Subaru Rally Team USA

TEAM PRESS RELEASE
Subaru Rally Team USA takes Silver and Bronze in Wild Finish At X Games 13 Rally

(Los Angeles - August 5th, 2007) Subaru Rally Team USA drivers Ken Block and Travis Pastrana have won Silver and Bronze medals respectively in the X Games 13 Rally Car Super Special event. Block, driving his BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI missed out on the Gold by a mere 0.68 seconds to fellow Subaru Impreza WRX STI driver Tanner Foust in front of a sell-out crowd at the Home Depot Center soccer stadium in Los Angeles. Pastrana, the X Games hero and defending Gold medalist was forced to accept the Bronze in his semi-final heat against Foust, when he crossed over into Foust's lane while leading at the finish.

ESPN's X Games 13, the annual action sports extravaganza which has vaulted a variety of sports to the mainstream, kicked off late last week with Freestyle Motocross, Skateboarding and BMX competitions. The final event of the weekend was the return of the Rally Car Super Special, returning after its debut in 2006 where Pastrana took home gold after World Rally legend Colin McRae rolled on the final jump. This year's edition of the event featured one wild finish after another, captivating the sell-out crowd and the millions watching from home Live on ABC television . The twelve invited rally teams competed on a head-to-head course incorporating a combination of tarmac and dirt at the Home Depot Center stadium and a larger than life 70-ft dirt jump in the middle of the stadium! The format included elimination rounds, with the winner advancing and the loser eliminated.

The highly anticipated return of 1995 World Rally Champion Colin McRae ended in spectacular fashion when he clipped a barrier earlier in his semi-final match-up against teammate Ken Block, subsequently knocking down the water-filled barrier and riding up and over it, causing his Subaru to roll over and become stuck on another barrier. "I overcooked the corner," sighed McRae, seemingly in disbelief. "I hit the hand-brake and slid, just touching the barrier. We caught the barrier with the rear and it pulled the front end. There was a gap in the rails, so the front-end just plowed into the next barrier, pushing it along. Then the only option was to try and push it out of the way but the car rode onto it and then it flipped over the top of it. It all happened quickly."

Although losing that matchup, McRae and co-driver Carolyn Bosley had hoped to make a run for the bronze medal, patiently waiting for a trio of Vermont SportsCar mechanics to repair their car to continue into the next round . "The car is straight, it just has bad panel damage," offered McRae. "The problem is the broken windscreen. They might not let us run again." He had it right as the X Games officials would not allow McRae to continue due to the shattered windshield, ending the Scot's day.

The most exciting race of the Summer X Games 13 Rally Car Racing Super Special was between 2006 Gold medal winner Travis Pastrana and Hollywood stunt driver and Rally America competitor Tanner Foust. It all came down to the very last corner, the two cars banging off one another. Pastrana crossed the finish line first, but was disqualified for crossing over into Tanner's lane. The crowd and the SRT USA team members erupted in celebration at Pastrana's victory before hearing minutes later that race officials would disqualify Pastrana for the crossing into Foust's lane. "I was really happy with how we drove, and our Subaru and BFGoodrich Tires were amazing," he said in the paddock, bent and bruised rally cars everywhere. "Look at these cars. It was demolition derby out there. I drove my best and still crossed the line first. It was the wrong line, though! But they made the right call. It made for a good show I bet, but after winning the Gold last year, taking home Bronze this time around is hard to swallow."

The Gold medal match up was then solidified as Block versus Foust. After both drivers completed the first half of the course Block had a small but seemingly solid lead, but Foust pushed hard on the final sections while Block miss-shifted, causing him to lose time as they approached the finish. Foust surged ahead of Block as they crossed the line, just 0.68 seconds apart. Block, co-founder of the DC Shoes brand and multi-time Rally America series event winner, was gracious in defeat. "I just made a couple little shifting mistakes and that's all it takes on a small course like this," lamented the Californian. "I'm really disappointed I wasn't able to beat him, but Tanner is a great driver and we had a good battle and I look forward to next year. I've got a Bronze from last year and a Silver this year, so next year it has to be Gold."

The fourth Subaru entry of Boris Said, the NASCAR ace and last minute "at-large" guest invitee to the X Games Rally Car event had the cards stacked against him from the start. His NASCAR commitments had him in Montreal all week, where he nearly won the inaugural Busch event there only to have his engine fail in the closing laps. Rushing to board a jet with just six minutes to spare, Said headed across the country overnight for Los Angeles where he arrived at nearly 2:00 AM , just hours prior the the X Games Rally start. After being absent from the two practice sessions on Thursday and Friday, Said was looking forward to nearly four hours of Sunday morning practice on the schedule. However problems with building the X Games Rally course overnight in the Home Depot Center stadium delayed and all but canceled practice, giving Said just one practice lap on a course he had never seen and in a car he has never competed! Saids' co-driver, US rally legend John Buffum coached Said as best he could on the details of the course and the handling traits of the car. Said was paired first against eight-time US Rally Champion Paul Choiniere in the first qualifying heat, who pulled ahead on the 2nd half of the course to best Said and end his day early.

Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, SubaruTecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, Boost Mobile, Recaro, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, PIAA and Vermont SportsCar.

TEAM PRESS RELEASE
Subaru Rally Team USA in The X Games 13, Sunday Live on ABC.

(Los Angeles - August 4th, 2007) Subaru Rally Team USA drivers Travis Pastrana and Ken Block will battle for the Gold medal at the second-ever Rally event this weekend at X Games 13 in Los Angeles. The dueling teammates will drive their BFGoodrich Tires-shod Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars on a head-to-head course incorporating a combination of tarmac and dirt at the Home Depot Center stadium. But they will have stiff competition from former World Rally Champion Colin McRae and NASCAR ace Boris Said, both piloting identically-prepared Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars by Vermont SportsCar, as guest drivers of Subaru Rally Team USA and sponsored by Subaru.

ESPN's X Games 13, the annual action sports extravaganza which has vaulted a variety of sports to the mainstream, kicked off this week with Freestyle Motocross, Skateboarding and BMX competitions. The twelve invited rally car teams meanwhile have had short practice stints on only the tarmac portions of the stadium course. A full course practice, which will include dirt sections on the stadium floor as well as a large cross-over gap jump will not take place until Sunday morning, just hours prior to the 1:30pm PST start with Live coverage on ABC television.

Pastrana has opted to sit out of the Freestyle Motocross events this year after landing the first-ever double back-flip and winning Gold medals in Best Trick and Freestyle MX last year. The 23 year-old 2006 Rally America National Champion is completing his career switch from two wheels to four and is steadily decreasing the number of Freestly MX events he enters. "Winning the Gold last year over my hero Colin McRae was something I'll never forget, but he is back this year, and I know he wants revenge," explained Pastrana. "If he doesn't make any mistakes he'll be hard to beat, but I'm here to defend my Gold and I'm 100% focused on this event."

Block, along with his co-driver Alex Gelsomino are eager to spoil the Pastrana/McRae show. "I've got confidence after winning the Bronze last year, and I really feel my driving has improved and developed since last year, so I know I can challenge both Travis and Colin for the Gold this time around," said Block. "Being here is amazing, and the buzz that the event generates is huge for the sport."

The dark horse of the event has to be NASCAR driver Boris Said driving the BFGoodrich Tires sponsored Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Said earned his X Games bid via an "at large" invitation due to his numerous racing accomplishments, which include winning the 1997 and 1998 24 Hours of Daytona and the 1991 12 Hours of Sebring. In 2002 Said won the fiercely fought SCCA Trans-Am Championship and in 2005, he became the first American to win the prestigious 24 Hours of Nurburgring in Germany. He also has four American Le Mans Series and several SPEED World Challenge wins to his credit. Said has also performed well in various NASCAR disciplines having competed and captured the pole in all three NASCAR series: Craftsman Truck, BUSCH and Nextel Cup, including a Truck series win in 1998 at Infineon Sears Point Raceway.

"I've been watching rally my whole life, and I think it's one of the most exciting sports in the world," explained Said. "I'm really excited to see the track and even more excited to see the 70-foot jump I've been told about. My only regret is that I'll be doing the NASCAR Busch race in Montreal on Saturday and will miss practice, but I guess that's why rally has the bravest co-drivers. I can't wait to get there and race." Said will be co-driven by John Buffum, the most successful American rally driver in history. Buffum currently works as Subaru Rally Team USA's Sporting Adviser, mentoring Pastrana and Block.

Colin McRae, the fourth driver in the Subaru stable will have the attention of all the live ABC cameras after spectacularly rolling his Subaru near the finish line last year, handing Pastrana the Gold by a mere half a second. "I am truly excited about coming back to the X Games again and looking forward to producing another 1-2 result for the Vermont SportsCar / Subaru Rally Team USA squad but of course this time with the drivers in the reverse order to that in which they finished last year! I will try and provide as much entertainment for the fans as in 2006, while hopefully remaining the right way up this time!"

"To have Boris join our team along with Colin is certain to make X Games 13 Rally an exciting ticket to watch," said Subaru representative, James Han." We're pleased to have Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Travis and Ken competing with such illustrious and competitive drivers, each in Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars."

Coverage of the X Games 13 Rally Car Racing Super Special will air Live on ABC from 3:00 PM-6:00 PM EST.

TEAM NEWS BULLETIN
Subaru Rally Team USA returns to 2nd ever X Games Rally competition

X Games 13 starts this week, and rally racing is back after a hugely successful debut last year when SRT USA driver Travis Pastrana narrowly beat out former WRC champ Colin McRae for the Gold. This year SRT USA is back with the same three drivers that swept the X Games podium last year; Travis Pastrana, Colin McRae and Ken Block. But joining the team will be a formidable fourth team driver, NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Boris Said driving a BFGoodrich Tires Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

Said earned his X Games bid via an “at large” invitation due to his numerous racing accomplishments, which include winning the 1997 and 1998 24 Hours of Daytona and the 1991 12 Hours of Sebring. During his first full season of competition in 2002, Said won the fiercely fought SCCA Trans-Am Championship and in 2005, he became the first American to win the prestigious 24 Hours of Nurburgring in Germany. Beyond international sports car racing, Said has also performed well in various NASCAR disciplines having competed in – and captured the pole – in all three NASCAR racing series: Craftsman Truck, Busch Grand National and Nextel Cup.

The X Games Rally course this year will be exclusively at the Home Depot Center stadium, winding through the parking lot and into the stadium where the cars will hit a huge gap jump on dirt. Different again this year will be the race format, instead of lowest elapsed time the cars will run two at a time on the parallel looping course with the winner moving on to the next round.

The SRT USA squad arrived in Los Angeles recently and conducted a private tarmac test to dial in the cars handling characteristics. Then on Tuesday the team headed to the Lake Elsinore Motocross track to practice on a dirt gap jump identical to what will be found in the Home Depot Center stadium on race day, Sunday Aug 5th. The drivers got a feel for the large 70+ foot jump, sorted out the approach speeds and landing techniques. It was quite a show, check out the gallery and the Pastrana blog photos!

Encore Performance

With 90 miles per hour and a cloud of dust, Colin McRae comes back to Los Angels to compete in the 2007 Summer X Games

By Eric Johnson

“Oh!” yelled Colin McRae after just watching a Mitsubishi EVO overcook a large, man-made jump, overshoot the 70 foot chasm, come down far too fast and at a very undesirable angle, and, with a loud panic to boot, dig its nose deep into the face of the backside of the jump. “That had to cause a lot of damage!” It did, the car limping away, badly wounded. It was Tuesday, July 31, 2007 and Colin McRae was sitting in a rental car, its air conditioning unit trying to beat back the 95-degree heat, watching a number of other cars tempt fate over the big piles of dirt. 30 minutes earlier, the 1995 World Rally Champion had taken his turn at the jump in his red and black Sobe No Fear Energy 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and despite flat landing it the first two times, had it sorted by the third attempt sailing over the abyss and landing in electric smooth fashion. What was on of the greatest rally drivers the sport had ever seen sitting in hire car at a motocross park in Lake Elsinore, California? Preparing for his encore at the 2007 Summer X Games. Having spectacularly rolled his Subaru WRX over a large dirt jump on his way to a sure Gold Medal run at the 2006 Summer X Games, McRae ended up with the Silver Medal, but in turn made a few million new fans in the United States of America. In this here NASCAR nation, rally is nothing but an esoteric form of auto racing known to only the hardest of the hardcore. However between the X Games, Rally America (sanctioning body), drivers like freestyle motocross superstar Travis Pastrana, extreme sports tycoon Ken Block, and Colin McRae himself, all are on a mission to change that, keen to get America’s Echo Boomer generation (born between 1977 and 1994 and 80 million in number) to realize that the sport of rally and Colin McRae actually exist outside of a PlayStation screen.

Colin, It’s July 31, 2007. You’ve decided to come back to Los Angeles, California for the Summer X Games?
Yes. I really enjoyed the Summer X Games last year. I had great fun — it was a totally different sort of racing for me. I met a lot of nice people, had a lot of fun and I really wanted to come back and do it again. And I’m not really busy on the driving front in Europe, so I’ve got some time to come and do some of these events and make the most of them whenever I can.

It’s been a year now, looking back, what did you think of Rally X in the 2006 Summer X Games?
I really enjoyed it. For me, to come and do the rally part of it in the mountains, driving on effectively blind roads I had never seen before. That was a new concept for me and I quite enjoyed that part of it. I really enjoyed the stadium, as well. I had watched the X Games for years on TV and I always thought I was too old to take part in it. So I decided to take the opportunity to go and compete in the X Games last summer and really enjoyed it.

The blind road stages you speak of have been removed from the competition this year. To that end, the entire Rally X competition will take place in or around the Home Depot Center stadium. No exactly a traditional rally. Are you okay with that?
It would have been nice to have them in, for sure. I mean I think the main part, obviously, is in the stadium, which everybody knows. It was nice to have a part of the event that was real rally, as well, but at the end of the day, you know, I’ve done them for years. I think the main part of the event is in the stadium, so that’s the important thing.

Just to remind everyone, what exactly happened last year when you rolled your car at the very finish of your final run?
I just came into the stadium and I knew that the way the jump was set up there, if you hooked early, you could get a really good exit speed and, obviously, win. But the danger was that if you hooked a bit too early there was the danger that the car would roll. But at the end of the day, if it rolls, it rolls and it was going to be a great show. It was so lucky the way it happened. To roll the car and get it back on its wheels and get to the finish and still take the Silver, it was actually perfect for the whole show.

Were you, personally, disappointed that you rolled the car or were you almost amused?
(Laughter) No, I was amused. A wins a win and it’s always nice to win, but if you can do something like that and still finish second, for me, it added a lot more value to the whole thing than actually winning it.

When you went back home to the United Kingdom, did people know what happened at the Summer X Games?
Everybody knew what happened and they knew that it happened because of that roll. If I would have kept going and won, nobody would have probably have bothered. It was just the fact in the way we finished made it across Europe like wildfire. It all worked out perfect.

You’re a former World Rally Champion and a classic rally driver in every sense. Are you okay with the traditional sport of rally being bastardized a little bit here to make it more popular? What I mean by that are things like this man made jump here before us and going in and out of stadiums okay with you?
I am. Even in the World Rally Championship now they do that sort of thing. Not to this extreme. Not with jumps like that (pointing), but they do have a certain element stadium-type stages and the whole idea is to get new people involved in the sport and make them aware of what it’s all about. They’re doing the same exact job here, but here, obviously, it’s being done in a far bigger manner.

What do you think about that 70-foot jump you sailed over a little while ago?
I think it’s cool. I think it’s great. I think it really captures the imagination of people, that’s for sure.

In your first two tries, you landed a bit flat and bounced like a soccer ball. On the third try, you nailed it. How did the jump feel to you?
Once you land properly, I mean you barely even feel it. It’s so smooth. It’s still safe. If you get it wrong, you’re only going to bend the car up a bit. As long as you get good speed out of the corner leading up to it, you’re going to clear it.

The Rally X format has changed dramatically this year. There will be a lot more asphalt and two cars will be competing head to head. Are you good with that?
Yeah, I think last year the format was good. This year, it’s changed a little. But from a spectator point of view — for the fans in the stadium — it’s quite good to have two cars because it’s quite good to have two cars because it builds up the excitement a bit rather then looking at a clock. Looking at a clock is always a bit of an anticlimax, I think.

Boris Said, the NASCAR Nextel Cup driver who will also be competing in Rally X this Sunday, and I were watching you drive on the asphalt yesterday and we marveled at the almost magical balance of the right amount of slide, car control, speed — everything — what, in you opinion, makes a world class rally driver so good?
I think that with anything, having a natural feeling for the car and having confidence in the car are things that are very important. It comes easier to some people than others. I think I’ve been one of these quite lucky guys that the feeling comes quite naturally, so it gives me time to work on other areas. Then it’s the same as any other sport: if you want to go to the top, it takes total commitment. You have to sacrifice other things in life that people enjoy doing and just really committing and being dedicated to your goals at the end.

If the situation ever presented itself, would you ever consider going back to compete in the World Rally Championship?
Absolutely. Yes. Certainly. For next year, yes. If it doesn’t happen next year, then I won’t because you can only be out of something at that level for so long, so we’re working on a couple of ideas this year. So something possibly may happen next year. If it does great, if it doesn’t, I’ll turn my attentions to other things.

So as an American would say, you definitely have an iron in the fire…
There’s an iron in there for sure, but how hot it is, I’m not sure of at the moment.