Travis Pastrana Wins the 2017 Oregon Trail Rally in His Subaru WRX STI
Subaru driver Travis Pastrana took the title at the 2017 Oregon Trail Rally this year
The 2017 Oregon Trail Rally occurred recently in Portland, Oregon, and Subaru driver Travis Pastrana took the top spot with a win in the team’s 2017 Subaru WRX STI. Pastrana and his co-driver Robbie Durant had a slim lead in the first stage of the rally, with Subaru teammate David Higgins close behind in his car. Higgins had previously won six Oregon Trail Rally events in a row, so this was a thrilling race.
With Pastrana’s win, he and Higgins are now tied at the top of the ARA Driver’s Championship standings leading up to the Olympus Rally in Olympia, Washington, next month. It’s no surprise that it was a tough fight for a first place finish, as last year’s race was just as close. In the 2016 race, Pastrana and Higgins switched leads many times, with Higgins ultimately taking the title 9.5 seconds before Pastrana finished.
The Subaru Rally Team USA celebrates at the 2017 Oregon Trail Rally
“David Higgins has been a mentor and someone I’ve always looked up to and tried to emulate my driving after my whole rally career, so to be able to battle him and come out on top is an amazing feeling,” explained Pastrana at the podium. “He was undefeated here, and had won here the last six years in a row, so we had to be perfect and go all-out to beat him. Our Subaru was amazing and Robbie (Durant) was perfect on the notes, everything worked really well. To get the win here and be tied in the championship standings is all we could have asked for.”
The next race for Subaru Rally Team USA is in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 28th and 29th, with new drivers Chris Atkinson and Patrik Sandell taking a go at the 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship. Pastrana and Higgins will then return for the race in Olympia on May 12th.
Gallery: Check out photos from the 2017 Oregon Trail Rally
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