DC Rally dominates! Last weekend Ken Block and Travis Pastrana earned their second straight 1-2 finish on the Rally America National Championship at the Olympus Rally outside of Seattle, Washington. Ken took the win, with Travis hot on his rear bumper, just 24-seconds back.
With recent bad weather ruining the usual rally location, organizers shifted the event to Pomeroy, a small town 270 miles east of Seattle. The new location was not only beautiful and dusty but also fast, taking place on high-speed, wide-open gravel roads. Combine that with perfect weather the field was in for one high-speed, competitive weekend.
Ken's proven himself super fast on gravel roads before, and those skills and confidence let him dominated throughout. He won or tied 12 of 15 stages, and pushed his Subi to a needle-bending 134 mph at one point. Ken overcame three flat tires over the course of the rally, including one that he fought through at 120 mph. "It's about having confidence in my car setup and knowing how to drive in these conditions," said Ken before the rally. "You really have to love going that fast."
Travis got slotted to hit the starting line early all weekend meaning he faced loose gravel, which slowed him down a tad (you can drive faster on roads once the cars ahead of you have swept away the loose gravel). Travis managed to make up some time on Ken though, even marking a top speed on 133 mph (fast, but just shy of Ken's top speed).
For Ken, the strong finish means he's now dominating the points lead in the '08 standings. For Travis, the strong finish means he's back in the championship hunt, currently sitting in 4th place.
Next up: the Oregon Trail Rally on May 16-18th. Check out rally.subaru.com for more info and photos from last weekend in Washington!
