September 23, 2014 – With two cars in the top five, Subaru Rally Team USA showed once again the Subaru WRX STI has become one of the fastest and most durable cars in the extreme racing of Global Rallycross. Subaru Rally Team USA fought through a challenging Red Bull Global Rallycross double-header weekend with team drivers Sverre Isachsen, Bucky Lasek and guest driver Travis Pastrana. The Subaru trio was consistently in the mix at the front of the pack but several race incidents placed the team just off the podium.
The weekend was divided up to include two complete events representing rounds seven and eight of the 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship. The events were held on a tight track at the Port of Los Angeles, CA. With the Pacific Ocean as the back-drop, the GRC LA course was a thrilling setting for a race.
The first of the weekend’s races saw Pastrana win his heat race while Isachsen finished second to earn them both a front row spot of the semi-final’s grid. Isachsen and Pastrana then had a good result in the crucial semi-final, finishing second and third respectively and advancing to final. Isachsen had a great start in the final, launching into second place, but chaotic jockeying and bumping for position from his rivals on the first lap caused his Subaru to take damage from multiple directions, forcing him to pull off. Pastrana would battle traffic and worn tires to finish sixth overall.
Subaru Rally Team USA mechanics then worked late into the night Saturday to re-prep the team cars for the conclusion of the double-header on Sunday. The team made several setup changes based on the knowledge they learned Saturday and it instantly proved fruitful. Isachsen qualified second fastest overall on Sunday, just 0.05 seconds from the lead qualifier and then went on to win his heat race, earning him a front row grid position in the semi-final. Isachsen’s chances at a win in Los Angeles were all but scuttled however when he was hit with a jump-start penalty in the semi-final, forcing him to race in the last chance qualifier (LCQ). Although Sverre won the LCQ convincingly he would be forced to start on the third row of the grid in the final, at the back of the pack.
Both Pastrana and Lasek earned spots in the final after transferring through from the semi-final, putting all three Subaru team cars in the ten-car final. Isachsen would charge from seventh and pass both Lasek and Pastrana late in the race to earn a hard-fought fourth overall. Lasek followed closely in fifth while Pastrana finished eighth overall.
“I’m happy with fourth but we know we could have finished better, the Subaru was really, really good. Our lap times were at the top and the car was very strong on Sunday, the team worked really hard on the setup,” explained Isachsen.
Subaru Rally Team USA is already en-route to the next GRC round to be held September 26-27 at Dirtfish Rally School in Snoqualmie, WA, just outside of Seattle. Subaru GRC team drivers Bucky Lasek and Sverre Isachsen will be joined by Subaru rally driver David Higgins in a third car sponsored by Dirtfish Rally School.
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), Method Race Wheels, Royal Purple, eBay Motors, DMACK Tires, RECARO, PIAA and Race Proven. Follow the team on twitter: @srtusa, Instagram: @srtusa and online at www.subaru.com/rally
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