This weekend’s Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) clinched the Rally America National Championship title for Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins and Craig Drew. LSPR was the seventh and final rally of the year.
Higgins and Drew faced Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino of Hoonigan Racing, whose success this season positioned them to overtake the Subaru Rally USA team if they could score an overall win at LSPR, snatching the title from Higgins and Drew. Both teams pushed hard, with Block eking out an initial lead, but the first day finished with a 13.4 advantage for Higgins. On day two, Block rolled his car within a mile of the finish line at stage 12, ending Hoonigan Racing’s run and giving Higgins and Drew their third consecutive championship.
“The pace Block and I were both going made it entirely possible to happen to any one of us,” said Higgins. “It was the fastest that we have ever gone. I’m just delighted that we were leading at the time. The car has just been brilliant again. We’ve enjoyed this weekend. That was really the biggest, most important factor. Sure there was a lot of pressure, but we really went out there to have fun.”
Second place overall at LSPR was taken by Antoine L’Estage and Marshall Clarke of the Rockstar Energy Drink Rally Team, and the Super Production (SP) class’ Dillon Van Way and Andrew Edwards finished third overall. This was Van Way’s first-ever podium finish, and his first finish in the SP class. Fourth-place finishers David Sterckx and Karen Jankowski brought home the SP national championship, in spite of not scoring the class win at LSPR.
From a manufacturer’s standpoint, Subaru was the biggest winner of all, with all of the podium finishers driving WRX STIs backed by Vermont SportsCar.
Next year’s Rally America adds an eighth event to the title, and the action starts in January. Stay tuned!
