Travis Pastrana smiled. He knew what he wanted to say, but how best to put it across?
Route one. Same way he’s always gone.
“Brandon Semenuk pretty much retired me,” he said, answering the question of why he’d stepped back from American rallying’s dream ticket of an Open class Subaru WRX ARA25 to the all-new Limited category equivalent.
“I realized I’m no longer willing, capable maybe, I don’t know, whatever the word is, to run at that high of a level. It’s been such an honor, it’s been so much fun. But right now, where I am with my life, with my girls, and trying to spend a little bit more time at home and just really have fun.”
Watching Pastrana wrestle with his desire to unflinchingly put everything on the line in search of another win, another title wasn’t much fun last year. The Maryland driver is one of the most straightforward drivers I’ve ever met. There’s no side to him; what you see is always what you get. And what you see is always worth watching – when did you last hear of somebody jumping out of a plane without a parachute, but with a plan to find one on the way down?
Pastrana showed no fear when he set the world record for the longest jump in a rally car – 269 feet (82 meters) off the Pine Street Pier in Long Beach, California
Pastrana’s the very definition of the all-American hero. But sometimes, you’ve got to let the head rule the heart.
He’s done that, despite his team-mate’s best advice.
“Semenuk was like: ‘What the hell are you doing?’” he laughed. “And I’m like: ‘Well, you brought it to the next level and that’s awesome and I know there’s a lot of people that aspire to be there, but…’”
Talking to Pastrana at the end of 100 Acre Wood last year was one of the most illuminating moments of my career. Staring into a clear, cold Salem Saturday night, the then 40-year-old looked lost. He’d just been soundly beaten by Semenuk and Barry McKenna and his appraisal was startlingly honest.
“If I’m too scared to go for it, I shouldn’t be in that seat,” he told DirtFish. “I’ve never been this scared in my entire life.”
Contrast that with last weekend, when he couldn’t get enough of WRX ARA25L.
It's not as fast as its ARA24 big brother – but the ARA25L is potentially more fun, especially in the hands of a driver who loves to go sideways
Pastrana’s attitude into this season has certainly shifted from competition to campaign to crusade. He wants more cars in the field. He wants more fun.
“I want to do something where we can have as many people as possible,” he said.
“We’re going to figure out how much we can make the car for, how much we can cut on costs. I’m not sure if we’re going to run arrive and drive or what but what I feel like if we can get the car to an affordable rate then people will come and you everyday blue collar working class man could go out there and jump in for a weekend with a competitive car.
“And I feel like that’s the goal here: to make multiple cars that are exactly the same. I pushed pretty hard for this, but that’s a Subaru call. That’s a VermontSportscar call, but if I was to look to the future, I would love to see five more of these vehicles so we can do an arrive and drive. And be able to buy that same car, if you want to run your own program.
“This is a class that is a lot more affordable than the top class – that’s still the class to aspire to. But for a US championship, to jump in and really see where you are and where you stack up…”
I'd like to have a class that they're like: “This is an awesome starting ground!” Or for people like myself, it’s an awesome kind of finishing ground.Travis Pastrana on the lure of Limited 4WD
Pastrana’s clear on his intentions for the future and they’re based largely around driving rally cars.
“I want to be here for a long time,” he said. “I really want to rally. We have some of the best roads. We have some of the best rallies, you know, no matter if you’re from the US or from anywhere in the world. I’d like to have a class that they’re like: ‘This is an awesome starting ground!’ Or for people like myself, it’s an awesome kind of finishing ground.
“Like I said, I want to be around rallying and around people passionate for rallying – I hope to be in the woods for a long time to come, and hopefully this inspires the next generation, the older generation, anyone that wants to come out and have fun. Hopefully this brings a class that’s a little more affordable level and for people to prove themselves and just to keep rallying for as long as possible.”
And maybe, looking to the past could help inspire the future.
Pastrana adds: “When I came into rally, unfortunately it was right after Mark Lovell had passed, and that’s when all the major manufacturers kind of jumped out for a little bit, and everyone was running Group N for the National Championship.
“That allowed myself, somebody who had no business in an Open class car, to get in and work my way up – as well as Ken Block, Tanner Foust, they were just getting into it as well as some European drivers and the Canadians coming. At that time, we had eight to 10 drivers with competitive cars who could win.”
All went to plan on the ARA25L's debut – and Pastrana hopes Subaru will opt to build more of them
Washington last week was the first official outing of the WRX ARA25L and there’s no doubting the potential straight out of the box. If anything, it’s a touch too quick, maybe a smidge too much tech. Dialling down on both would help bring the price down and deliver precisely the package Pastrana’s after.
TP’s seen American rallying in all forms, through boom and bust. His vision for the future is well worth a look.
