Subaru Rally Team USA
Since 2001 Vermont SportsCar has had a relationship with Subaru of America who has served as both a sponsor and partner. Subaru utilizes the sport of rallying to promote their line-up of all-wheel-drive vehicles, specifically the Subaru Impreza WRX STI which has dominated rallying in both the USA and internationally for well over a decade.
Starting in 2006 Vermont SportsCar began managing the operations of Subaru Rally Team USA, the two-car high-profile rally team that officially represents Subaru of America. Starting that first year in 2006 Vermont SportsCar took Subaru Rally Team USA to four straight Rally America National Championship driver’s titles with driver Travis Pastrana (2006-2009).
In 2010 the team welcomed Dave Mirra to a full time role as the team’s 2nd driver alongside Pastrana, who was participating in a limited schedule of events. In 2011 Pastrana left the team to pursue NASCAR and was replaced by multi-time British and American rally champion David Higgins.
Subaru Rally Team USA has been a seminal force in the rise in popularity of rallying in North America.
Subaru Rally Team USA utilizes the Subaru Impreza WRX STI and rally prepares the cars nearly entirely in-house at Vermont SportsCar, including the shell prep, roll-cages, engines and many of the composite parts. The same highly skilled rally technicians that build each of team’s cars are the same technicians that travel to each rally to work as the on-event service crew.
Although Subaru Rally Team USA primarily competes in the Rally America National Championship, the team also competes occasionally in the Canadian Rally Championship and the World Rally Championship. In 2006 the ESPN X Games added rallying to their lineup amongst other action sports such as BMX and Freestyle Motocross. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA visit the official team website: subaru.com/rally
Follow Subaru Rally Team USA on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa
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Driver: David Higgins
Age: 39
Hometown: Onchan, Isle of Man (UK)
Car #: 75
David Higgins got his first taste of motorsport in motorcycle trials when he was eight years old. By age ten he had moved into national kart racing and won seven titles against drivers including David Coulthard. At his first opportunity David started rallying and was invited to drive in the team that Richard Burns drove for in the Peugeot 205 Challenge.
David went onto win the 1997, 1999 and 2002 British Rally Championship in the Group N Class. In 2002 he also came to America as a privateer and won the SCCA Pro Rally Championship (Now known as Rally America) while driving a Subaru. He repeated his success in 2003 winning six events and again claiming the SCCA Pro Rally Championship. For 2004 it was back to Britain where David contested the full season and became the British Rally Champion. David also began rallying in the ultra-competitive Chinese Rally Championship in 2004 where he helped his team win the Team’s Championship in 2004, 2007 and 2009 (foreign drivers can’t score individual points).
David Higgins was born in 1972 on the Isle of Man. He now lives in Trefeglwys, Mid Wales, with his wife Kara and his children Alicia and Matthew. David and his family operate “The Forest Experience Rally School”. The school is well known and respected for offering world class rally driving instruction to all levels of driver. David’s grandparents and parents have all been successful rally drivers, and David’s brother Mark competes at the highest level in the sport. As well as teaching in Wales, David travels the world doing 1-2-1 rally coaching in places like Peru, China, USA, Russia, Finland, Australia and France.
David was on-hand for Travis Pastrana’s first test session with Vermont SportsCar in 2004 and provided instruction to Pastrana as well as gave feedback to the team regarding Pastrana’s potential behind the wheel, which in turn led Vermont SportsCar and Subaru to begin a development program with Pastrana.
Driver: Dave Mirra
Age: 36
Hometown: Chittenango, New York
Car #: 40
Mirra, who became a pro BMX rider in 1992, holds the record for most X Games medals (including most Gold medals), and has medaled in every X Games since their inception in 1995. He is recognized as one of the World’s most well known Action Sports athletes and is credited with bringing freestyle BMX into the mainstream.
Mirra has always been a car enthusiast and became hooked on rallying after friend and Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block introduced him to the sport. Mirra completed a test and training program with Subaru Rally Team USA in late 2007 and ran half of the 2008 Rally America National Championship, earning 2008 Rookie of the Year honors. Mirra impressed everyone in his rally debut at X Games 14 last year where he earned a Bronze medal, after beating two top North American drivers in head-to-head heats.
