Four-time American champion Brandon Semenuk will miss next week’s Overmountain Rally due to mountain bike commitments.
The Canadian star’s presence at the season-closing Lake Superior Performance Rally has also yet to be confirmed. Subaru USA Motorsports will field just one Subaru – Travis Pastrana’s WRX STI ARA25L – in Tennessee next week.
As the world’s most celebrated mountain biker – with a record five Red Bull Rampage wins to his name – Semenuk has to divide his time between two and four wheels. It doesn’t always make for the most straightforward diary; in 2022 he won LSPR to clinch his maiden ARA title, then took a private jet directly to Utah for the Rampage event running the same weekend.
With this year’s title sewn up with two rounds to spare, there’s less need for private jets.
Trek rider Semenuk's a five-time winner of mountain biking's biggest event Red Bull Rampage
Talking to DirtFish about his absence from his title-winning Subaru next weekend, Semenuk said: “I won’t be at Overmountain Rally Tennessee this year as I’m taking on a large mountain bike film project with Red Bull and wanted to give it the time it deserves.
“Once that’s wrapped, I’ll look ahead to plans for the rest of the rally season and into the new year.”
Having clinched last year’s title, Semenuk skipped LSPR allowing Subaru to offer Lia Block his seat in the factory WRX. The team has yet to confirm its plans for the Michigan finale this time around, but wouldn’t rule out the potential for another guest driver.
A spokesperson said: “With Brandon and Keaton [Williams, co-driver] winning the championship early and now being busy with filming, it does open the door for that kind of [guest driver] opportunity. We haven’t decided yet.”
