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SATURDAY - RACE SUMMARY Weather: Sunny to overcast with brief evening snow showers Temperature: 37 to 45 degrees Road Surface: Loose Gravel and Some Tarmac Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom have won the Lake Superior Performance Rally and the 2007 Rally America National Championship! Team #199 has won the title for the second year in a row and Travis Pastrana is happier than ever to be the victor. "Winning the Rally America Championship last year for the first time, was fantastic," notes Pastrana, "but this year it feels much more special because we had to overcome tougher competition as well as battle back from some poor results earlier in the season." A streak of bad luck and a variety of issues in the middle of the season cost the team significant points, making a championship win seem like a nearly impossible goal. "To win the championship by winning the final event with such a close and fierce battle is just so gratifying! It is a huge accomplishment for me, my co-driver Christian Edstrom and all of Subaru Rally Team USA," Travis said. It certainly was close. On the first day of competition, Car #199 owned the course. Travis and Christian only missed first place on the first two stages the first day. Once they scored their first stage win, it was all-out domination of every following stage. They ended the day with a solid 40 second lead against Tanner Foust and Christine Beavis and a massive 1 minute 39 second advantage over Championship Title rivals Andrew Pinker and Robbie Durant. Starting today with such a healthy lead, Travis and Christian were confident they would be able to take the event. Just before the start of today's first stage, misfortune struck. A clutch issue surfaced and prohibited them from using full throttle without experiencing clutch slippage. Unable to race to their full potential, seconds shed off their lead every mile. At the first service, SRT USA technicians had Car #199 in perfect running order and Travis and Christian were back in the game, running a clean, smooth rally. They were, however, faced with a difficult decision. If they pushed hard, they could recover the time they lost in the first three stages. However, driving harder meant taking increased risks when keeping a steady pace could get them second place at LSPR while still winning the overall championship. After the service, though, Tanner Foust didn't tell Travis or Christian his times. Not knowing how they compared to Tanner's efforts, Travis and Christian were motivated to shoot for the win and go as all out as possible without taking too many risks. On the final stage, Travis and Christian bested Foust and Beavis by 1.5 seconds, winning the event by 3.5 seconds. Unfortunately, Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino were not also vying for the championship win. Ken said "I'm almost speechless, this was a year's worth of bad luck rolled into the first three stages of the most important rally of the season." During LSPR, team #43 suffered four flat tires and a punctured radiator on the first day which forced them to retire from the national event. "We were so confidant coming here, we knew we had the speed to win but we never even got one clean stage and it was over before it even started," mentioned Ken dissapointedly. Not all was lost, as Ken and Alex did win third place in the championship to join Travis and Christian on the 2007 Rally America podium. Despite being withdrawn from the national event, Car #43 started in the regional event today. The team installed a new engine overnight so Ken and Alex could be out today for fans and to finish the rally alongside Car #199. The team were back on form, wowing the crowd, taking a win on Stage 11, and finishing the rally as best they could. Although the results from the regional didn't count for much, Ken and Alex were out on the roads for thousands of fans at the final rally. FRIDAY - RACE SUMMARY Weather: Sunny to overcast with light showers Temperature: High 40s to 50s Road Surface: Loose Gravel Today's event started out this afternoon under clear blue skies as competitors and rally devotees gathered at the Copper County Mall in Houghton, MI. It was warm and sunny as fans lined up to collect prized autographs and meet Subaru Rally Team USA drivers Ken Block and Travis Pastrana. Local and national media were on hand, interviewing competitors before the teams dove into the final round of heated competition for the Rally America Championship crown. Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom, in car 199, trailed Tanner Foust and Christine Beavis for second place by mere seconds in the first two stages. In the remaining five stages however, Travis and Christian kept a solid first-place lead, ending up the day forty-one seconds ahead of Foust and Beavis. The ability of Pastrana and Edstrom to muscle to first place by the third stage and then stay on top for the remainder of the day has been essential to gaining the full one minute and thirty-nine second lead they have over their championship title rivals Andrew Pinker and Robbie Durant, who have finished third on every stage so far. For Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino, with the 2007 Rally America Championship title at their fingertips, a series of unfortunate obstacles have shattered their hopes of victory. Car 43 suffered three tire punctures within the first three stages it ran. Despite the resultant effects of limited turning ability and a serious speed handicap, Block and Gelsomino grabbed fourth place finishes on all three of those first stages. They simply didn't seem to be slowed down by the hindrance of not having air in all of their tires! Ultimately, a critically damaged radiator left them with no choice other than to retire on stage 5, a sour turn of events after they ran the season to an amazing tie for second place in the championship. With Ken and Alex out of the race, it is up to Travis and Christian to remain ahead of the two top rival cars. Although the weather forecast for tomorrow is not as extreme as previously predicted, evening rains will likely turn the course into a treacherously slippery slew of muddy roads. Nearly two thirds of the LSPR stage miles have been run already, so it is down to forty miles in eight short stages where anything could happen. The three front runners will all be pushing their Subaru WRX STIs to the limit, vying for the win. Can Andrew Pinker and Robbie Durant overcome the LSPR experience advantage of the incumbent Pastrana and Edstrom? Will Travis and Christian be able hold on to their substantial lead to win the Rally America Championship for the second consecutive year? This is rally and there's no way to predict the outcome. Check back tomorrow for final results. In the meantime, check out excellent photos from todays race! Click here to view. THURSDAY - SHAKEDOWN Weather: Sunny Temperature: Mid 40s Road Surface: Loose Gravel Subaru Rally Team USA took to the course this afternoon for the Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) shakedown stage. This event is the final round of the 2007 Rally America National Championship and the competition is guaranteed to be fierce as teammates Ken Block and Travis Pastrana are currently tied for second place overall, with Australian Andrew Pinker merely four points ahead. During practice today, the top contenders pushed their cars hard as the sun set on a crisp, clear evening. The weather forecast for Friday, the first day of competition at LSPR, predicts mostly sunny skies with some partial cloud cover in the evening. Clear weather and familiar territory could keep the standings close throughout the day, but LSPR is not known for perfect weather. Friday night will bring rain showers. The last day of competition, Saturday, is threatening wind and rain which nullifies any chance of guessing the outcome of this year's championship. Stay tuned here for coverage of the fast paced and unpredictable Lake Superior Performance Rally. |
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