Subaru Motorsports USA Closes 2026 ARA Season with Dominant LSPR Victory
Marquette, Mich. — Subaru Motorsports USA closed the 2026 American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship with an overall victory at Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR). Conner Martell and Ross Whittock won 12 of the 13 contested stages in the Open 4WD Subaru WRX ARA25, including the SS16 Power Stage.
Filling in for Travis Pastrana, who continues to recover from injuries sustained while practicing a freestyle motocross stunt, Martell returned to the WRX ARA25 after making his competition debut with Subaru Motorsports USA at last month’s Overmountain Rally Tennessee. A longtime Vermont SportsCar test driver, Martell arrived at LSPR with both experience in Subaru machinery and recent ARA success behind him.
Known as the “Oldest, Meanest, Toughest” rally on the U.S. rally calendar, LSPR is often defined by unpredictable fall conditions in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. For 2026, dry roads rewarded high-speed commitment, giving Martell, Whittock, and the WRX ARA25 the chance to attack from the opening stage.
Martell and Whittock took full advantage, setting new stage records on every stage but one. Those included previous records held by Travis Pastrana on two stages (Menge Creek and Al’s Playground), underlining the pace of a clean, trouble-free rally for the Subaru crew.
“It was an awesome weekend for Ross and I,” Martell said. “The team gave us an amazing car, the Subaru was on rails, and we had a really clean rally. We won every stage but one and won the Power Stage, so it was a great way to finish the year. Ross was amazing on the notes all weekend, and I’m really thankful to Subaru and everyone involved with the team. LSPR did a great job with the event, and to finish downtown in Marquette with a podium like this was really special.”
“Today was really good,” Whittock said. “We had good pace and still had a bit of a margin as well. It’s my first ARA win, and the podium was great. I couldn’t see any of it because I was covered in champagne, but it was a good day.”
The result capped Subaru Motorsports USA’s 2026 ARA season with another overall victory, adding LSPR to the team’s win at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, where Pastrana and Gelsomino took the Limited 4WD Subaru WRX ARA25L to the top of the overall podium. Whittock also closed the season third in the overall ARA co-driver championship.
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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.
