May 31, 2013 – Defending Rally America Champion David Higgins and his Co-driver Craig Drew return to rally action this weekend at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) at the wheel of their BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2013 Subaru WRX STI. STPR is round four of the Rally America National Championship and is based around Wellsboro, Pennsylvania and runs from May 31-June 1. Higgins and Drew enter the event on a high after winning the previous two Rally America rounds and subsequently achieving a sizeable lead atop of the driver’s points standings.

The 2013 STPR marks the 37th anniversary of the event, and it is the oldest, continuously-running motorsports event in Pennsylvania and the oldest running rally in the USA. STPR is known for its high-speed serpentine dirt roads that plunge through the forests of north central Pennsylvania. The high-speeds coupled with the narrow tree-lined nature of the roads make STPR one of the series’ most challenging events and one in which equal parts bravery and skill are asked of the drivers.

“STPR is one of my favorite events, it has very fast stages that reward clean driving since the trees are very close to the edge of the road,” explains David Higgins, driver of the #75 Subaru WRX STI. “You need really good [stage] notes and big confidence in your Co-Driver because the sight lines are not very good. The trees block your view down the road and there is zero margin for error. It’s an event that I have won three times and we finished 2nd last year after losing some time with transmission problem on the first stage. We now have a good lead in the championship so we won’t feel too pressured to go flat-out but I’m here to win of course.”

Conditions play a big part in the rally: If it rains, the clay-based roads at STPR can become extremely slippery, however dry conditions may lead to dust and low visibility. Current weather forecasts show rainy conditions in the days leading up to the event with drier conditions following for the weekend, but a chance of rain looms. Higgins will have the ultimate tool for the job no matter the conditions with his 2013 Subaru WRX STI rally car. The WRX STI rally car is based on Subaru’s award-winning WRX STI street car, powered by a turbocharged boxer engine driving through Subaru’s patented Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system.

STPR kicks off Friday, May 31 with five stages totaling 25 miles. The bulk of the event takes place throughout the day on Saturday, June 1 with a further eleven stages that cover over 92 miles. Fans can follow Subaru Rally Team USA all weekend on Twitter @srtusa and online at Subaru.com/rally where daily photo galleries and news will be posted. The event’s official spectator guide can be downloaded here: http://www.stpr.org/stpr13/STPR13_Official_Guide.pdf

About Subaru Rally Team USA

Subaru Rally Team USA is managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), PUMA, Method Race Wheels, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, PIAA, Exedy, Race Proven, and MOTUL. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries, visit http://subaru.com/rally and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter: @srtusa.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.