Subaru Rally Team USA and Vermont SportsCar have confirmed they will enter a third team car in the next three rounds of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship (GRC). Travis Pastrana will drive the #199 Red Bull Subaru WRX STI at the doubleheader Los Angeles GRC event September 19-21 at the Port of Los Angeles.
Photo credit: Larry Chen
Pastrana, who last competed at X Games Austin in June and whose 2014 racing exploits include four stage rally podiums and a top five finish in the Mint 400, will compete against a stacked field of Red Bull GRC regulars. He’s up against points leader Nelson Piquet Jr., X Games Austin gold medalist Scott Speed, two-time series champion Tanner Foust, and Ken Block, who enters the event with three consecutive podium finishes, the longest active streak in the series.
“I’ve focused on rally with Subaru this year but had a blast driving the team’s GRC car in Austin and I jumped at the chance to come back and do it again in Los Angeles,” explained Pastrana. “The racing in GRC is intense and the Subaru team is really strong right now so I’m really looking forward to it!”
Rounds 7 and 8 of the Red Bull Global Rallycross series will be a nine-turn, .586-mile course that features all of the series’ signature elements, presented directly on the Los Angeles waterfront for the first time.
The track builds upon design cues seen at previous Red Bull GRC events, with a wide start taking drivers into a sweeping first corner. After a paved section with corners of increasing technicality, drivers encounter a dirt section, with the joker lane breaking away in turn six and allowing drivers to bypass the jump. The Los Angeles joker lane will take drivers through the final three turns of the course, making it the longest joker segment of the season.
The long weekend of racing are designated as Rounds 7 and 8 on the schedule. With two opportunities for drivers to earn full points, a driver’s results in Los Angeles will be pivotal to strengthening championship hopes or watching them fade away. Nelson Piquet Jr. takes a 40-point lead in the Supercar title race into the weekend. Sverre Isachsen is currently 7th in the driver’s championship standing and 103 points behind Piquet Jr.; Bucky Lasek is a little further behind in 9th place and needs 115 points if he wants to catch up with the leader.
Photo credit: Larry Chen
LAST RACE: Rhys Millen’s time finally came at Daytona International Speedway, as he took his Hyundai Veloster Turbo to an impressive victory on the longest track on the schedule. Millen led the main event from start to finish and held Ken Block off despite blowing his engine on the final lap, while Bucky Lasek completed the podium with his second medal of the season.
Tickets are still available for Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles, coming to the Port of Los Angeles on September 19-21. They can be purchased at http://www.redbullglobalrallycross.com/LA. Access is complimentary for Friday’s qualification rounds.
Red Bull Global Rallycross Los Angeles broadcast times are as follows:
Round 7: LIVE Saturday, September 20 at 5PM ET on NBC and liveextra.nbcsports.com
Round 8: LIVE Sunday, September 21st at 5:00PM ET on NBC and liveextra.nbcsports.com
EVENT SCHEDULE:
Friday, September 19
1:00 PM: Gates open
1:45 PM: Lites Practice
2:30 PM: Supercars Qualifying
3:40 PM: Lites Qualifying
4:10 PM: Supercars Heats 1A-1C
4:55 PM: Lites Heats 1A-1B
5:25 PM: Supercars Heats 2A-2C
6:10 PM: Lites Heats 2A-2B
7:00 PM: Gates close
Saturday, September 20
9:00 AM: Gates open
9:30 AM: Supercars/Lites Autograph Session
11:00 AM: Driver Introductions
12:00 PM: Supercars Semifinals
12:40 PM: Lites LCQ
1:05 PM: Supercars LCQ
1:35 PM: Lites Final
2:00 PM: Supercars Final
2:30 PM: Medal Ceremonies
4:00 PM: Lites Practice
5:00 PM: Supercars Practice
6:35 PM: Lites Qualifying
9:00 PM: Gates close
Sunday, September 21
8:00 AM: Gates open
8:15 AM: Supercars Qualifying
9:05 AM: Lites Heats 1A-1B
9:35 AM: Supercars Heats 1A-1C
10:20 AM: Lites Heats 2A-2B
11:00 AM: Driver Introductions
12:00 PM: Supercars Semifinals
12:40 PM: Lites LCQ
1:05 PM: Supercars LCQ
1:35 PM: Lites Final
2:00 PM: Supercars Final
2:30 PM: Medal Ceremonies
5:00 PM: Gates close
