Dominant Performance Cut Short
Subaru driver Travis Pastrana was nearly untouchable at the 2010 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood,? convincingly pulling away from a strong field before a seemingly innocuous driving error late in the event damaged his 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI and? forced him to retire.? The 100 Acre Wood Rally, based in and around Salem, Missouri, was the second stop on the six-event 2010 Rally America National Championship series.
Named after the storybook home of Winnie the Pooh, the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and features very high speeds on smooth and flowing gravel roads that are a favorite of many rally drivers. Pastrana, with co-driver Christian Edstrom, pushed hard from the first stage and pulled away from a very competitive field, winning the first seven stages of the event.? After Pastrana?s closest challenger, former Canadian Rally champion Antoine L?Estage, lost time with a problem early on the second day Pastrana found himself with a comfortable lead of over one-minute on rival and former Subaru driver Ken Block.?
However, late in the event, Pastrana?s run toward an expectant victory came to an abrupt halt.? Damage to a suspension component on Pastrana?s Subaru resulting from a hard rear-wheel impact into a ditch cut Pastrana?s rally short.? The incident occurred on the short spectator viewing stage held within a town park, and Pastrana was able to nurse his Subaru to finish the stage.? Although they feverishly attempted a roadside repair, there was insufficient time for Pastrana and Edstrom to complete the effort nor was there a scheduled service stop where their Subaru Rally Team USA crew of mechanics could work on the car.
?This one is really tough to swallow. I had everything I needed to win here,? explained a dejected Pastrana. ?Our Subaru was perfect and totally unbeatable. We were able to just pull away from everyone on the first half of the rally and then just had to cruise to the finish.? It was a small mistake; I cut a corner and then exited too wide and didn?t know there was a drainage ditch there. I just can?t believe it.?
03.01.2010
