Brandon Semenuk earned his first-ever U.S. rally victory at Missouri’s Show-Me Rally, the fourth round of the shortened American Rally Association calendar.
Brandon Semenuk took an early lead on day 1 with a win on the rally’s second stage and spent the remainder of the weekend dueling with Barry McKenna for the top spot.
Semenuk’s pace in the WRX STI has been building throughout the season as he grows more comfortable in the car.
Pastrana now has a pair of podium finishes in his new #199 WRX STI after an on-stage fire in Ohio forced the retirement of his previous chassis.
The blue and gold WRX STI’s won four of the rally’s nine stages over the course of the weekend.
The afternoon service on Saturday proved a turning point of the rally, as Semenuk’s crew was able to replace a damaged oil pan and get the car back on stage in time, while McKenna’s car checked out late and was assessed a time penalty.
Travis Pastrana dropped back of the leaders after a pair of tire punctures on the third stage, but kept the pace up on the rally’s second day, taking a stage win on SS7.
Semenuk and co-driver John Hall now sit second in the ARA national championship standings thanks to a run of three podium finishes in their first three rounds with Subaru.
Brandon Semenuk pushes the pace on SS3, the rally’s only nighttime stage.
Semenuk and Hall celebrate their second straight double podium alongside teammates Pastrana and Rhianon Gelsomino.
The Missouri roads of Show-Me Rally, which usually host the springtime 100 Acre Wood rally, proved loose and dusty throughout the weekend.
Travis Pastrana blasted through the dust to earn a second-place finish, a strong follow-up to his win at August’s Ojibwe Forests Rally.
