2009 SUBARU MOTORSPORTS SCHEDULES

SUBARU MOTORSPORTS – 2008 REVIEW/2009 PREVIEW

Photos: Lars Gange – Subaru.com/rally

THE 2008 SEASON WAS BIG FOR SUBARU MOTORSPORTS. CHAMPIONSHIP-CONTENDING PERFORMANCES ON THREE FRONTS HAVE NOTCHED UP EXPECTATIONS FOR 2009.

The factory-backed Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) motorsports teams drove to success in 2008:

• Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) campaigned by Vermont SportsCar won the Rally America National Championship and medals at X Games 14.
• Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) campaigned by ICY Racing/Phoenix Performance contended for the championship in its first complete Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series ST Class season.
• Plus, SOA made a foray into time attack with new partner Crawford Performance.

THE YEAR THAT WAS – 2008

The last two issues of Drive Performance carried finishing results from the nine Rally America National Championship events and X Games Rally in which SRT USA competed as well as the 10 KONI Challenge ST Class races entered by SRRT.

Here’s another way to look at the season’s results.

SRT USA

The rally team with drivers/co-drivers Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino (#43 MONSTER Energy^®1 STI) and Travis Pastrana/Derek Ringer (#199 Red Bull^®2 STI) dominated Rally America. Through the nine rallies, SRT USA accumulated six 1st-, three 2nd-, and two 3rd-place finishes. Unless forced to retire from an event, the two cars finished 7th or higher – but usually on the podium.

Pastrana/Ringer won the Rally America National Championship drivers’ championship with three 1sts, two 2nds, one 3rd, and a total of 130 points. That makes three championships in a row for Pastrana.

Block/Gelsomino finished 2nd in the drivers’ championship, with three wins, one 2nd, and 86 points. Block has finished 3rd and 2nd in the championship the last two years. He was Rookie of the Year in 2005.

Both drivers medaled at X Games 14 Rally – Pastrana winning gold along with co-driver Carolyn Bosley and Block/Gelsomino tying for bronze.

Both cars also competed in the Production WRC during the year.

SRRT

SRRT’s attack on the full 10-race KONI Challenge Series season put the #111 Legacy 2.5GT spec.B in the thick of the championship hunt into the final race. Demonstrating the tight racing within the series, a crippling fender tap with a little more than an hour to go dropped the team to 5th for the year in the ST Class.

Both the #111 and #141 Legacy 2.5GT spec.Bs showed competitive form throughout the season. The #111 car was driven by Chuck Hemmingson, Kristian Skavnes, and Andrew Aquilante at the various events – at least two drivers per race. The #141 car had Dave Rosenblum, Andrew Aquilante, and Don Knowles as drivers.

By the end of the season, the two cars were driven to nine top-10 finishes, with the #111 car finishing on the podium three times. A 1st-place effort at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was among them.

Crawford Performance

In the past, Crawford Performance time attack cars have established reputations for competitiveness. The orange 2008 WRX STI proved Crawford’s mettle again in 2008. A goal of SOA’s partnership with Crawford Performance was to develop a formidable car in time attack based on the new STI.

Fast enough for podium finishes in a number of time attack events, the orange STI was guest-driven by the legendary Japanese driver Eiji “Tarzan” Yamada (left) and by rally/race/stunt driver Tanner Foust (right).

See more about this car in Version 5.3.

THE YEAR TO BE – 2009

Look for much more on all three fronts – rally, road racing, and time attack. Get ready to mark your calendar!

SRT USA

Travis Pastrana will try to earn his fourth championship in a row in the Rally America National Championship, and Ken Block will attempt to secure his first. Both accomplished drivers on a top-notch team, look for them to go to the wire in 2009.

The Rally America schedule is similar to last year’s, with stops all across the United States.

Watch for both cars to be invited to X Games 15 Rally. Although unique, X Games competition is intense, and traditionally it draws the biggest American rally crowd of the year. X Games Rally is planned for August 2 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Follow the team on the Subaru rally Web site – www.subaru.com/rally.

SRRT

Expect to see SRRT competing again in the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge. The acquisition of Grand-Am by NASCAR has resulted in the series’ name change. The KONI series has held two races already in 2009 – at Daytona International Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Follow the team’s progress on its Web site – www.srrtphoenix.com.

Time Attack

The Crawford Performance 2008 STI will contest a number of Super Street Lap Battle and Redline: Time Attack! Series events throughout 2009. These will include some of the Redline: Time Attack! Series venues listed in right-hand side bar.

Catch up on the team’s results at www.crawfordperformance.com.

¹ MONSTER Energy is a registered trademark of Monster Beverage Co.
² Red Bull is a registered trademark of Red Bull GmbH.