Saturday: Race Day 2
Weather: Sunny, some clouds
Temperature: Low 70s
Road Surface: Smooth gravel, dirt

It was a dual podium finish for SRT USA at the 2009 Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally! Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino dominated the event, building a considerable lead on the first stages and holding their ground to the finish. Teammates Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom finished second, running an extremely clean rally and furthering their lead in the Rally America National Championship. The day started off in classic STPR fashion with the chicken barbeque and Parc Exposé on the green in downtown Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Droves of fans mingled with rally drivers, collected their signatures, and wished them luck before the ceremonial start to day 2 of the STPR event. The weather was beautiful and residual moisture kept dust to a minimum. The race took drivers over ten stages varying in length from a sixteen-mile stage to the one-mile Subaru Super Special at the Tioga County Fairgrounds.

With gold in their sights, Ken and Alex overcame previous bad luck at this event and put on an excellent performance. Winning all three stages Friday and five stages on Saturday, team #43 proved beyond doubt that they have the skill and drive to trounce the competition. It was great see Ken and Alex at the top of the podium with a well-deserved win.

Championship leaders Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom set consistent times and won four of the day's stages. Their 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI was at the top of its game, handling the fast Pennsylvania stages with ease. Hot on the trail of their teammates, Pastrana and Edstrom put on a great show for the massive crowds. Fans of #199 were scattered throughout the forest with the lines of cars at spectator points often stretching more than a mile.

Pushing hard in the competitive Super Production Class, Dave Mirra and Derek Ringer hit a bank and were unable to continue in the race. Dave has made huge progress this year and is bringing the level of drive and commitment necessary for success in the challenging sport of rally racing. The frustration of error can be considerable, but Mirra's commitment to performing at the top is sure to pay off as he continues to develop his skills behind the wheel.

The winners of the Super Production Class were Car #61, Piotr Wiktorczyk and Grzegorz Dorman in their 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Finishing fifth overall, Wiktorczyk and Dorman showed an impressive effort. Only 26 seconds behind at second place in-class were Patrick Moro and Jeremy Wimpey, also in a Subaru.

The Rally America season now takes a short summer break with the next stop a month away at the New England Forest Rally. This should give teams ample time to prepare themselves for the event in Maine and the subsequent X Games Rally competition in Los Angeles. Thanks for following Subaru Rally Team USA and don't forget to check out the photo galleries from this weekend's excellent event.

Friday: Race Day 1
Weather: Overcast, Light rain
Temperature: Mid 50s to 60s
Road Surface: Rough gravel, dirt

Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino blew the doors off the competition this afternoon, setting impossibly fast stage times on the treacherous Waste Management stages. Somehow their 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI managed to put almost 30 seconds on all other competitors on each running of the stage, leaving the other drivers completely astounded by Car #43's performance. Block and Gelsomino finished the day by also winning the Subaru Spectator Stage at the Tioga County Fairgrounds, besting the the competition by three seconds. This puts #43 first on the road for tomorrow's potentially dusty stages with a comfortable one minute lead secured by their heroic efforts today. When talking about the first two stages, co-driver Alex Gelsomino remarked, "we took a risk pushing that hard on those stages--it wasn't stupid, but almost."

Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom also had a strong start and finished second place on Stage 1. On the following stage, Travis and Christian incurred some damage to their suspension early on which cost the team nearly a minute. The damage was minor and after a service stop, Car #199 was back to 100%, pulling second place on the final stage of the day. By far the bulk of the rally is run tomorrow and Car #199 is third on the road, with only a few seconds separating them from second place.

Dave Mirra and Derek Ringer took a more conservative approach today, knowing that the majority of the stages are tomorrow. Dave Mirra said, "I feel really good about the car, and I'm super pumped to get out there." After today's few stages, Mirra is in third place in the very competitive Super Production Class. In the lead are Pat Moro and Jeremy Wimpey in their 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. With the second place position in-class held by Piotr Wiktorczyk and Grzegorz Dorman only five seconds ahead of Mirra and Ringer, the heat is on for all of the SP competitors.

Although the rainclouds stuck around today a little longer than forecast, tomorrow is still expected to be mostly sunny with near zero percent chance of precipitation. The STPR roads are extremely fast and with dry conditions, the pace for this rally is expected to be swift. At this point in the season pressure is mounting in the Rally America National Championship and with some teams vying for an invite to the X Games, tomorrow's proceedings are certain to be an example of unrestrained competition. Tune in after the race for results and photos from Saturday's action.

Subaru Rally Team USA is back in the Eastern United States for the 2009 Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. While many teams are vying for an invite to this year's X Games in Los Angeles, SRT USA has a secure spot on the roster and has their focus on the Rally America National Championship. Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom currently lead the competition, and Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino are hoping to turn up the heat in the second half of this year's championship to steal the crown from their teammates.

Bright and early this morning, teams convened in Wellsboro to start the recce of the event's stage roads. The majority of the stage miles are smooth, fast, hard-packed gravel. While some of the course consists of fairly wide roads, the road edge is closely lined with trees, presenting a challenge for those drivers who dare to drive at top speed.

After recce, SRT USA ran the shakedown stage, testing their cars and preparing for the rally. Click here to see photos from the shakedown in the pre-race photo gallery.

The event officially begins tomorrow with a Parc Exposé at the Tioga County Fairgrounds at 1 PM. There will be a spectator stage at the fairgrounds starting at 6:47 PM. With the weather forecast calling for partially cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s and 70s throughout the weekend, the race should provide for some excellent rally spectating.