Walking across the car park towards his Subaru first thing on Saturday morning, Brandon Semenuk caught some ice. Ordinary people might well have headed south and bounced. The Canadian gathered it up and barely noticed.
That was the triple American champion’s only moment in a flawless season-opening Sno*Drift Rally. He and co-driver Keaton Williams bossed round one of the ARA National Championship presented by Kubota from the start of the first stage to the end of the last one.
Driving the sole factory Subaru WRX, Semenuk arrived in Atlanta, Michigan as favorite on an event he’s won for the past two years. He delivered on that billing. Comfortably ahead by the end of Friday, Semenuk continued to build the lead past the four-minute mark through Saturday’s increasingly snowy stages.
“The snow really came back to Sno*Drift,” the winner told DirtFish at the finish. “I enjoyed this one. We were a bit strategic how we approached it. We were finding a good pace on the first pass and then being careful when the roads polished up [on the second pass]. I’m happy how it worked out. Like I told you before, we hadn’t driven the car much in the snow, so it was good to try some things and play with the car a little.
Subaru driver Jimmy Pelizzari took a fourth Regional victory on the Sno*Drift
“Today the conditions were tricky, the powerstage might have been the worst powerstage we’ve ever done, but we’d already done the job and I didn’t want to do anything stupid.”
Williams listened in and, soon as Semenuk was out of earshot, he added: “He drove well here. When we went off the line on the first one, we were going at it quite hard and I thought: “Hello…” but he found a good feeling and that was it, the pace was there and everything was good.”
Beginning what he hopes will be his first full campaign in North America’s premier series, Conner Martell secured second with a capable and sensible drive aboard a 2015-spec, VSC-run Impreza WRX.
Martell belied his lack of Sno*Drift experience – this was his first time on the series’ winter round – to bring the car home as a comfortable runner up.
When we went off the line on the first one, we were going at it quite hard and I thought: “Hello…”Keaton Williams
“This was definitely one of the most tricky rallies I’ve ever done,” said Martell. “In a car this quick, driving with no studs – it definitely caught me off guard a little bit. I thought I would be closer [to Semenuk] than we were at the start, we got quicker as I got more comfortable and the times were getting there. I’m just glad to be here at the finish.”
Back for the first time after his sizeable Oregon crash last year, Nick Allen was on superb form to land the final podium spot after an assured drive aboard his Ford Fiesta Rally3. The Eagle Rock Racing driver said: “I wasn’t sure how I would be in the car after the big off. Night one, we came right out and attacked and built a bit of a lead, day two we started to play it safe, but with this snow coming down, it was like driving on a super-slick layer of mud.”
Matthew Nykanen (BMW) and Chris Cyr (Ford Fiesta ST) took the open and limited two-wheel drive National honours. Thousands of fans lining the Michigan stages were delighted at Nykanen’s decision to fit a three-liter engine to his E36 – he kept them entertained throughout, while Cyr’s maiden Sno*Drift delivered a hugely impressive result for him at the top of a big season.
Tayler Hoevenaar had looked good to defend his Sno*Drift Regional win from last year, right up until his Forester hit mechanical trouble on the way out to the final loop of stages. Jimmy Pelizzari had led early on in the event, but slipped back as Hoevenaar picked up his pace. But when the Forester hit trouble, the #887 Impreza moved to the front with a big lead over first time snow driver Camden Sheridan (Impreza) and first-time podium dweller Alastair Scully (Mitsubishi Mirage).
“Realistically, they had us,” said Pelizzari, talking about Hoevenaar. “I feel awful for them, but they raised their game and we’re going to have to up our game next year. It’s been a great couple of days, the weather, the snow has been fantastic – there’s nothing quite like this rally.”
Chris Nonack (Subaru BRZ) and Emmons Hathaway (Honda Civic) took the L2WD and O2WD Regional classes respectively.
Putting the snow back into the Sno*Drift caught more then a few crews out
