Motorsports | Subaru Global

Muddy roads, heavy rains, and slippery conditions persisted all day as the Wild West ProRally finished in Washington. Mark Lovell and Steve Turvey, starting the day 6th on the road and 8 minutes behind eventual winner Rhys Millen, battled through a tough day and finished 5th. Mark and Steve should be congratulated for a valiant effort through unsavory conditions. "We can only look forward to the next event," exclaimed Jeff Walters, head of the Subaru Team, "anything can happen." Breaking through to the podium was Tim O'neil, who is making a resurgent comeback on the SCCA ProRally circuit. Driving a Group N Subaru Impreza WRX, Tim's 3rd place is a remarkable feat amid faster and more powerful open class cars. The middle of October brings the tour back to the center of the United States for the 10th and final event of the season; the Lake Superior ProRally on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Subarus will regroup and look to take the final race by storm. See you in Michigan.

The Subaru team could not have had a better start this morning. Ramana Lagemann and Mike Kidd were leading the race after 3 stages. Meanwhile, Mark and Steve were right behind the young Lagemann, but had been having problems with dust lingering in the road. Lagemann was feeling great and was very pleased with his results. However, Ramana and Mike's luck would soon change as the rally continued into the afternoon. Towards the end of stage 5 Ramana could feel the car loosing power. He pressed on knowing that something was not right. Despite setting the fastest stage time he was forced to retire at the end of stage 5 with an engine failure. Although disappointed, Lagemann said "with my finish at the last event and my position this morning I really feel my confidence has increased. It feels great knowing that I can run in the top position."

Mark Lovell and Steve Turvey before the start of the last Saturday stage were still second, only seconds behind race leader Rhys Millen. Stage 7 was the longest of the day - 24 miles in all. Only a few miles into the stage Mark had problems with his gearbox and it remained stuck in 2nd gear for the duration of the stage. Not only did this severely limit his top speed, but his driving had to be error free. Lovell said "I couldn't make any mistakes. If I went off, or missed a turn, that would be it. I had no reverse, only second." Because of the length of the stage the #1 car lost eight minutes, pushing them out of the top 10 at the end of the day. At the last service, Subaru service technicians made the necessary repairs to Lovell's car and re-prepped it for leg 2 of the Wild West ProRally. SRT USA is hoping for a better run tomorrow and knows that in rallying anything can happen.

Mark Lovell when asked about tomorrow's race said "The dust is my main concern, and the draw (over the top start order) will be a major factor. If it's windy it will be less of a problem, but if the dust hangs over the road being first will be a huge advantage." Running the press stage gave Ramana and Mark another chance to fine tune their twin WRX's. Meanwhile, SRT USA service technicians were still gathering information about tire wear and final car setup. When asked about how Ramana had adjusted to the new car, he commented "The new car is really great. After completing the last event I was completely adjusted to the new feel." Last year at Wild West Ramana had an outstanding finish with a 3rd place overall. He hopes to repeat his performance and we wish both Ramana and Mark the best of luck in tomorrow's race. The flag will drop at 11:00am and leg 1 of this year's Wild West ProRally will end around 7pm.

A clear and sunny morning set the stage for this events test. Mark Lovell and Ramana Lagemann were back in their familiar Impreza WRX's adjusting to the Washington roads. The Wild West ProRally can be quite rough with sharp rocks and gravel making up much of the road surfaces. As a result, much of today's energy was devoted to tire testing and experimentation. The soft rubber compound that rally tires are constructed of can wear down in a few miles if the wrong compound has been fitted. The long stages at this event make such choices even a higher priority as the cars will be unsupported for unusually long distances. Runs down the two mile course were completed without incident while providing some great photo opportunities. Be sure to check out the gallery and look for more information and photos online tomorrow.

With only four points separating the top two teams in the SCCA ProRally Championship, this weekend's action at Wild West will be a test of manufacturer grit. Every point counts for Lovell and Lagemann, their results directly affecting the outcome of this narrow points race. With almost 10 years of history, the Wild West ProRally has been a fixture on the circuit. Drivers love the fast and open roads combined with spectacular views of distant 14,000 foot Mount Rainer. Team Subaru has been busy preparing the #1 and #2 cars back at team headquarters in Michigan. With just over two weeks since the Ojibwe Forests ProRally in Minnesota team members have worked hard to get the cars ready in time. If you go, the race is an easy drive from Seattle and has great spectator opportunities.

Rd. 9 Ojibwe Forests ProRally (9/7 - 8) Event Summary Muddy roads, heavy rains, and slippery conditions persisted all day as the Wild West ProRally finished in Washington. Mark Lovell and Steve Turvey, starting the day 6th on the road and 8 minutes behind eventual winner Rhys Millen, battled through a tough day and finished 5th. Mark and Steve should be congratulated for a valiant effort through unsavory conditions. "We can only look forward to the next event," exclaimed Jeff Walters, head of the Subaru Team, "anything can happen." Breaking through to the podium was Tim O'neil, who is making a resurgent comeback on the SCCA ProRally circuit. Driving a Group N Subaru Impreza WRX, Tim's 3rd place is a remarkable feat amid faster and more powerful open class cars. The middle of October brings the tour back to the center of the United States for the 10th and final event of the season; the Lake Superior ProRally on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Subarus will regroup and look to take the final race by storm. See you in Michigan. Saturday Summary The Subaru team could not have had a better start this morning. Ramana Lagemann and Mike Kidd were leading the race after 3 stages. Meanwhile, Mark and Steve were right behind the young Lagemann, but had been having problems with dust lingering in the road. Lagemann was feeling great and was very pleased with his results. However, Ramana and Mike's luck would soon change as the rally continued into the afternoon. Towards the end of stage 5 Ramana could feel the car loosing power. He pressed on knowing that something was not right. Despite setting the fastest stage time he was forced to retire at the end of stage 5 with an engine failure. Although disappointed, Lagemann said "with my finish at the last event and my position this morning I really feel my confidence has increased. It feels great knowing that I can run in the top position." Mark Lovell and Steve Turvey before the start of the last Saturday stage were still second, only seconds behind race leader Rhys Millen. Stage 7 was the longest of the day - 24 miles in all. Only a few miles into the stage Mark had problems with his gearbox and it remained stuck in 2nd gear for the duration of the stage. Not only did this severely limit his top speed, but his driving had to be error free. Lovell said "I couldn't make any mistakes. If I went off, or missed a turn, that would be it. I had no reverse, only second." Because of the length of the stage the #1 car lost eight minutes, pushing them out of the top 10 at the end of the day. At the last service, Subaru service technicians made the necessary repairs to Lovell's car and re-prepped it for leg 2 of the Wild West ProRally. SRT USA is hoping for a better run tomorrow and knows that in rallying anything can happen. Friday Mark Lovell when asked about tomorrow's race said "The dust is my main concern, and the draw (over the top start order) will be a major factor. If it's windy it will be less of a problem, but if the dust hangs over the road being first will be a huge advantage." Running the press stage gave Ramana and Mark another chance to fine tune their twin WRX's. Meanwhile, SRT USA service technicians were still gathering information about tire wear and final car setup. When asked about how Ramana had adjusted to the new car, he commented "The new car is really great. After completing the last event I was completely adjusted to the new feel." Last year at Wild West Ramana had an outstanding finish with a 3rd place overall. He hopes to repeat his performance and we wish both Ramana and Mark the best of luck in tomorrow's race. The flag will drop at 11:00am and leg 1 of this year's Wild West ProRally will end around 7pm. Thursday Testing A clear and sunny morning set the stage for this events test. Mark Lovell and Ramana Lagemann were back in their familiar Impreza WRX's adjusting to the Washington roads. The Wild West ProRally can be quite rough with sharp rocks and gravel making up much of the road surfaces. As a result, much of today's energy was devoted to tire testing and experimentation. The soft rubber compound that rally tires are constructed of can wear down in a few miles if the wrong compound has been fitted. The long stages at this event make such choices even a higher priority as the cars will be unsupported for unusually long distances. Runs down the two mile course were completed without incident while providing some great photo opportunities. Be sure to check out the gallery and look for more information and photos online tomorrow. Event Information With only four points separating the top two teams in the SCCA ProRally Championship, this weekend's action at Wild West will be a test of manufacturer grit. Every point counts for Lovell and Lagemann, their results directly affecting the outcome of this narrow points race. With almost 10 years of history, the Wild West ProRally has been a fixture on the circuit. Drivers love the fast and open roads combined with spectacular views of distant 14,000 foot Mount Rainer. Team Subaru has been busy preparing the #1 and #2 cars back at team headquarters in Michigan. With just over two weeks since the Ojibwe Forests ProRally in Minnesota team members have worked hard to get the cars ready in time. If you go, the race is an easy drive from Seattle and has great spectator opportunities.

Rd.9 Wild West ProRally - Olympia, WA September 7-8, 2002 The Wild West ProRally is run across Puget Sound and southwest from Seattle near Olympia National Park. Being one of the rainiest regions in America the event can have wet and slippery roads pushing equipment and drivers to the limit. On Saturday, there is a 1-mile spectator stage at a Motocross track complete with grandstands making for some excellent photo opportunities. In addition, there is a Service at the track giving spectators a chance to see both the cars race and be worked on at the same time. The roads are all gravel logging roads with varied terrain, some with significant elevation changes. In the past, a section of 6-lane gravel haul road has been used where drivers have the opportunity to test their confidence and top speeds! The course winds through dense trees and big hills on smooth and fast sweeping corners. The roads have been praised by some to be of the best in America, but can also be rough and technical on some stages.