Subaru Motorsports USA Triumphs at Overmountain Rally
Newport, TN – Subaru proved its mettle yet again at last weekend’s round of the 2025 American Rally Association (ARA) championship, landing a hard-fought class victory and clinching a class title in the green hills of Overmountain Rally Tennessee.
With just one event left in the season, the Overmountain points tally locks Subaru Motorsports USA as the 2025 ARA Limited 4-Wheel Drive (L4WD) class champion. The triumph marks Subaru’s 20th class championship in the last 25 years and highlights the brand’s long heritage of rally achievement.
Among the bright foliage of an early Appalachian fall, Subaru Motorsports USA driver Travis Pastrana and co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino proved the worth of their new WRX ARA25L by carrying strong pace across all three days of Overmountain competition. And while the rally’s more than 100 miles of characteristically rough gravel roads often see cars knocked out from mechanical attrition, the WRX’s stout platform helped Pastrana and Gelsomino rocket through unscathed.
Pastrana, an action-sports icon no stranger to the unexpected, reflected on the battle with his trademark grin. “It’s been awesome, a really great battle, just a heck of a day in Tennessee,” he said. “We’re super excited to come in first in class and lock the championship.”
Even the weather got into the act, Pastrana said, with intermittent precipitation arriving throughout the weekend, mixing up the surface and adding to the challenge. “We had little pockets of rain, the stages going from dust to mud to dust again, then to slick pavement and dry pavement. It was all super fun and super competitive.”
Gelsomino was no less thrilled. “We’ve been having a great time all weekend,” she said. “Lots of technical stage miles, tight, twisty, jumps, bumps, these roads have it all. It’s been a real challenge of a rally, and that’s what we love.”
Overmountain is beloved by drivers and fans alike, and this year, both groups loved the event’s signature take on an old rally favorite, the Super Special (SS) stage. These extra-short spectator rounds, often no more than a mile in length, are purpose-built to bring to thrills of rally direct to the fans. Overmountain’s 2025 versions took place at Newport Speedway, a 3/8-mile paved oval with 26 degrees of banking. On both Friday and Saturday nights, rally competitors duked it out under the track’s blazing lights, going four-wheels-up to a chorus of cheers from the stands.
Naturally, the WRX and Pastrana were right at home. “The super special was a blast,” he said. “The crowd came out, we had some jumps, and we had some fun!”
As the rally calendar turns to fall, Subaru Motorsports USA is proud to look back on a banner year. And not just for Pastrana and Gelsomino—in late August, Subaru driver Brandon Semenuk and co-driver Keaton Williams locked their own national championship in ARA’s exciting Open 4-Wheel Drive class.
Want more? This year’s American rally season has one more action-packed round to go: The 2025 ARA calendar closes out with Michigan’s Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR), October 17-18. Keep up with all of the latest news, updates, and happenings by following Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa
Wicked event! So glad to have been able to attend in-person. Travis & Rhi killed it. Expecting a great showdown between Travis, Conner, and Patrick in the final round of the 2025 champ.