September 29, 2014 – Subaru Rally Team USA driver Sverre Isachsen stormed to victory in Saturday’s final at Red Bull Global Rallycross Seattle, earning himself and Subaru their first win in the burgeoning race series. The race was held at the DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie, WA in front of a sellout crowd. Isachsen moved into the lead early on the first lap in his #11 Subaru WRX STI rallycross car and never looked back, leading the entire 10 lap final to take a decisive win.
Isachsen, a three-time European rallycross champion, joined Subaru in 2012 to spearhead the team’s new rallycross effort and to develop the Subaru WRX STI rallycross car into a championship contender. “It is really important for the team,” said Isachsen at the finish. “We had built a new car for this season and everybody put a lot of effort and time into the car. It’s really important because to develop a car like this takes time. You do something wrong, but then something right, and of course we have a fast car. So it’s really important for everybody, all the Subaru guys, and especially also for me. I’ve fought such a long time here.”
The event, representing round nine of the 2014 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship, was held at the DirtFish Rally School. The course featured more dirt and gravel than other typical GRC races. The highlight of the course was a run through the planer building, a massive structure formerly used for lumber operations.
The victory for Subaru Rally Team USA was made all the more special by the fact that it was done in front of droves of Subaru fans who came out to cheer for the team. Subaru has a strong foothold in the Pacific Northwest. The parking lots at the DirtFish Rally School were full of Subaru vehicles and the fans created a veritable home field advantage for the Subaru team. The team celebrated in the paddock with their fans long after the podium celebration concluded.
“Subaru is very proud of Sverre and our technical partner Vermont SportsCar for this victory,” stated Rob Weir, Subaru Motorsports Marketing Manager. “Putting the WRX STI on top of the podium on the most diverse course of the season and in front of so many loyal Subaru fans was amazing. We hope the series will return to this location soon.”
Isachsen’s Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Bucky Lasek and David Higgins were unable to join Isachsen on the podium but showed impressive pace all weekend. Higgins, who drove the team’s DirtFish Rally School Subaru WRX STI was stymied by race incidents. In his heat race Higgins was impacted twice by competitors, which caused serious damage to his Subaru in the process. Then in the crucial semi-final Higgins jockeyed for position with rival Tanner Foust and in the process was hit with a stop-and-go penalty, forcing Higgins into the last chance qualifier (LCQ) where he had a clean run to finish in second position. Fighting from near the back of the grid in the final Higgins ran as high as fourth before dropping to eighth after losing power from an unknown issue with his vehicle.
Sverre Isachsen and Bucky Lasek will return for the final GRC round of the season held November 5th, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV.