Subaru Rally Team USA and Pastrana Begin WRC Argentina
March 28, 2008 7:53am
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Rally Argentina is only the fourth WRC event in Pastrana's young career, after successfully finishing all three P-WRC events he entered in 2007. Pastrana's best finish in 2007 was 5th overall amongst the P-WRC contenders at 2007 Corona Rally Mexico, he then finished 10th and 11th at Rally Argentina and Rally Great Britain respectively. Subaru Rally Team USA is attending Rally Argentina with the same American based team of technicians and management that handle their assault on the Rally America National Championship, where Pastrana reigns as the two-time defending national champion.
Rally Argentina is based in Villa Carlos Paz - a small lakeside town near the large city of Cordoba. The all gravel event is known for rough roads and dramatic water crossings. Several of the stages are run at high altitude, some approaching 2200 meters, where the thin air will sap the cars of power. Speeds are typically high but the stages feature numerous bumps and dips that will test the rally car's suspension and the driver's mettle. Large rocks embedded in the road surface, that have been known to tear wheels off, will challenge even the most experienced drivers. These challenges are all compounded by
the highly unpredictable weather which typically includes fog and
rain.
"We learned a lot last year in our three P-WRC events, especially how hard and demanding WRC rounds are compared to our shorter Rally America events. My biggest hurdle of course is creating my own stage notes, which we don't do in Rally America events and I have limited experience with," explained Pastrana. "But I've had a bit of practice and have a few WRC events under my belt now. Most importantly I now have Derek Ringer co-driving for me and he has all the experience any driver could want and he should be a big help to me. Just like last year we are aiming for a finish rather than a podium, but I'd be very happy with a result in the top six."
Fans can follow Rally Argentina with live stage times and news updates at www.wrc.com and Subaru Rally Team USA will post an update each night at www.subaru.com/rally.
Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), DC Shoes, BFGoodrich Tires, Boost Mobile, Recaro, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, Greddy, PIAA and Vermont SportsCar. Visit www.subaru.com/rally for Subaru Rally Team USA photo galleries, news and team information.
