Subaru teammates Travis Pastrana and Brandon Semenuk took a 1-2 finish at Sno*Drift Rally to open the American Rally association season, with Pastrana scoring the overall victory.
Brandon Semenuk took a second-place finish at Sno*Drift, extending his streak of consecutive podium finishes to five stretching back to July 2020.
Sno*Drift is a notoriously tricky event, with sub-freezing temperatures, slick and variable road surfaces, and studded tires not permitted due to Michigan state law.
Pastrana jumped out to an early lead, winning three of the four stages in the opening loop on the way to a total of nine stage wins.
Conditions become more icy as night fell and temperatures dropped, forcing drivers to adopt a more cautious strategy on the night stages.
With his fourth career Sno*Drift win, Pastrana now owns an early lead in the 2021 ARA driver’s championship race.
Brandon Semenuk was fast and smart in his first Sno*Drift outing, bringing home second place and earning crucial early-season championship points.
Semenuk and co-driver John Hall brought significant snow experience into Sno*Drift after contesting several rounds of the Canadian Rally Championship in previous years.
Co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino goes over stage notes in pre-event service before heading out to the start.
Semenuk and Pastrana swept all twelve of the event’s stages, including an even split of the four stage wins on the third and final loop
Semenuk survived a late spin in the dark to hold onto his second-place finish, with a margin of more than three minutes over the third-place car.
Subaru now leads the championship going into Missouri’s 100 Acre Wood Rally, to be held March 19-20.
