Subaru Drive Performance Magazine

Rally in the 100 Acre Wood -- More Snow and Ice

Standing at spectator points during a rally, you'll find conversations centered on two things -- cars and weather. Spectator Point D for Stage 13 of the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Missouri February 22-23 was typical. While waiting for the first car to come by, I heard and participated in discussions about:

• An unsolvable problem with a luxury SUV's V-8 engine
• The year the snow fell so hard in a flash storm that stages were canceled due to limited visibility

 

 

 

• The duct-tape car -- an older Subaru that was decorated with duct tape of many colors: not talking so much about the car, but about the concept of entering the rally with it; where do you suppose they thought up that idea?!
• The Ken Block stone, which pelted the storyteller in a previous Rally in the 100 Acre Wood event -- the storyteller wanted to take it home and put it in a shadow box marked "Hoonigan" along with a cellphone that played a continuous-loop video of the car going through the corner and spewing stones. However, he couldn't determine which of the rocks at his feet had hit him. (You run into insightful ideas such as this all the time at a rally. And this one did not allow alcohol.)
• The word hoonigan started a conversation about hoonigan duct tape (see above), duct-tape wallets, yellow caution tape emblazoned with hoonigan in a stylized font, and so on
• How the stage will start soon (it was behind schedule) -- there must have been a problem in an earlier stage
• Who was left in the rally, and who had dropped out due to accidents or mechanical failure

 

 

 

• The hole at the midpoint of the corner where we were -- triangular, and deep and wide enough to swallow any of the vehicles in the rally; speculation ranged on what to do about the hole:
  -- Fill it in with a small car
  -- Use a large car as a bridge
  -- Jump it
• Pictures taken at stages earlier in the rally -- "Did you see this car?" -- which led to even more animated conversation about the mid-1960s Saab with its two-cycle engine that had entered the rally
• The person next to me having a Saab of the same vintage; what are the odds?
• Being patient ("The cars will be by soon ...")
• How Ken Block's dominance at this event had been broken
• Dinner -- "Do we have enough time to go to Potosi for some Mexican food and come back for the next spectator point?"

It was the Saab that kept most of the spectators at Spectator Point D until all other entries (including leader Subaru Rally Team USA David Higgins/Craig Drew) had passed. The crowd stayed and cheered not because of the brand or the driver, but with respect and curiosity because of the car's history, age, and unique properties. It was enlightening to see how much state-of-the-art rally cars have changed over 50 years.

Read more about the overall win by Subaru Rally Team USA here in a report that includes an excellent video about the rally.

Find even more at subaru.com/rally.

View a gallery of more than 20 other Subaru rally cars from the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood here.

-- Ric Hawthorne

Ric's ride for the weekend (2013 XV Crosstrek) -- picture taken along one of the stage roads.

2013 Subaru Motorsports Schedules

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA)

SRT USA has revved its engine and spun its tires this season. Two rallies have been completed, with a 2nd-place finish and a win.

Follow the team in its quest for a third consecutive Rally America National Championship title.

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA)  2013 Rally America Schedule
Round/Date	Event	Location	Driver/Co-Driver	Finishing	Standing
Round 1 January 25-26	Sno*Drift Rally	Atlanta, MI	David Higgins/ Craig Drew	2	2
Round 2 February 22-23	100 Acre Wood Rally	Salem, MO	David Higgins/ Craig Drew	1	1
Round 3  April 27-29	Oregon Trail Rally	Portland, OR	David Higgins/ Craig Drew
Round 4 May 31-June 1	Susquehannock   Trail Rally	Wellsboro, PA	David Higgins/ Craig Drew
Round 5 July 26-27	New England Forest Rally	Newry, ME	David Higgins/ Craig Drew
Round 6 August 23-24	Ojibwe Forests Rally	Detroit Lakes, MN	David Higgins/ Craig Drew
Round 7 October 18-19	Lake Superior Performance Rally	Houghton,   MI	David Higgins/ Craig Drew

 

Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRT)

The 2013 season for SPRT will kick off with three international races at X Games before it returns to the United States.

Follow the Subaru trio as it looks to outmaneuver the competition.

Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRT) 2013 Global Rallycross Schedule
Round/Date	Event	Location	Drivers	Finish	Standing
Round 1 April  21	X Games	Foz do Iguacu, Brazil	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 2 Mar 17	X Games	Barcelona, Spain	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 3 June 29	X Games	Munich, Germany	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 4 July 13		Loudon, NH	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 5 July 20		Bristol Motor Speedway, TN	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 6 August 4	X Games	Los Angeles, CA	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 7 August 11		Atlanta Motor Speedway, GA	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 8 September 22		Charlotte Motor Speedway, NC	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 9 October 20		TBD	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81

 

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Rally Season Begins -- From Between the First Two Rounds

During the last week of January, Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) began its season in the Rally America National Championship in Michigan at the Sno*Drift Rally. Driver/co-driver David Higgins/Craig Drew were on hand to begin defending last year's championship season. Here's what Subaru had to say about the team in anticipation of the weekend.

As part of the 48HRS of Tristate charity drive the weekend before Sno*Drift, I had seen the new livery on the #75 WRX STI -- blue and white with black and gray accents. Crisp and clean. Here it is on display in technical partner Vermont SportsCar's facility in Colchester, Vermont.

The rally was hotly contested, especially between SRT USA and Canadian Rally Champion Antoine L'Estage/Nathalie Richard. In the end, Higgins/Drew finished 2nd, only 6.2 seconds behind the Canadians. Details are here, along with video.

That leaves us in between, anticipating a rematch at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Missouri February 22-23. This second round of the Rally America series has been dominated by Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino the last six years, so everyone is out to steal the show from them. Check Rally America for a preview.

Conditions for the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood around the Mark Twain National Forest and the Ozark foothills are unpredictable. During the last few years, we've stood in spectator areas through rain, sleet, and snow that falls so hard it causes stages to be canceled. Oh, yes, at sporadic times the sun shines through, but those times are hard to remember.

And there's lots of mud ... everywhere. 

But the other side of it is the action -- the cars screaming by just a few feet away, sliding and throwing gravel everywhere. You see different lines taken through the corners, along with slight mistakes that result in time spent extracting a car from a muddy ditch.

Plus, always, there's the sound of Subaru performance exhausts. Whether the cars are in the middle of a heated stage, in transit to the next stage, tuning or warming up in service, those exhaust notes convince you that there's only one legitimate rally sound -- that of a Subaru!

So come on out! The season is still new. Plus, the weather will be fine for rally. Grab your warmest coat and meet me there.

-- Ric Hawthorne

 

 

 Photo credit: top and third image -- Lars Gange / subaru.com/rally

48HRS of Tristate -- 2013 Edition

I love driving on snow-covered roads, especially if there are drifts. But I never thought I'd hear anyone else ask, "When do we get to the snowy roads?"

Those are the kind of people you hang out with when you participate in this charity drive that raises money for the American Cancer Society. The 48HRS of Tristate drive took place January 17-20, 2013.

Where were the snow-covered roads? Here's where they were NOT -- Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and even Vermont, at least on the routes we took. But on the second day of the drive, twisting around the mountains in northern New York, we found them. Accompanied by moderate snow squalls, the snow-packed roads were a delight for us Subaru drivers.

Fifty-five Subaru vehicles took part in the 2013 version of 48HRS of Tristate -- three days of driving close to 1,000 miles. More importantly, the drivers and passengers raised almost $32,000 for cancer research. This is the heart of the weekend.

Although our drives took place over three different routes in three different groups, the dynamics were similar. Communicating via CB radios, each group of 13 and more vehicles plied roads that the group leaders had devised. All of them strove for scenery and fun-to-drive roads. They succeeded.

For added interest, we made stops at motorsports team headquarters. That allowed us to talk with team owners and see the latest race cars -- all being prepared for their 2013 seasons.

 

Participants drove everything from 1990s Impreza and Forester vehicles to Legacy and Outback models. At least one Baja joined the pack, and I had a 2013 XV Crosstrek that started its journey with a little more than 500 miles on the odometer.

Find maps, see photographs, and read more about the event here. Find another gallery here. Read a Drive Performance article about charity drives here.

-- Ric Hawthorne

SEMA GRC -- 2012's Grand Finale

-- by guest journalist John Rettie

At the beginning of the year, Global RallyCross (GRC) organizers said there would be six rounds in the 2012 championship. One date and venue, though, remained unannounced until September. It would be held in a parking lot at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas in late October. The SEMA Show is the gigantic annual trade-only exhibition that draws 100,000 visitors from around the world. They come to see the latest parts, tools, and trends in modified cars. It’s a wild show with some amazing vehicles on display.

Many GRC regulars who have followed the series since its inaugural race in March 2011 wondered if this would be a suitable place for the final round of the 2012 season. Those doubts were unfounded; the race turned out to be one of the best, if not the best, of the year.

Good as Gold

The Gold Parking Lot, as it is known, normally holds close to 2,000 cars for those attending exhibitions at the giant Las Vegas Convention Center. However, for this event, all but a small part of the parking lot was transformed into a temporary rallycross track and paddock.

Many truckloads of dirt were hauled in, and earthmovers created a figure-8 track with almost half of the course run on dirt, just the way a genuine rallycross track should be. For the first time this year, the 70-foot jump was formed from dirt instead of the unpopular steel jump that had been utilized at previous venues.

Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRT) leader Sverre Isachsen had finished a strong 3rd at the previous round, garnering the team its first podium finish of the season. The mood was upbeat as the year’s development of the cars was beginning to pay off.

Although the rallycross WRX STI might look similar to the SRT USA rally car from the outside, there are considerable differences under the hood and in suspension setups. For starters, the GRC engine produces close to 600 hp compared to around 300 hp in a rally car. The radiator also is moved to the rear of the car to be less prone to collecting mud and overheating the car and so it’s out of harm’s way in the inevitable fender benders that occur in rallycross events.

The Heats Unfold

Sadly, fender benders kept Isachsen from repeating his success from the previous race. He was punted out of his qualifying round as well as the first heat race and the Last Chance Qualifier, so he was a nonstarter in the Final.

Dave Mirra kept out of trouble in the first heat race and finished 4th, putting him in the Final. Likewise, Bucky Lasek also made it through his heat race for a spot in the Final for the second time in a row.

Even though the first turn (on pavement) at the SEMA course was much wider than prior races this year, it was still important to make it through to the front to have any chance of winning. Ken Block had been fastest in qualifying, so it was not surprising to find him leading the pack of 10 drivers as they scrambled into the first turn. Tanner Foust stayed on Block’s tail until a couple of laps before the finish, when he squeezed by. However, Block had smoke in his car, and he pulled over just as flames appeared. The race was red flagged as fire crews raced to extinguish the fire.

The organizers could have called the race, but decided to let the nine cars rerun the Final – a real treat for the drivers, spectators, and those watching the event live on ESPN. This time Foust got the lead at the start and managed to hold off a hard-charging Brain Deegan to finish 1st in the race and take the championship. Mirra and Lasek finished 6th and 7th, respectively, which were the best results for the two drivers all season. 

Lasek’s Progress

Lasek was particularly pleased with his showing after completing the Finals in the last two events. He started the year as a rallycross rookie and drove cautiously in the first four races. You could see his increased confidence as he flung his WRX STI around the SEMA course as wildly as anyone. Lasek, one of the world’s top skateboarders, has competed in a variety of racing disciplines. However, this was his first season as a professional race driver.

“I certainly don’t feel like a rookie anymore, and it was nice to end the season with another trip to the Final,” said Lasek after the Final. “I’m steadily getting more comfortable in the Subaru WRX STI; it’s all about seat time and learning the limits this year. This is an amazing opportunity that Subaru and PUMA have given me, and as a new team with a new car, we have all worked so hard this season.”

Team Standings

When everyone’s scores had been tallied for the second GRC season, Isachsen finished in 10th place among the 20 drivers who scored points. Mirra and Lasek tied in 12th place.

Isachsen summed up the season succinctly: “2012 has been a learning year for us as we developed the Subaru WRX STI for rallycross; we knew that from the start. We achieved a podium at the [next to] last round, and so we know we have made very good progress. I’m looking forward to 2013 now where we will be even stronger.”

 A photo gallery from the race weekend can be seen here.

 

Vegas Brings Good Vibes to Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team

-- by guest journalist John Rettie

For Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRT), things finally started to jell nicely in the fifth round of the 2012 Global RallyCross (GRC) (September 29, 2012).

Realistically, SPRT has been at a distinct disadvantage all season. It does not have the experience of Scandinavian teams who have been building specialized rallycross cars for many years. Indeed, if you take a walk through the pits at a GRC event, you’ll hear Scandinavian accents emanating from many teams. Just take a look at the results in European rallycross events, and the Scandinavians traditionally have tended to dominate.

Of course, that’s a major reason why Sverre Isachsen drives for SPRT. As a former European champion, he brings valuable experience to the team.

However, he’s a driver and not an engineer, so there’s only so much he can do as Vermont SportsCar develops the 2012 Subaru WRX STI rallycross car from its super-successful rally car.

From Rally to Rallycross

At first glance, there might seem to be a lot of similarities between rallycross and rally cars, but take a look under the hood, and you’ll immediately see major differences.

First off, the rallycross engine has to develop more than 600 hp compared to just 300 hp in a rally car. What’s more, each rallycross event only entails perhaps 15 minutes of full-bore driving, whereas a rally can last for hours over a two- or three-day event.

A rallycross event compared to a rally is like a sprint compared to a long-distance run.

Continuing Development

Following X Games and the fourth round of the GRC in New Hampshire, series contestants had a long break. SPRT took this opportunity to spend more time developing the cars. It even went back to the New Hampshire track and rented it for a few days for some serious development time.

The effort was immediately apparent as practice unfolded in the early morning heat at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Long-time fans of rallycross have not exactly been enamored of the layout of tracks in prior GRC events because they have been too restrictive for drivers. Ideally, there should be plenty of room for cars to go three or four abreast through corners, especially soon after the start. Otherwise, the first driver through the first corner would easily go on to take the checkered flag, barring any mistakes.

Once the Vegas course was constructed on the first evening, drivers and team managers walked the track and were pleased with what they found. There was more room to race than had been the case in previous rounds.

The GRC organizers also promised that the first turn would be covered in plenty of dirt for the races. It was midway down the pit straight where the rallycross track would double back onto the main banked start/finish line of the banked oval track. However, the first turn remained paved during the practice runs.

As before, the main feature of the temporary course was the giant jump made of steel ramps. Since the ramp accident at X Games, the structure was fitted with giant foam pads to help soften the blow should anyone fail to make the jump.

Heats

Practice and seeding took place on Friday and Saturday morning. The track proved quite different for the racing, which took place under the lights Saturday night.

By coincidence, all three SPRT drivers ended up in Heat 1 along with Tanner Foust, who had been fastest in seeding. One of two privateers – Canadian Richard Burton in an older Subaru WRX – was the fifth driver in this heat.

Alas, Burton was the unlucky one; he fell victim to the jump when he decided he did not have enough speed to make it. He braked, but the coefficient of friction between rubber tires and steel is not that great, and he gently slid off the top and crashed down to the track below. Fortunately there was no car passing underneath at that moment. Despite heavy damage to the nose of his car, Burton was OK, although he was taken to a hospital as a precaution. Aside from that misadventure, the rest of the evening races went off without a hitch.

Isachsen finished less than a second behind Foust in the first heat, which assured him a spot in the Final. That meant Dave Mirra and Bucky Lasek would have to try their luck in the Last Chance Qualifier.

Since there were only 15 competitors and the track was wider, the organizers elected to have five competitors in each of the first three heats. Then all nine drivers who did not finish 1st or 2nd in the first three heats would compete in the Last Chance Qualifier.

Needless to say, everyone scrambled for a good finish. In the end, Mirra lost out when he suffered damage in a tangle with another competitor and Lasek managed to finish 4th, giving him the last spot in the 10-car final.

The Final

By the time the green light went on for the final race, it was after 11:30 p.m. Still, thousands of spectators had stayed to watch one of the best races in the 2012 Global RallyCross series.

Isachsen stormed from the middle of the pack and tucked himself in behind Foust and Brain Deegan. Despite being passed by another competitor after he took the joker lap, Isachsen managed to grab back the 3rd spot to take a podium finish – the first for SPRT this year. Lasek kept out of harm’s way and finished 8th – his best finish so far as well.

“Our goal all season has been to develop the car and reach the podium. This feels so good,” exclaimed Isachsen at the finish celebration. “My Subaru was good all weekend, and my driving, too. This is a big confidence boost for the team, and now I’m looking forward to the next race outside the Las Vegas Convention Center during the SEMA Show.”

Link to photo gallery. 

Subaru Motorsports Frenzy

Right now, we're in the middle of the motorsports year for Subaru. Subaru Road Racing Team ran in the two-and-a-half-hour GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course south of Mansfield, Ohio, on Saturday, June 9. Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRXT) took on the competition in Round 2 of the Global Rallycross Championship at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on the same day.

Another event for Subaru enthusiasts that took place the same weekend was Wicked Big Meet, held at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. The Drive Performance WRX was there.

Drive Performance staff members traveled to each of these events.

The full June weekend followed SPRXT's debut in Round 1 of the Global RallyCross Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, two weekends ago on May 26. Subaru entered three cars -- for Dave Mirra, Bucky Lasek, and Sverre Isachsen. Here is the team's report on the Subaru rally site, and here is another report on the Vermont SportsCar site. Find videos on both, which give you a good idea of the explosive nature of rallycross -- elimination heats on a short course that demand tremendous power and precise control.

The first weekend of June, Subaru Rally Team USA fought a furious battle at Susquehannock Trail Rally (Wellsboro, Pennsylvania) to overcome mechanical difficulties and place 2nd. Read about it on the Vermont SportsCar site here and on the Subaru rally site here. Ride along with driver/co-driver David Higgins/Craig Drew on YouTube.

Notes from Charlotte

Attending Round 1 of the Global RallyCross Championship in Charlotte was my first visit to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. My first reaction was surprise at the activity: two NASCAR races (Nationwide and Sprint Cup), a World of Outlaws sprint car race, and rallycross. There were thousands of RVs, campers, and tents.

Plus, there were was food. Vendors were everywhere, as were people who had been camping out for days.

But what I felt early in the morning of the rallycross was the energy around the speedway. Campers were cooking or grilling by 7:00 a.m. -- sending small columns of smoke and smells into the air. From a distance, it was like the encampment pictures from the Civil War. The number of campers and RVs is staggering. They're packed into the infield and in surrounding sites.

Racer transports were lined up side by side, as they are at most tracks. Generator engines hummed and moaned, and racing engines sparked to life sporadically, even hours before track activities. I sat in a bowl formed by multicolored seats -- some in patterns and some demarking specific sections.

The energy swirled.

-- Ric Hawthorne

  

 

 

On the Oregon Trail with Subaru Rally Team USA

Regardless of how often I've gone to a rally, each one seems to offer something new. That has to do with the nature of rally. These events will take spectators to places you most likely would not find or even seek on your own. You drive obscure roads well away from well-traveled thoroughfares. If the rally is away from your region of the country, you'll see powerfully beautiful sights that are far beyond what you'd expect from a rally weekend.

The May 4-6 weekend marked only the second time I've attended the Oregon Trail Rally. The first time was a few years ago, and the stages were set up to the west of Portland. I was enthralled by that area's boldness and the size of the trees. New to rally at the time, I was learning how to time my travel to the spectator areas and what and how to watch.

This year, the super special stages still took place at Portland International Raceway as they did the first time I attended, but the stages, service areas, and parc exposes were to the east of Portland approximately 60 to 80 miles along the Columbia River and to the south.

I wasn't prepared for the beauty of the land and its power. The drive along the Columbia River to The Dalles was one of the most scenically stunning that I've ever seen -- even in the rain. Wooded cliffs stand as sentinels along both sides of the Columbia. They visually match the power that the river's water must have as it bounds toward the ocean.

During the weekend, I saw kiteboarders, sailboarders, sailboats, and cargo boats ply the waters. Up and beyond, travelers along Interstate 84 get glimpses of the snow-capped peaks of the mountains that rule the area -- Mount Hood, Mount Adams, and more across the horizon. Other spectators were as much in the dark as I was about which mountains were which. (I've got to do a better job studying geography before going on these trips!)

Look up the town of Dufur, Oregon. Dufur is the epitome of the places you’ll find when following a rally -- out-of-the-way places that are the heart of rural America. River towns, farming towns, mining towns, logging towns, ski resorts (off-season) -- they lie dozens of miles from the nearest urban center, and, generally, the roads surrounding them are marvels to drive for their scenery and/or their fun factor.

Dufur was the center of much of the action during the Oregon Trail Rally -– on Sunday, in particular. The town is the location of headquarters for a U.S. Forest Ranger Station, the Historic Balch Hotel that seemed renovated, and an agriculture museum. Mount Hood is its backdrop, and the town opens on to the high plains to the east. Multicolored crop and grazing lands, orchards, and vineyards spread boldly across the foothills. A thresher in the middle of town advertizes a threshing bee (do you know what that is?).

Photographers have ample fodder for subject matter because abandoned skeletal-like buildings, grain bins, horseback riders, and vast, breathtaking landscapes are easy to find nearby. But plan ahead for water, fuel, and food, because there isn’t much out there for dozens of miles.

Roads range from pavement to dirt. Local roads -- even state highways -- have no shoulders and often drop precipitously into a gully or down a canyon wall. There’s no margin for error. None.

We parked our vehicles in fields for the spectator areas as we followed the rally. For one (Fir Mountain), spectators took a shuttle up and down a one-lane trail that gave them a good idea what the stage roads were like. Other areas were fields right next to the trails used for the stages. A couple were subsidized land areas that were difficult to walk because they hadn’t been farmed in quite some time. Others were wheat fields that still smelled of dry straw, especially in the heat of the day.

The views from some of the spectator points would inspire anyone’s muse. Mount Adams and Mount Hood were backdrops for most of the stages. You could see for miles, across valleys that had roads we couldn’t see. But we could see the dust trails of the rally cars and trace their progress on stages miles away. By tolerating a little cold and a lot of dust, a rally spectator lives an adventure, views skilled driving, and visits what could well be considered exotic lands.

By virtue of their remote locations and inordinate beauty, these rally venues should be called exotic, and the roads surrounding them generally rate highly on any fun-to-drive meter.

Even if you’re not interested in following the rallies as a racing enthusiast, you can enjoy the areas defined by the events as a traveler. Use the Rally America schedule to find the spectator guides for the individual rally events. They’ll lead you to some unforgettable places and memorable drives. The spectator guide for the Oregon Trail Rally is here.

Those who came for the rally witnessed amazing displays of driving throughout the weekend. Many teams fielded Subaru WRX and WRX STI models.

 

 

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) finished 1st by a comfortable margin. Driver/co-driver David Higgins/Craig Drew continue to lead in the Rally America National Championship -- by 35 points at this writing.

SRT USA Performance in the 2012 Rally America National Championship
Round/Date	Event/ Location	Driver	Finishing Position	Driver Standings
Round 1 – January 27-28	Sno*Drift Rally Atlanta, Michigan	David Higgins	1	1
Round 2 – February 24-25	Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Salem, Missouri	David Higgins	2	1
Round 3 – May 4-6	Oregon Trail Rally Portland, Oregon	David Higgins	1	1

 Find more details about the rally here.

So come out and follow rally. You can find the schedule here. If you can’t come out to cheer for SRT USA, visit the areas and drive the roads. I think you’ll like them!

-- Ric Hawthorne

Global RallyCross Championship Announces Schedule

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) and other teams have been preparing for the 2012 Global RallyCross Championship, which has issued its schedule for 2012! Find it and other information about the series here on the Global RallyCross Championship site or here on SRT USA's site.

Except for the X Games races, all will be held in conjunction with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or IZOD IndyCar Series events.

Here's an update to the schedule that we published in Drive Performance Version 9.1:

May 26 Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 9 Texas Motor Speedway
June 30-July 1 X Games Los Angeles
July 14 New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sept 1 TBA
Sept 29 Las Vegas Motor Speedway

SRT USA driver Dave Mirra and the rest of the team will be there!

-- Ric Hawthorne

DP WRX Journal -- Seventeenth Drive (Sixteenth Round Trip)

Purpose: To follow Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) and other Subaru teams at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood around Salem, Missouri, February 24-25, 2011

Start/Finish: Drive Performance headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Distance: 1,516.4 miles round trip

Distance: 

• According to mapping services -- 1,016 miles point to point
• Actual (with drives to Parc Expose, service, and spectator stages both rally days) -- 1,516.4 miles

Major routes to Rally in the 100 Acre Woods:

• Wisconsin: State Trunk Highway 83, Interstate 43, Interstate 90
• Illinois: Interstates 90, 39, 55
• Missouri: Interstates 55, 44

Fuel consumption: 59.8 gallons

Mileage: 25.4 mpg

I've attended this rally four years in a row. Weather has always been a factor in the form of rain or snow.

For 2012, we contended with clear skies and breezy conditions. The stars appeared unusually bright along with the sliver of a moon in the clear sky Friday night. Only the cold hampered spectator comfort. (It figures that the thermometer hit the 70s the day before the rally and the 60s the day after. Temperatures were in the 40s on rally days.)

SRT USA driver/co-driver David Higgins/Craig Drew battled Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino all weekend, finally finishing 2nd only 29 seconds off the pace and almost 9 minutes ahead of the 3rd-place car. Find details and complete results at the Rally America site and video coverage on YouTube. For videos, photographs, and articles about SRT USA at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, go to the Subaru rally website.

SRT USA Performance in the 2012 Rally America National Championship
Round/Date	Event/ Location	Driver	Finishing Position	Driver Standings
Round 1 – January 27-28	Sno*Drift Rally Atlanta, Michigan	David Higgins	1	1
Round 2 – February 24-25	Rally in the 100 Acre Wood Salem, Missouri	David Higgins	2	1

After two rounds in the Rally America National Championship, open-class driver Higgins leads the Drivers' Championship over 2nd-place Subaru racer Travis Hansen (competing in the Super Production class) by 15 points.

There are four rounds to go, with the next one in Portland, Oregon, May 4-6.

Travel in the Drive Performance (DP) WRX

This was one of the last trips that we'll have in the DP WRX. The first third of our trip south from Milwaukee took us through a rainstorm that would eventually dump 7 inches of snow back in Milwaukee. The rest of the trip took place on dry roads of various surfaces -- from paved interstate to one-lane gravel. The winter tires pulled the car through the water and gravel with ease, and I was happy to have them on the car.

However, southeastern Missouri has some great fun-to-drive roads that don't stop twisting, turning, climbing, and descending. Travel to the different stages throughout the weekend routed us onto some of these roads. I suspect you could drive that part of Missouri for weeks before taking on all of them. They made me yearn for the summer tires sitting in the closet back at headquarters.

Taking to the road in the DP WRX also reunited me with the sound of a subwoofer while playing music in the car. I've missed the bass notes provided by the Genuine Subaru Accessories® 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer in the car's trunk. Many of the miles traveled during the trip were spent listening to my favorite travel music.

High wind played a large role in the weekend's travel -- especially for the return trip to Milwaukee on Sunday. Most of the day, the wind was behind the car. As a result, it achieved more than 28 miles per gallon at interstate highway speeds. (According to the car's computer display, it was more than 31 miles per gallon for most of the ride through Illinois.)

I didn't want to park the WRX in its storage space on Monday. Part of my reluctance was the familiarity with the car and enjoying how it drives. Another part had to do with weather; a winter storm was predicted, and I like how the Bridgestone Blizzak™ tires handle in the snow. The car has carried me more than 35,000 miles, and I have become emotionally attached ...

Side Trip to Ha Ha Tonka State Park

In some extra touring before the rally started on Friday, I drove northwest of Rolla to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. It's worth a visit if only for its name!

The park features a number of trails, waterfalls, natural stone formations, and the stone walls of a burned-out mansion. Built in the first decade of the 20th century, the mansion was eventually leased as a hotel. It burned in 1942.

Like the roads encountered following the rally stages, the ones leading to Ha Ha Tonka are also worth the drive.

-- Ric Hawthorne