Why Higgins Couldn’t Wait to Get Revenge Against Pastrana’s Subaru WRX STI

David Higgins wasn’t about to let Travis Pastrana beat his Subaru WRX STI Rally machine two times in-a-row. The victory at Olympus Rally for Higgins and Drew this weekend was only just over two minutes, but it was enough to beat his teammates Travis Pastrana and Robbie Durant who won the last event at the Oregon Trail Rally in April. That race cost Higgins the chance to win his 7th win in-a-row and he wasn’t going to let Pastrana spoil his weekend again.

Higgins came out with a vengeance on Saturday in the first six stages on Day one. Higgins held a 50 second lead over Pastrana going into Sunday where some of the longest stages in the entire American Rally Association Championship remained to be run. The Nahwatzel stage extends for 24.62 miles and had to be run twice. Higgins was in his element with plenty of wet, slick and muddy stages and he wasn’t about to let up.

After Day one, Pastrana said, “We won the two spectator stages, but Higgins really kicked our butts on the long, technical muddy stages. Still sitting second, but we have our work cut out for us tomorrow.” Higgins commented, “Big day tomorrow, even with a 50 second lead you can never relax when Travis Pastrana is behind.”

The battle continues on Day 2

The #199 Subaru WRX STI driven by Pastrana didn’t go down without a fight and pushed hard all day. Sunday started with Pastrana and Durant beating Higgins’ #75 WRX STI by 1.1 seconds slightly closing in on the lead. But that made Higgins push his Subaru STI even harder on the final stages and keeping his lead over Pastrana. David Higgins and Craig Drew ran a flawless final three stages extending their lead further.

Brandon Semenuk in his #180 Subaru Rally Crosstrek just missed a top ten finish and came in 11th in the standings. Semenuk now takes his skills and will put them to the test in his new Crosstrek with a competition platform in the Canadian Rally Championship this season.

Higgins gets revenge against Pastrana and wins the wet, slick and muddy Olympus Rally in Shelton, Washington. The battle will continue between Higgins’ #75 Subaru WRX STI and Pastrana’s #199 STI next month when they head east to the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, June 2-3. Stay tuned.

Photo credit: Subaru Motorsports