Cherry Hill, N.J. – Subaru factory rally drivers David Higgins and Travis Pastrana claimed a 1-2 podium finish respectively at Olympus Rally, round three of the 2017 American Rally Association (ARA) championship, held near the Capitol city of Olympia, WA. Three weeks after an intense battle between Pastrana and Higgins at the Oregon Trail Rally, where Pastrana edged Higgins by just 10.5 seconds, Higgins bounced back at the Olympus Rally, winning seven of the ten competition stages to keep a hard charging Travis Pastrana at bay. With the Olympus victory Higgins now leads Pastrana in ARA Championship points at the halfway point of the season.
“It’s been a great rally for Craig (Drew) and me. I’m happy to have a good event and be back on the top step of podium,” said Higgins. “Our Subaru was excellent again; this event really had everything from rough roads to wet slick conditions and long stages, it’s a real challenge. Big thanks to Craig again, this was our 30th win working together and we look forward to many more.”
The Olympus Rally, held in scenic western Washington, has a storied past. The rally was part of the first US Rally Championship in 1973 and later ran as a World Rally Championship event from 1986-1988 during the sport’s legendary Group B days. Olympus rally challenged 44 team entries with twisty, loose gravel-covered roads combined with sporadic rain showers. Teams covered 138 rally stage miles over the course of two days. The rally also features two of the longest rally stages in North America at 25 miles each, testing the endurance of both driver and car.
“Conditions were really tough out there with the rain, and the more challenging the conditions and the roads get the more David’s skill set shines through, he was just really good out there,” explained Travis Pastrana.
Higgins and Pastrana will square off again at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally near Wellsboro, PA June 2-3.
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About Subaru Rally Team USA
Subaru Rally Team USA is managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Valvoline, Method Race Wheels, DirtFish Rally School, KÜHL, DMACK Tires, PIAA, RECARO and DBA USA. Follow the team online at www.subaru.com/rally
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