Subaru Motorsports USA driver Brandon Semenuk and co-driver Keaton Williams placed first at the 2024 Olympus Rally, the third stage of this year's American Rally Association (ARA) schedule. The win makes three in a row for the two-time defending ARA champions as they build momentum toward a three-peat.
The 150-mile 2024 Olympus Rally was a first for the new WRX ARA24. 'Very different roads than anything we've raced on with the car so far,' Semenuk said on the podium, 'so it was a good learning experience to figure out some setups for the future.' It was also the first rally of 2024 with Semenuk/Williams as the lone Subaru Motorsports USA team in competition, with driver Travis Pastrana and co-driver Rhiannon Gelsomino out as Pastrana tends to a damaged hip and continues recovery from a late-2023 knee replacement.
With a heated competition building between the second- and third-place cars, Saturday's first day of stages saw on-track conditions being the Subaru Motorsports USA team's most immediate challenge. The weather was nice enough – mostly. Williams put it simply: 'Weather conditions were good but rainy when we least expected it.' Semenuk noted that 'It was everything you expect from Olympus Rally. It started dry and quite abrasive and then by the end of the day, it was pouring down on us.'
There was also the matter of local wildlife to contend with, from a bird entering the cockpit of the WRX ARA24 to near-miss deer encounters. 'I'm happy to make it through all that and not be tackling down a deer on stage,' said Semenuk recounting Saturday's action. Sunday's weather was a bit more even, allowing the team to put a button on what was a great week for the WRX ARA24. As Semenuk summarized: 'Keaton was flawless all week, car was flawless all week so I couldn't have asked for a better rally.'
Next up will be the second round of the ARA calendar's two-event Pacific Northwest swing: the Oregon Trail Rally, happening May 17-19. Stay in touch with the latest news and updates by following Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.
Photo credit: Subaru posted on conceptcarz.com
