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Written by:
Eric Johnson
08/05/2008 - 10:53 AM
Carson, Calif.
Pastrana soaring to victory. (photo courtesy Vermont SportsCar / Subaru Rally Team USA) » More Photos
It all came down to a final, toe-to-toe prizefight for the X Games 14 Rally Car Super Special Gold Medal on a purpose-built butterfly rally course situated both inside and out of Carson, California’s Home Depot Center. In one corner would be Rockstar driver and 2007 X Games 13 Rally Car Gold Medalist Tanner Foust. In the other, Travis Pastrana and his 340-horsepower 2.0 DOHC turbocharged-motivated 2,900-pound Subaru Rally Team USA WRX.
When the red lights went out and the two cars split both right and left to begin the showdown, Foust appeared to get an early jump on the #199 Subaru, slashing right and left through the dirt before launching across the 70-foot jump. Upon a silk-smooth landing, Foust rocketed up the ramp and out of the stadium to begin the sinuous, tire-melting asphalt section outside of it. And that’s where it all went wrong for Foust: upon hitting asphalt, his Subaru lost its way, heavily clouting a concrete retaining wall. Inflicting heavy damage to the vehicle, Foust also lost a significant amount of time trying to get things back on track.
“I kind of went for the brake and went a little bit wide and hit the wall there, and bent the right-rear corner of the car,” lamented Foust.
Pastrana, meanwhile, all too aware it was a man against man, one multi-dimensional lap race for the prize, kept his WRX pinned.
“You have to push,” said Pastrana beforehand. “If I’m
And even though he did bounce off a few barriers and such in his race to the finish, Pastrana kept it all glued together to recapture the X Games Rally Car Gold he narrowly won over the late Colin McRae in 2006.
“I’m really excited to be here and to have a chance to come back,” Pastrana said after climbing off the rood of the Subaru. “This feels really good.”
Added runner-up Foust: “Now that we’ve had two years in this event, we feel we can build a better car that better suits this event and come back even stronger.”
Mirra and Kihurani exiting the stadium at full throttle. (Photo courtesy Vermont SportsCar / Subaru Rally Team USA) » More Photos
Interestingly, two Bronze Medals were handed out in the discipline. Winner of one – and adding to his all-time X Games medal winning total of 22 – was BMX legend Dave Mirra. Ken Block, last year’s Silver Medalist, won the other. In what should have been a race for the Bronze, Mirra and Block, both who had torn up their cars so badly in the quarterfinals, could not answer the call to line up and race, thus the organizers being forced to conjure up two medals.
“Just to be here and do this is great,” said Mirra, who thrilled the crowd with his go-for-broke approach to driving. “Medaling after less than a year of doing this is amazing.”
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