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Sunday: Race Day 3 Subaru Rally Team USA's Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom have won the 2009 Oregon Trail Rally. After securing the lead on Saturday, car #199 continued relentlessly through Sunday's stages to take first place on the podium. Their third win of the season, this victory places Pastrana and Edstrom at the top of the standings in the 2009 Rally America National Championship. In the Super Production Class, Subaru Rally Team USA driver Dave Mirra and co-driver Derek Ringer also had an excellent day. The duo in car #40 took the class win and finished an impressive fifth place overall. This year's Oregon Trail Rally was extremely grueling and the difficult stage roads claimed many of the racers from the SP Class and Open Class alike. While the rally wreaked havoc on their competitors, Mirra and Ringer stayed focused and ran an incredibly clean rally. Car #40's victory at this event will provide Mirra and Ringer with a substantial boost in the National Championship rankings for the Super Production Class. SRT USA teammates Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino were out of the race on Saturday, but they returned on Sunday entered only in the regional event. Proving that they have the talent and speed to win, Ken and Alex won the first three stages of the day and tied with car #199 to the tenth of a second on the following stage. Subaru Rally Team USA heads back to the East Coast now for the next two events, starting with the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania on June 5-6. The pressure is mounting as the qualification period for an X Games invitation is quickly coming to a close. Stay tuned for coverage of the heated competition in the Rally America series.
Saturday: Race Day 2 The first day of forest racing at the 2009 Oregon Trail Rally was set to beautiful weather, with the sun shining all day and temperatures in the seventies. Subaru Rally Team USA's Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom were first on the stages and were spared the task of driving through heavy clouds of dust kicked up from the dry roads. At the end of the day, Pastrana and Edstrom had amassed a lead of over 44 seconds after they won four stages and finished second on three. While car #199 isn't in the clear yet, the majority of the stages have been run and the team's comfortable lead takes some of the pressure off tomorrow's stages. For Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino in car #43, the day turned out contrary to expectations. On Stage 6, they hit a sizable rock and went off the road, damaging their suspension. Although Ken and Alex were unable to continue in the race, the damage was minor and they will enter tomorrow's regional portion of the event in order to make an appearance on the stages and take advantage of an opportunity for more seat-time in their Open Class 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. SRT USA driver Dave Mirra and co-driver Derek Ringer are in the lead in the Super Production Class. Currently in sixth place overall, the team is in a good position to earn championship points at this event. Sunday's weather is forecast to be exactly the same as Saturday's and as the stages will be run on the same roads, it will be another wonderful day for rally racing. Stay tuned for more photos and results from this weekend's Oregon Trail Rally.
Friday: Race Day 1 The 2009 Oregon Trail Rally roared to life today at the Portland International Raceway. The skies were clear and the temperature was mild and it was an excellent day for raceway stages. For Subaru Rally Team USA, the day began with a shakedown stage in the morning. Ken Block and Dave Mirra each took a few runs to further refine the setup of their cars. As the racing didn't start until 7PM, there was plenty of time for the SRT USA drivers to sign autographs and meet with the fans after the shakedown stage. The spectator turnout this year was phenomenal and the pre-race parc exposé was teeming with excited rally fans. By the time the race started, the PIR parking lot was packed full of cars, with Subarus overwhelmingly in the majority. The race began and the rally cars tore through the raceway, transitioning from tarmac to gravel and back again. After running the first stage, competitors proceeded directly to the next and started immediately. With two stages running at once, there was no shortage of action. At the end of today's four stages, Subaru Rally Team USA's Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom came in at second place, trailing first by under four seconds. Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino are seven seconds behind their teammates in fourth place. Dave Mirra and Derek Ringer are in seventh place overall, only one second behind first place in-class. The Oregon Trail Rally's forest stages kick off on Saturday following a parc exposé in downtown Hood River, Oregon. The stage roads encompass a variety of terrain, winding through vineyards, pastures, and forest. At the Saturday's elevations, weather conditions are unpredictable and there were still patches of snow in some spots earlier this week. Barring dusty conditions, SRT USA's second and fourth positions on the road could be an advantage as the preceding racers clear the course of loose gravel and leave increased traction for their successors. With only a small percentage of the stage mileage run already, the race has barely begun. Expect a heated battle for the win at the 2009 Oregon Trail Rally.
Thursday: Pre-Race The 2009 Oregon Trail Rally kicked off today with a lively parc exposé at the Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland. Fans flooded the downtown venue and got a close-up look at the full Subaru Rally Team USA lineup. Team drivers Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, and Dave Mirra were on hand to greet fans and give autographs. The morning's cloud cover burned off and the sun came out as the team headed to the Portland International Raceway for the press stage. The SRT USA drivers had some great runs on the mixed tarmac and gravel access roads around the raceway. Following the press stage, Subaru Rally Team USA visited Carr Subaru in Beaverton, Oregon and were greeted by a huge gathering of fans. It was quite a scene, with the three SRT USA cars on display, a local radio station attending, and the line of eager fans wrapping around the dealership. On Friday morning, the teams will convene at the Portland International Raceway for a shakedown stage. As in previous years, the race launches at PIR in the afternoon. Always a fan favorite, the raceway stages give spectators a chance to catch a ton of rally action. The following day, the rally heads to the scenic mountains of Hood River, OR, where the teams will experience a challenging mix of fast roads and tight technical sections. Check back here during the event and follow the progress of SRT USA through this exciting Northwest event! |
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