Subaru Motorsports USA Recovers from Rollover to Secure Class Podium at Olympus Rally
Shelton, WA — Subaru Motorsports USA’s Travis Pastrana and Rhianon Gelsomino fought back from a mid-rally setback at the 2026 Olympus Rally to secure a third-place finish in the LN4 class, salvaging valuable points at the third round of the American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship.
Known as one of the most technical rallies on the ARA calendar, Olympus winds through the forests and logging roads of the Olympic Mountains, where changing conditions and narrow stages often lead to high attrition. The 2026 event marked the longest in ARA history, featuring more than 200 stage miles across three days of competition and a deep field that included WRC veteran Jari-Matti Latvala and reigning ARA champion Brandon Semenuk.
Competing against a field that included 11 Rally2 entries (the championship’s faster top class), the Limited 4-Wheel Drive No. 199 Subaru WRX ARA25L started fourth on the road as the top-seeded entry in its class. Pastrana quickly showed strong pace, finishing fifth overall on the opening stage before moving into fourth on the following test and holding position through the first day.
Day two saw Pastrana and Gelsomino continue their momentum, setting the second-fastest time on SS6, second only to Latvala’s Rally2 car, and moving into a provisional podium position. The rally took a turn on the following stage, where a soft rollover left the crew unable to return the car to its wheels without assistance, forcing them to retire from the remainder of the day.
Back in service, the Subaru Motorsports USA team worked quickly to repair the WRX ARA25L and prepare it for the final day of competition, determined to salvage as many championship points as possible.
On Sunday, Pastrana and Gelsomino returned to the stages and steadily worked their way back through the field. Starting the day 19th overall and sixth in class, the pair climbed to 11th overall and third in class by the finish.
Despite missing the overall podium, Pastrana and Gelsomino maintain their lead in the ARA overall drivers’ championship standings following the third round of the season.
“We’re honestly just happy to make it to the finish and come away with third in class,” Pastrana said. “After the rollover, the team did an incredible job getting the car back out there, and to fight back like that is huge. We’re still leading the overall championship, which is pretty amazing after a weekend like this.”
“It’s been a challenging rally, and we obviously made a mistake yesterday, but to salvage third in class and some points is really positive,” Gelsomino added.
The result underscored the team’s resilience in one of the most challenging events on the ARA calendar.
With Olympus complete, the ARA National Championship now heads to Chillicothe, Ohio, for the often deceptive forest roads of the Southern Ohio Forest Rally, June 11–13.
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About Subaru Motorsports USA
Subaru Motorsports USA is directed by Subaru of America, Inc., managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by MOTUL, Yokohama Tires, R53 Suspension, Triple-R Lights, Antigravity and Peplink. Follow the team online at www.subaru.com/motorsports
Follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and on TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.
About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of about 640 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants, including Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the the Subaru Love Promise ®, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $340 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged over 115,000 volunteer hours. Subaru is dedicated to being More Than a Car Company ® and to making the world a better place. For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.
