Heading into last weekend, it was anyone's championship. Less than ten points separated the top three rally racers in the Rally America National Championship as we headed to Michigan's Lake Superior Pro Rally for the last round of the 2007 series. Meaning, essentially, whoever won LSPR would win the entire championship. It was Travis Pastrana who came out on top, winning the rally by just 3.5 seconds to earn his Rally America championship and become the only driver to ever win the championship twice (in a row, no less!).
LSPR is known for its crazy weather as racers battle it out on 100+ miles of gravel and tarmac roads in Michigan's upper peninsula. This year was no different as drivers faced rain, snow, and sunshine over just a few hours!
Travis started out the weekend strong, pulling away early from the competition. However on day two, Travis experienced a slipping clutch and some gearbox issues, a mechanical failure opportunity that Andrew Pinker jumped at. Andrew sped to 7 seconds ahead of Travis.
Travis then recovered and started to fight back with just 3 stages left. He managed to pass Pinker and win LSPR by just 3.5 seconds.
"What an amazing finish to a very challenging season," said Travis. "To win the championship by winning the final event with such a close and fierce battle is just so gratifying!"
Although he earned four wins and made the podium in 7 out of 9 rallies, Travis had a very difficult time securing the championship this year. This year's circuit had stiffer competition than any other year in history, and Travis was forced to fight back from some bad results at the start of the year.
Travis' teammate, Ken Block, despite a very unlucky rally at LSPR, earned enough points to secure 3rd overall in the '07 points standings. He entered the weekend as one of the top three racers in the points, hoping to earn his first national championship. Early on day one, however, Ken punctured two tires on the first two stages. Then, bad luck continued when he clipped a tree branch and punched a hole in his radiator, an accident that caused his engine to overheat beyond repair. He was forced to withdraw. Ken said, "We were so confident coming here, we knew we had the speed to win but we never even got one clean stage, and it was over barely after it got started."
Congratulations to Travis and Ken for overcoming such a tumultuous year and achieving such great championship results! For more on LSPR, including photos and detailed daily updates, check out www.rally.subaru.com. Then, check out a five minute long video on YouTube that details the drama and action throughout LSPR... follow this link.
