Photo: Subaru Motorsports USA
After setting a new record time at the famous Mount Washington Hillclimb last month, Subaru Motorsports USA driver Travis Pastrana scored another win, at Minnesota’s Ojibwe Forests Rally, despite the challenging weather conditions during the weekend.
Pastrana and co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino managed to repeat their last year’s win at the Ojibwe rally, by obtaining a fourth victory through the six events of the 2021 American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship. With this victory, the two have now gathered enough points to secure the ARA championship.
But this was no easy win, despite the fact that last year’s ARA champion, Barry McKenna of McKenna Motorsport, did not participate in the rally this year, which theoretically would increase Subaru team’s chances of winning. Even McKenna’s teammates, Brandon Semenuk and John Hall, had to retire from the rally, leaving Pastrana and his co-driver to compete mainly against Ken Block and Rhianon’s own husband, Alex Gelsomino, driving the #43 Hoonigan Racing Division WRX STI.
After winning the first two stages, on Friday, Pastrana and co-driver Gelsomino had to face a different challenge on Saturday, when the rainy weather turned the roads into slippery potential traps. Instead of the previous day’s aggressive drive, Pastrana changed his strategy and allowed Block to advance in the first two stages, to then win back the lead and eventually earn the victory by more than 30 seconds.
It looks like the 2017 ARA champion and Gelsomino are a winning team. The two drivers of the #199 Subaru WRX STI have already accumulated five wins and eight podium finishes through a total of nine events, since they first teamed up for this rally, last year.
After having scored this important win, the two will compete again at the Lake Superior Performance Rally, in October, before the final Oregon Trail Rally, in November, which will conclude this year’s ARA championship.
As for Subaru Motorsports USA, its next competition is the Nitro Rallycross, starting on September 24-25, at Utah Motorsports Campus.
But this was no easy win, despite the fact that last year’s ARA champion, Barry McKenna of McKenna Motorsport, did not participate in the rally this year, which theoretically would increase Subaru team’s chances of winning. Even McKenna’s teammates, Brandon Semenuk and John Hall, had to retire from the rally, leaving Pastrana and his co-driver to compete mainly against Ken Block and Rhianon’s own husband, Alex Gelsomino, driving the #43 Hoonigan Racing Division WRX STI.
After winning the first two stages, on Friday, Pastrana and co-driver Gelsomino had to face a different challenge on Saturday, when the rainy weather turned the roads into slippery potential traps. Instead of the previous day’s aggressive drive, Pastrana changed his strategy and allowed Block to advance in the first two stages, to then win back the lead and eventually earn the victory by more than 30 seconds.
It looks like the 2017 ARA champion and Gelsomino are a winning team. The two drivers of the #199 Subaru WRX STI have already accumulated five wins and eight podium finishes through a total of nine events, since they first teamed up for this rally, last year.
After having scored this important win, the two will compete again at the Lake Superior Performance Rally, in October, before the final Oregon Trail Rally, in November, which will conclude this year’s ARA championship.
As for Subaru Motorsports USA, its next competition is the Nitro Rallycross, starting on September 24-25, at Utah Motorsports Campus.
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