SuperSpecial stage in Millennium Stadium.

Pastrana is through the first three stages of Leg 2.  The car is on its way to the mid-day service.  Pastrana reports one tire puncture on the second stage this morning, then a damaged control arm near the end of the 3rd stage.  They were able to finish the stage and will make some roadside repairs in order to safely drive the car 60km back to service.  Once in service it should be no problem for the SRT USA crew to fix the damage.  Pastrana is due into service in approx 1 hour.

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Pastrana and Edstrom have brought their 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI into the mid-day service with no major problems.  However they have experience horrible luck thus far, getting tire punctures on stages 1 and 3.  Their puncture on stage 1 came with just 3km remaining in the stage and they were able to drive to the finish losing just 20 seconds.  However on stage 3 the puncture occurred earlier in the stage and they stopped in-stage to change it, getting themselves wet and muddy in the process.  The result was a loss of well over 4 minutes, (the tire change took longer than normal because the car fell off the jack during the process.  The car sustained damage from hitting a rock on shakedown that made it difficult for them secure the jack beneath the car!).  The 4+ minute loss dropped Pastrana well down the leader board.  

Quotes:
Pastrana: "The visibility is really bad out there, its fog and rain.  My notes are not good enough yet for me to trust the road when I can't even see anything at all.  I'm just really upset about our luck though, to have two punctures right at the start of the rally, and we are now so far behind.  But I'm really not looking at overall results but care more about my speed on the clean stages that we do get in. Hopefully this next set of stage will be cleaner for us."

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Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom have left the service area for the first loop of stages this morning. The weather is cloudy with a few sprinkles of rain.  The teams will complete three difficult stages before the the only service halt of the day.  Stage 1 (Port Talbot) is 17.4km, Stage 2 (Resolfen 1) is 25km and Stage 3 (Rheola 1) is 27.9km.   Pastrana is due into service at approx 2pm local time (GMT -1).

Reports on the team radio indicate that Pastrana had a right rear puncture 3km from the finish of the first stage, no other problems to report, more updates to come soon as we get them.

Pastrana arrives to the service area prior to the rally start, lots of autographs!

Pastrana getting some last minute advice from John Buffum, and at the time control leaving service Pastrana's car was mobbed by construction workers, who are working right next to the service park.

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Pastrana's car was driven  from Swansea to Cardiff, while the larger WRC  teams use large car transporters.   

Travis driving through Cardiff to the start ramp ahead.

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Shakedown was this morning under sunny blue skies (the first time we have seen sun since arriving!). Pastrana and Edstrom completed a few passes of the shakedown stage with no major problems, other than hitting a very large rock that left a big mark!  The damage was cosmetic only, hitting just below the drivers door and leaving a big imprint.  Pastrana commented that the shakedown stage was very rough and rocky, most likely due to repeated use by all the teams this morning, which can damage and rut the road quite badly.  Pastrana is now taking a nap at the hotel, then driving to Cardiff (about 45mins away) for the ceremonial start.

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Here is Pastrana and a shot of the GPS antenna that the FIA uses to track the team on the recce.


Their office on the recce. That big display  is the GPS module from the FIA.


Christian reviews the in-car camera footage from the recce to make corrections to his notes.


Coming up tomorrow: Shakedown stage in the morning and then the ceremonial start in Cardiff.

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Another wet day on the coast of Wales, with rain and mist all day.  SRT USA has completed set up of the service area and have taken Pastrana's rally car, a 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI through the event's tech inspection.  The inspection consists of first checking noise levels of the the car at idle (limit is 100 decibels). Then the car is pulled inside and swarmed over by a group of event scrutineers who check that everything is legal and correct on the car. 

Check out photos from the SRT USA service area below.  (We would show you photos of the tech inspection but photos are not allowed there!)  The team's service HQ, the 40ft shipping container, is fully operational now.  See below for photos of a brief team meeting among the technicians and Team Manager Derek Dauncey.  And check out Derek and Team Logistics Coordinator Clint Fast hard at work in the office at the back of the container.  

All day today Pastrana and Edstrom completed their final day of reconnaissance out on the stages.  We'll provide an update from Pastrana / Edstrom later this evening when they return as well as some photos they have taken.

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The SRT USA service area is taking shape.  The event's service area is along the waterfront in Swansea, Wales and its close proximity to the downtown area should mean huge crowds this week.  For overseas events SRT USA utilizes a 40ft shipping container which is extensively modified inside. It includes work benches, tool cabinets, a private office and room to store all the teams spare parts and equipment.  Two team rally cars are stored in the container for shipping  (the rally car and the reconnaissance car).  A complete tour of the container, with photos, coming soon!

You'll notice in the background of these photos that the other P-WRC teams have not set up their event their supplied service tents yet.  SRT USA was one of the first P-WRC teams to set up.  By end of day Tuesday all the the teams will be in position.  More photos and updates to come tomorrow.