Sunday: Race Day 2
Weather: Cloudy, Scattered Showers
Temperature: 40s to 60s
Road Surface: Clay and Gravel

At the dawn of the final day of the 2009 Rally Colorado, the teams awoke to sunny skies and the expectation of another dusty day of racing. As the racers headed to the first stage of the day with gravel tires mounted, the weather changed instantly. The ensuing rain was just enough to completely change the road conditions and forced drivers to adjust their driving technique accordingly. The competition was no longer a fast-paced dash along grippy gravel, but a slippery and difficult romp through conditions more like a snow rally. In the late afternoon, two stages were cancelled due to impassible roads. Despite a hard-charging effort by both Pastrana and Block, the 2009 Rally Colorado came to a disappointing conclusion for Subaru Rally Team USA.

For Travis Pastrana and Christian Edstrom, the race was over at the end of the first day. On Stage 10, Travis clipped three chicane pylons and was penalized seven minutes. Such a large time margin would have most likely been impossible to make up over the remaining stages. With the 2009 Rally America National Championship title already secured for Pastrana there was no pressure for him to finish the event. In the interest of preserving the vehicle for competition next month in the final round of the season, SRT USA withdrew car #199 at the start of day two.

Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino were unfortunately not exempt from the day's frustrations. After running an incredible race yesterday and keeping up with the Open Class while driving a Super Production car, the team's engine expired on the second-to-last stage of the race. Ken and Alex had been pushing hard for a podium finish at Rally Colorado this year, but were unable to make that happen.

Next month, Subaru Rally Team USA heads to the scenic Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the Lake Superior Performance Rally. Crisp fall air and hillsides covered in a fiery spectrum of foliage set the scene for a dramatic conclusion to the 2009 Rally America Championship season.

Saturday: Race Day 1
Weather: Sunny, Clear Skies
Temperature: 40s to 70s
Road Surface: Gravel Stage Roads and Oval Dirt Track

Today marked the first day of competition at the 2009 Rally Colorado and Subaru Rally Team USA is off to an excellent start. The weather was perfect, the cars ran excellently, and the drivers were in good spirits. From the long, fast stages through plains and mountains to the Spectator Super Special at the Hayden Speedway, the spectators were treated to a perfect day of racing. Once again, Colorado has proved to be a superb setting for a rally.

Right off the bat, Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino won the first stage of the race in their Super Production spec Subaru Impreza WRX STI. This was quite a surprise for the competition, as the SP car is actually less powerful than a stock Impreza WRX STI and lacks many of the performance add-ons utilized by Open Class rally cars. While Stage 1 was Ken's only stage win of the day, he finished in the top three on seven out of ten stages and ended the day in third place overall. Not only is this a testament to the abilities of Ken and Alex, but also to the incredible competitiveness of the Super Production Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Given their performance today, Block and Gelsomino have demonstrated their potential to deliver a surprise finish at this year's Rally Colorado.

In the Open Class, Travis Pastrana spent the day battling with Canadian rally driver Andrew Comrie-Picard. As Travis has already secured the 2009 Rally America National Championship win, he has been given specific orders to return his car in one piece. It would seem, though, that these instructions have had little effect as Travis and his co-driver, Christian Edstrom, won four stages today and finished second on the rest. Although Pastrana and Edstrom finished the day in the lead by twenty seconds over Comrie-Picard, a penalty on the final stage of the day cost the duo seven minutes and dropped them to eighth place. While a seven minute deficit is a lot to overcome and Pastrana is under no pressure to win, the race is far from over. We'll just have to wait until the final results are tallied tomorrow to see where Pastrana and Edstrom end up.

With only one-and-a-half races left in the season, the competition in Super Production hasn't settled at all. In the current Super Production standings, Jimmy Keeney is in second place, with Patrick Moro ten points behind. As the current SP class leader is not attending this event, the pressure is on between Keeney and Moro as they vie for first place in the series. During today's racing, Patrick Moro and Ole Holter in car #59 started in second place in-class (behind SRT USA's Ken Block) and stuck there. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Melissa Keeney quickly climbed to third in-class, finishing the day only 00:01:24.0 behind Moro and Holter. Tomorrow is certain to bring an intense battle between Moro and Keeney, driving Subaru Impreza WRX STIs from 2005 and 2007, respectively.

Tomorrow's weather forecast predicts the chance of thunderstorms starting at noon, but it seems the weather in Colorado is as unpredictable as the rally results. It is certain, though, that tomorrows rally race will be supremely exciting under any conditions. Sun will bring top speeds in excess of 120 MPH, and rain will bring slippery, muddy mayhem. Enjoy!

Friday: Shakedown & Parc Exposé
Weather: Sunny, Clear Skies
Temperature: 40s to 70s
Road Surface: Clay and Gravel

Subaru Rally Team USA spent much of today testing their cars on the shakedown stage and giving press rides to a few lucky media personnel. The SRT USA Subaru Impreza WRX STIs ran flawlessly today and looked great on the stage. The weather conditions were perfect and the dry roads provided an excellent racing surface.

Later in the afternoon, rally cars entered in the 2009 Rally Colorado lined up in downtown Steamboat Springs. This gave fans a chance to meet the drivers and check out the vehicles in person. With such beautiful weather, the turnout was fantastic and today's Parc Exposé was one of the best attended fan events this rally has seen.

While a gentle breeze kept the thick dust from hanging in the air today, it seems dust won't be an issue tomorrow. The weather forecast now calls for isolated thunder storms in the evening, which would change the stages from some of the grippiest in the season to nearly as slippery as Sno*Drift. Muddy roads are definitely a challenge for the drivers and they also make for some excellent spectating. With less control of their vehicles, racers are likely to put on quite a show at the spectator points. If you're in the area, head to a stage and check out the action!

Thursday: Pre-Race
Weather: Sunny, Clear Skies
Temperature: 40s to 70s
Road Surface: Clay and Gravel

This weekend, we find Subaru Rally Team USA in the pleasant resort town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado where they will compete in the 2009 Rally Colorado. This event takes place on some of the fastest roads in the season. With long straight sections and sweeping turns which flow through the mountainous expanse of Colorado, both the scenery and speed of this event are absolutely breathtaking. In previous years, late summer rains have made the clay road surface treacherously slick, but recent dry weather has left the rally stages dry and packed, making for an incredibly fast course.

Today, Travis Pastrana and Ken Block greeted fans and signed posters at Cook Subaru in Steamboat Springs. On Friday, Subaru Rally Team USA will run the shakedown and press stage in preparation for this weekend's race. In the afternoon, all rally cars will be on display at the Welcome Party and Parc Exposé in downtown Steamboat Springs. If you're in the area, stop by and check out the scene!