Subaru Wins First-Ever Rallycross Championship With Victory At ARX Of Mid-Ohio
Atkinson took the overall victory in the final, with Sandell securing third as the WRX STI rallycross cars proved ideal for the tough conditions.
LEXINGTON, Ohio, Oct. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru Motorsports USA closed out the 2019 rallycross season with a win at a slick and muddy Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, securing the Americas Rallycross (ARX) team championship and finishing with drivers Chris Atkinson and Patrik Sandell on the driver's championship podium. Atkinson took the overall victory in the final, with Sandell securing third as the WRX STI rallycross cars proved ideal for the tough conditions. The win marks four overall event victories for Subaru in the six-event ARX season and puts an exclamation point on the team's first rallycross title.
Track conditions throughout the weekend made for a thrilling and unpredictable event, with two cool, dry and dusty qualifying rounds on Saturday giving way to more variable weather on Sunday. Rain began to fall as the teams prepared for the two semi-final races, turning the dirt sections into mud and turning the tide in favor of the rally-bred Subarus.
Atkinson and Sandell would capture the two semi-final heats to lock out the six-car final's front row, with remaining team drivers Andreas Bakkerud and Joni Wiman also going through to put all four WRX STI's on the grid. Atkinson took the lead from the start of the final and never relinquished it, picking up his second win of the ARX season and securing second place in the driver's championship a single point ahead of teammate Sandell.
The Mid-Ohio victory completed the most successful rallycross season in the history of the Subaru motorsports program. The team championship was a true group effort, with all three of the team's full-time drivers – Atkinson, Sandell and Scott Speed - scoring at least one victory. All six events ended with at least one of the three on the podium, with the trio racking up a stunning nine ARX podiums plus a tenth at the one-off Nitro Rallycross event. If not for a back injury sustained by Speed at the Nitro race which forced him to retire from the ARX championship lead, Subaru Motorsports USA might have captured the driver's title as well.
"Our boys have done a great job this year!" said Atkinson after his win. "Four wins out of the six rounds and the team championship - it's a huge moment for the guys at Vermont SportsCar and for Subaru of America. We've come so far over the past few years, and everyone has worked so hard, it feels perfect to be ending the season at the top of the podium."
With the rallycross season complete, Subaru Motorsports USA will wrap up its stage rally season at Michigan's Lake Superior Performance Rally, October 18-19.
About Subaru Motorsports USA
Subaru Motorsports USA is managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Idemitsu Lubricants, Yokohama Tires, Method Race Wheels, DirtFish Rally School, KÜHL and RECARO. Follow the team online at www.subaru.com/motorsports.
Follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and on Twitter @subarums_usa.
About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $145 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do.
For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
William Stokes
Motorsports Manager
Subaru of America, Inc.
(856) 488-8578
[email protected]
Dominick Infante
Director, Corporate Communications
Subaru of America, Inc.
(856) 488-8615
[email protected]
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SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.
