Subaru Wins Oregon Trail Rally

When you think of Rally Racing, we all think of Subaru immediately. And that’s no surprise because of the global success of Subaru Imprezas in rallying as a whole since replacing the Subaru Legacy as the preferred vehicle of choice in the World Rally Championship in 1993. 

So Much Winning

The first American Rally Association (ARA) event took place in 2017, and Subaru Motorsports USA has won 5 of the past 6 seasons of championships. With that level of success, it is easy to see why Subaru are willing and able to dedicate so much of their efforts towards this rally series. 

So far this season, Subaru has won every event, including the most recent, the coveted Oregon Trail Rally, taking a win in each stage of the total of 19 for the event, allowing them to lead from start to finish for the entirety of the race. 

A Masterful Performance

The driver Brandon Semenuk and co-driver Keaton Williams, the 2023 Subaru Motorsports USA team have two of the best in the ARA series. The start of the whole rally event took place on Friday evening with two stages at the Portland International Raceway. Semenuk and Williams were able to take a 28.4-second lead over the competition in front of excited spectators. When Saturday rolled around, the ambient temperature reached the upper 80s, meaning that the heat inside the rally cars would be even higher. Because of their stage wins the previous evening, Brandon and Keaton were starting from first. This forced them to be the car that would be sweeping the dust and dirt as well as throwing the rocks and debris off the road for the competition behind them, giving themselves less of an edge. Basically, it’s good when someone goes before you because they’re able to create a path. Think of driving in the snow. It’s always easiest when a truck or other vehicle has created a driving lane with their tires. But this didn’t stop Subaru from gaining a near-4 minute lead over the other drivers at the 10th and final stage of the day. 

Luckily on the following and final day, the weather had gotten a bit cooler. With stages 11 and 12, named Boyd Loop and Shadow Buck, the team went flying. Although, at stage 13, known as Nagle’s Revent, the dust was bad. The final day of stages beat the Subaru WRX STI up a bit, but luckily it walked away with just a cracked bumper and dented fender. Stage 11 turned out to be the fastest of all for the Subaru Motorsports team, and Brandon Semenuk went on to say, “We had a blast today. A lot of fast stages. I think the overall speed was, like, almost 80 mph – fast. The car is in great shape, it’s got a week back in the shop before we head to Ohio, so it will be tip-top for the next round,”

The next round will be the Southern Ohio Forest Rally from June 8-10.  

We Can Help With Your Next Subaru

If you are, in fact, looking to go on your own rallying adventures, camping, or just need a safe, reliable new or pre-owned Subaru for your family, we here at Twin Falls Subaru will do the best job possible to help you get what you need.