Higgins wins in Oregon
- Sunday, May 15, 2011
Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew take a commanding
win in Oregon, finishing 3 minutes 26.9 seconds ahead of rival Antoine L’Estage.
Higgins drove a relatively drama-free rally to take his second victory of the
2011 season. Mitsubishi crew of L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard came in
second overall despite having multiple punctures on Day 2 of the rally. Ramana
Lagemann and co-driver Chrissie Beavis placed third overall and first in Super
Production class, finishing a mere 3.6 seconds over Travis and Terry Hanson.
Provisionally, Higgins assumes the Championship lead from Travis Hanson, who
drops to third in points behind L’Estage. Results have not yet been declared
final.
ACP leads 2WD
- Sunday, May 15, 2011
Andrew ‘ACP’ Comrie-Picard, Scion driver and winner of the 2010 Oregon Trail
Rally, leads the 2WD National with co-driver Jeremy Wimpey. ACP has been
battling with the Mazda crew of Wyatt Knox and co-driver Ole Holter throughout
the weekend, but is now only 2.7 seconds ahead of Knox before the final loop of
stages. Knox made the wrong tire choice for the first two stages of the day,
allowing ACP to take 45 seconds out of him on SS13. ACP was happy with his car’s
traction and believes he had an advantage over Knox on the technical sections of
stage. Ford Racing’s Fiesta driver Dillon Van Way and co-driver Jake Blattner
are third in class, but over six minutes behind ACP and Knox.
Lagemann overtakes Hanson
- Sunday, May 15, 2011
With only three stages left, Ramana Lagemann and co-driver Chrissie Beavis are
intent on taking the Super Production class win. Lagemann put 30 seconds on the
Hansons on the first loop of Sunday’s stages and is poised to finish third
overall if he can stay ahead. Hanson plans on running his own rally and doesn’t
feel pressured to risk the car chasing Lagemann. Paul Eklund and co-driver Jeff
Price are third in class, but are over six minutes behind Lagemann and Hanson.
Mike Goodwin/Martin Burnley sit fourth in class and tenth overall.
Weather & Road Conditions - Leg 3
- Sunday, May 15, 2011
The weather forecast for Sunday, the third and final day of Oregon Trail, calls
for more rain and temperatures 54°F. Saturday’s rain left the remaining stages
soft and extremely muddy with puddles throughout. Organizers plan on running all
five of today’s stages as scheduled with the exception of SS14/SS17 (Clausen I &
II), which has been shortened to 3.87 competitive miles from 7.10 miles due to
flooding near the start. Teams will run approximately 68 competitive miles in
total today. We’ll keep you posted on any route and schedule changes caused by
excessive rain.
Stages SS11 and SS12 Canceled
- Sunday, May 15, 2011
Thunderstorms and heavy rain prompted organizers to cancel the final two stages
of day two (SS11 Boyd and SS12 Starveout II). Storms caused the stage roads to
become extremely soft and flooded in some sections. Spectator safety was also a
concern due to the thunder and lightning in the Dufur area. We will keep you
posted on further route changes on Sunday, the third and final Leg of Oregon
Trail.
Higgins back ahead
- Sunday, May 15, 2011
SRT USA’s David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew have developed a comfortable
lead of well over 3 minutes on Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard after the
second loop of Saturday’s stages. L’Estage suffered three punctures – two on
stage and one during transit, but managed to return to Service. Pat Richard and
co-driver Leanne Junnila, who were over one minute behind Higgins and L’Estage
in third, were forced to retire on SS8 after their fuel pump problems persisted.
Super Production class leaders Travis and Terry Hanson now inherit third overall
with Ramana Lagemann and co-driver Chrissie Beavis only 13.6 seconds behind.
L’Estage takes slight lead
- Saturday, May 14, 2011
Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard finished the first loop of
Saturday’s rocky stages with a one second lead over David Higgins. Higgins lost
his rear brakes clearing the road on SS5, but was not the only competitor to
suffer attrition. L’Estage also had braking issues and got a puncture in his
left rear tire. Pat Richard finished 1min 39.5sec behind L’Estage after having
his car’s fuel pump breakers cut out intermittently, but sits safely in third
overall.
Mirra crashes out on SS6
- Saturday, May 14, 2011
SRT USA driver Dave Mirra and co-driver Marshall Clarke rolled about one mile
into SS6. Mirra, who was sitting in third overall before Saturday's first loop
of stages, had a small excursion on SS5 causing a puncture and broken control
arm, but put the car on its roof after going off on a technical corner. Mirra’s
retirement will affect his Championship contention – he was second in the
overall standings and only one point behind the Hansons going into Oregon.
Weather & Road Conditions - Leg 2
- Saturday, May 14, 2011
Day 2 of the Oregon Trail Rally begins with Parc Expose in The Dalles from
10-11am PT. We’ll start Leg 2 with sunny skies and temperatures up to 72°F…but
rain and thunderstorms are forecast for later in the day and could make things
interesting for teams! Crews will take on eight stages today totaling 71.47
competitive miles of OTR’s most technical stages. The first two loops of stages
will feature hard-packed gravel roads with lots of large rocks hiding throughout
– punctures are likely to happen on the Ketchum stage (SS7/SS9). The Starveout
(SS10/SS12) and Boyd (SS11) stages will have a softer sandy surface, but we can
expect dust to be a factor on all stages if it doesn’t rain.
Higgins Leads After SS4
- Saturday, May 14, 2011
Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins leads OTR after winning all of Friday’s
four spectator stages at PIR. Higgins will be first car out on the proper gravel
stages leading Mitsubishi Rockstar driver Antoine L’Estage by 10.6 seconds.
Subaru Canada factory driver Pat Richard is second on the road and will be
clawing his way back up the leaderboard after finishing Leg 1 in eighth overall
due to lack of boost on the first three stages. SRT USA’s Dave Mirra is
currently third overall and will be looking for a strong points finish in
Oregon.
Follow OTR with Live Rally Radio
- Friday, May 13, 2011
You can follow the Oregon Trail Rally by listening to ‘Live Rally Radio’ being
streamed online courtesy of Dick Hannah Subaru. Tune in by visiting Oregon Trail
Rally website here bit.ly/lktCUy from 6-10 pm on Friday May 13th, 10:30am-9pm
on Saturday May 14th, and 10:30am-8pm on Sunday May 15th. For live updates,
info, and links to content throughout the weekend, follow us on Twitter here: www.twitter.com/RallyCar_Series
Clash of the Titans
- Friday, May 13, 2011
Oregon Trail will witness three recent American Champions compete against one
another – something rarely seen in U.S. rallying. David Higgins, who holds the
2002 and 2003 SCCA ProRally titles, faces off against defending Rally America
champ, Antoine L’Estage. Higgins and L’Estage are currently tied for points in
the drivers’ standings and are both seeking to take control of the Championship
lead. Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Pat Richard, who was the U.S. champ in
2004 and became the very first Rally America champ in 2005, is back for his
second Rally America event of the season. Richard is L’Estage’s main rival in
the Canadian series and will undoubtedly be a podium contender here.
Weather & Road Conditions - Leg 1
- Friday, May 13, 2011
OTR kicks off with Parc Expose at the Portland International Raceway from 6-7pm
Pacific Time and First Car Out on Special Stage 1 at 7:03pm. Friday is the
shortest leg of the rally and crews will run four stages totaling 7.67
competitive miles. The opening stage at PIR includes tarmac sections of the
track before transitioning onto hard-packed gravel and then back onto tarmac.
Today’s weather is cloudy with a slight chance of showers and a temperature of
69°F.
Welcome to the Oregon Trail Rally!
- Friday, May 13, 2011
Welcome to the Oregon Trail Rally (OTR), round four of the 2011 Rally America
National Championship! Oregon Trail is the longest event in the six-round
series, with competition spread over three days and various fan/community
activities held before and during the rally. The action begins at the Portland
International Raceway on Friday before heading to The Dalles and Dufur for
Saturday and Sunday’s stages. View the full schedule here: bit.ly/ieuNks
