14 May David Higgins and Craig Drew Lead Olympus Rally After Wet First Day

Article written for American Rally Association here.

Shelton, Washington (May 14, 2017)

David Higgins and Craig Drew lead the 2017 Olympus Rally after one day and 69.4 stage miles of competition. The pair lead Travis Pastrana and Robbie Durant by 54 seconds. The two Subaru Rally Team USA teammates came into the weekend tied in the championship standings.

Record rainfall in the forests near Shelton have inundated the area over the past several weeks, rendering today’s stages a mix of gravel, slick river stones, and mud. The normally smooth roads are now pot marked with holes, small washouts, and drainage cuts.

Nearly every driver mentioned the slippy state of the stages. “It was just like Rally GB, but even slippier than that,” said Craig Drew, “slippier than we thought it was going to be, but to be honest that’s the sort of conditions we usually enjoy and excel in.”

The Wild Cat stage proved particularly challenging due to the weather. The 18.6 mile stage is famous for its series of successive tight corners, corners made even more difficult after being turned to mud. Travis Pastrana dropped a total of 49.5 seconds to Higgins on the two runnings of Wild Cat, alone. “That stage kicked our butts,” said Pastrana, “Its super technical; It changes from wide open and fast and dry then you’re in the rain and the mud.

Third overall are Barry McKenna and Leon Jordan in their freshly rebuilt Fiesta S2000 Turbo. The car suffered from engine problems last month at Oregon, as a result, McKenna has limited seat time, he is happy to finally be able to stretch his legs. ”Every stage is getting better and better,” said McKenna, “Really starting to enjoy it and understand how the car works.”

The Fourth and Fifth spots are hotly contested going into the second day of Olympus. Brandon Semenuk and John Hall currently lead David Nickel and Alex Gelsomino by 13 seconds. Both teams are driving Rocket Rally prepared Subaru Crosstreks. This fight is shaping up to go to the wire.

In Restricted Open 4WD, Travis Nease and Krista Skucas inherited the lead early in the afternoon after Jeff Seehorn and Karen Jankowski were forced to retire from the event due to a mechanical issue. “The goal in the end is to make it through,” said Skucas,” and if we lose some time that’s fine with us. We’re racing our own race“

George Plsek and Alex Kihurani had engine troubles in their Mitsubishi Evo IX midday, yesterday. A boost hose came loose, causing the team to drop back several minutes.
2WD sees Derek Nelson and J. Grahn currently leading Ryan Millen and Rhianon Gelsomino by 9 seconds. The Rally Rav4 team more than welcomes the challenge. “We’re always in a dogfight,” said Millen, “every single rally I go I’m always trading seconds with somebody. Derek’s doing a great job.”

Millen’s close rival, Cameron Steely, was forced to retire early in the day after breaking half shafts on their Ford Fiesta ST. Regional competitor Steven Redd was also forced to retire today, after breaking several components of his front suspension.

As always be sure to check out the American Rally Association live timing page for up to the minute timing and scoring presented by Nameless Performance. Also tune into the ARA social media feeds for photos, videos, and stories throughout the day.

About American Rally Association (ARA)

We are a member driven organization dedicated to the sport of stage rally by providing a transparent and inclusive sanctioning body. A 501 (c)(3) non-profit, ARA is lead by elected and appointed board members who deliver a framework for safety, competition, promotion, and educational forums for all aspects of the sport. The common goal of our members, volunteers, and organization is a thriving stage rally program in America.