Photo: Lars Gange | rally.subaru.com
Of course, at the beginning of the year, SRT USA did not know what lay ahead. So with Travis Pastrana/Christian Edstrom taking a commanding win for the second year in a row at the traditional opening Sno*Drift Rally, the season looked promising. Dave Mirra/Martin Headland finished 6th overall. Mirra was now driving a full Open Class WRX STI with a lot more power (more than 320 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque) than the Super Production WRX STI he had been driving the previous season.
During the next three months, the season was looking ever brighter for Mirra/Headland as they finished 4th in the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood and then managed 3rd place in the Olympus Rally. Alas, Mirra’s point scoring then was over as he scored DNFs in the next two rallies and was unable to compete in the final rally. He finished 7th in the season championship.
Pastrana’s luck was even worse than Mirra’s. Following his season-opening win, Pastrana scored a DNF in the second rally, then took the victory in the Olympus Rally. (Incidentally, the SRT USA teammates scored a podium finish for the first time at Olympus event.) Then Pastrana had to miss the next two rallies, and, in the final season rally, he was again a non-finisher. He ended up 3rd in the championship.
Photo: Lars Gange | rally.subaru.comThe fifth running of the X Games Rally event was somewhat chaotic. The organizers moved the rally event to the Coliseum in Los Angeles for X Games 16. They covered the playing field with dirt in the same way they had at The Home Depot Center in previous years. However, it was not possible to create a long track outside the stadium, so the entire course was restricted within the confines of the stadium.
For the first time in the history of X Games Rally, there were two different competitions for rally cars. First was a regular elimination event with two cars going head to head for the familiar Rally Car Racing. Second was a separate event called SuperRally, which was modeled after a rallycross-type event with four cars competing side by side over several laps.
Unfortunately, there was little time for practice, and the tight layout was poorly marked. That led to scenes of confusion, as many drivers got lost! To make matters worse, SRT USA was developing a new car based on the upcoming 2011 WRX STI, and inevitable teething troubles, plus off-track excursions, meant none of the three drivers, including European rallycross champion Sverre Isachsen in a third Subaru, made it through to the finals. There were no medals this year for SRT USA.
The short Rally America season ended in July, and X Games took place at the end of the same month. But there were still a couple of events left in which SRT USA could compete – the new RallyCar™ Rallycross events at New Jersey Motorsports Park. In the first round at the end of August, Pastrana placed 2nd and Mirra 3rd. In the second round at the beginning of October, Mirra placed 2nd while Pastrana suffered engine failure when mud blocked the radiator.
Subaru Rally Team USA looked forward to the 2011 season.