Launch Control: New England Forest Rally 2017 – Episode 5.08

in a championship dominated by two drivers a six event season is essentially a race to four win four events and you win at all our Subaru Rally Team USA the race to four is almost complete David Higgins and Craig drew have dominated they have three wins over Pastrana and Durant's single victory [Music] the red Subaru has its back against the wall drop another event to their teammates and their hopes for a championship title ends here it may seem lopsided but it hasn't been events have been won and lost by mere seconds and could have gone to either team and after a record run up the Mount Washington Auto Road Pastrana has the wind in his sails as the battle resumes at the New England forest rally Higgens and drew have a buffer with two events remaining they have two chances to clinch their title [Music] Pastrana needs to win them both [Music] this is launch control it's a quiet day in Maryland for travis pastrana it's a rare moment to reflect before the championship battle resumes in just three days we really blew it at STP R when I say we was me actually Robbie did a great job but uh and I was given a gift and that would have tied up the points but right now I got to be home for a couple days which has been been nice getting ready for the Nitro Circus show that's gonna be my hometown on Apple's Maryland we want to beat David in this championship if we want a shot at it I've got to take them on that I'm from last week's part of the clouds probably the greatest single day of my life with the most amazing super I've ever driven most amazing car I've ever driven ten got to go like now from the beginning Kim and Craig are phenomenal they're really good at what they do but there's a lot of he wrote so give it help but even the quiet days are relative in pastranaland so my job in Nitro Circus is actually to come up with new crazy ways to people to just have this never been done before and to do it safely so as they had a safety / Nitro Circus we've got a lot of really cool stuff play around one as if the championship battle wasn't already a heavy load the day after the rally Travis's Nitro Circus show is on its way to his hometown for the first time ever [Music] don't be coming down here figure out how to make everything as safe as possible this how the surgeries goes off no you're good alright girl outside it's pretty awesome being around here this is my house is Marilyn we've got a lot of interesting toys mostly for dogs but that the kids grew up around I don't know if you can see it but you'll feel it when she gets on the gas yeah a few days later the Sun rises over Sunday river ski resort in Maine this is where the championship battle will be won or delayed for David Higgins the goal is to turn the page after a rare crash at Mount Washington Fischer is a huge disappointment but at the same time and the bigger pitch is a whole season the whole season to Rally Championship the second I sort of finished Avenger straight back into Ewing the mode and we can seal things up a bit if we have a good rally here but it's one of those events where you need a lot of things to go right for you for Pastrana it's now or never this is gonna be really fun rally it's gonna be a lot of attrition the rocks that you're gonna have to be lucky and good and we have nothing to loose we have to win this race to stay in the championship on so it's a rare moment in this team's history where both of their drivers have a chance at the title this deep into the season four-stage miles will play a significant role in this season's story the defending champions are the first on the line historically this event has been one of both success and disappointment but they aren't looking back they start each event knowing they're the class of the field and if anyone else wants to win this weekend they'll have to go through them first but this year the playing field has an interesting twist rally regulations state that a stage cannot have an average speed over 80 miles per hour any cars exceeding the average speed receive the same nominal stage time both Subarus are expected to hit the maximum average on numerous stages this weekend so the fight will be down to the remaining stages for Pastrana and Durant the strategy is simple flat-out to win the most stages and win the event they aren't checking the clock back with Higgins and drew they hit the 80 mile per hour average on one of the two opening stages Travis has managed to hit it on both now on the long afternoon stages Higgins doesn't want to concede more time he's only 2.5 seconds behind but the lead going into day two would mean a better road position out front of all the dust but Pastrana and Duran feel the same way they're pushing hard to avoid losing the advantage when the dust settles Biggins regains the lead thanks in part to an impact that rocked the 19019 what was a head-to-head battle has ended for the day and maybe the weekend co-driver Robbie Durant has suffered the effects of a heavy impact at the end of the last stage Robbie and the team are worried the jump has damaged his back the teams taking no chances and the medics are called in one off a jump that we had marked his flat and just landed it his back is pretty bad he lost he could talk could breathe but he's a trooper man we had about two miles to go he's like don't stop keep going and we I think we lost the stage to Ava by like three seconds so it puts us second for tomorrow but as the rules are stated right now I don't think like there's no way he's gonna be able to go we've got a good day it's been super close but we're just in the lead for my obviously our concerns with our teammates and my Robbie is while Robbie's well-being is priority it's clear you won't be able to continue so the team takes a close look at the rulebook and it would appear there's a gray area right now in the rulebook it says you can't switch driver and co-driver it said if there's an injury or an illness you can go basically to the store and asked to I think what it means to switch spots where the driver can be co-driver the co-driver me driver maybe loose so I'm gonna see what the lettuce do the decision will take time so both teams finish the day with a verdict looming it was a long night with Robbie out of commission with the event organizers and the competitors be willing to accept a co-driver change in the $1.99 car and who would be available and qualified to step in on such short notice when the cars arrived at the opening stage of the day Subaru Rally Team USA's on-site marketing director Greg Dorman is sitting in the hot seat I guess this weekend will be co-driver $1.99 but usually Marketing Coordinator I am excited we'll get him to the finish Dave is actually sitting first to second he's driving that car he's co driving this car it might be the last time you wear this Higgins enters the stage is the event leader his gap to second is only a few seconds but with a new untested co-driver in Pastrana's car Higgins and drew will certainly pull away it might be the ride of a lifetime but it's a world of pressure what do you know what this is he fast over crest and shorting left six I don't know good luck with that [Music] three two one go 70 max left five seventy-five left six over crash Travis's never one to shy away from a challenge if Rowley has the equivalent of a Hail Mary pass this is it it only takes a stage for the team to find their rhythm 70 the right six over 250 Titans max rank the top 250 Titans max then what 10:55 of practice they pick up the pace on the second stage Higgins Andrew run at a comfortable pace they feel they just need to get the car to the finish to lock in another championship but maybe they've underestimated their teammates three stages into the day the gap to second has only grown by a few seconds at service both teams realize there is still a battle to be fought I wasn't half bad we actually want to stage it wasn't too bad actually we probably took it a little bit easy on the first one it was a white fast flowing stage but you know two stages later we took a storage win so I had a bit of an interest in first stage went to the first lady the health creaks helmet was broken so we had no INSCOM for the first stage but then we managed to figure out we was able to switch switch helmets over and go through and then we got the last few save being okay just trying to take it easy that was the thing I mean the first stage Deb's intercom didn't work and we you know with Greg we're kind of feed on and out in the second stage we just didn't really smooth and we only lost six to David I'm like I date David tone it down let's go actually we were an impression in progress was conditioned to drive for the hypogeum for them and he's had other ideas from go we've been going flat five and looked into a big race together so not what we thought the patent was so and we have to readjust nine go and get back to business with expectations recalibrated in the 30 minutes of allotted service time elapsed both Subarus head out to continue where they left off Higgins Andrew no what they have to do pile on the pressure [Music] take serious time where Pastrana cannot [Music] commit to corners that require complete trust and notes Pastrana's committed to the battle and doorman is doing well but he's still forced to take big risks and test his faith in the instructions that's the left six plus of across 30 right 6 plus right five laid at craft left five - over pumps as the battle progresses the gap grows to 40 seconds and it seems all a settled that is until disaster strikes on the penultimate stage where both cars suffer severe damage thirty minutes to rebuild the back end of two rally cars that's the mission big uns is first to arrive he's dragged the car the entire 26 mile transit back to service believable literally avoiding all the rocks just driving down the middle nothing's no wall and engines are buying at the back and it all just Powell that lives pastrana shows up three minutes later they weigh the same rock it's like a mile in on that last stage and we just drove real slow through through the stage and I think David must have driven a bit harder because they took that right rear completely off every member on the team is in full thrash mode on the 75 car disassembly of the entire back end is required passenger side wheel assembly removed subframe removed preparation to weld in a new trailing arm connector has become the intense service has drawn a crowd and one person in particular has made the trip all the way from Australia to see it my name is Molly Taylor I'm from Australia and I Drive for the Subaru team back in the Australian Rally Championship and so I just really wanted to come over disguise it as a holiday but really to to see the rallying scene over here you know I'm really overwhelmed by the size of the place here and I knew it was going to be you know pretty big and impressive but see the amount of Rd and design and fabrication that they do in-house is pretty incredible and much more than I expected you know just to see another Subaru domestic team and see you know Subaru fans all over the world and I think wherever you go in rally and it's the same sort of people that you meet so it's great to you know go and experience that on the other side of the world the rules in Australia don't allow for the same level of car development as here in America so this is a rare treat and also a rare sight this is the first time this season where the battle has risen to this level of destruction [Music] this cruise is amazing instead of before and I'll say it again thank you Subaru yes Rock Pastrana's car is almost ready to head back out but Higgins is still under the knife he's likely to leave late which should hand the lead back to his teammate an unbelievable turn of events after all that happened on day one clock expires and Higgins is still in service penalties are mounting Pastrana heads out penalty free by the time Higgins leaves service his lead is evaporated in his now in second place with no rear brakes and front-wheel drive only but with a car that can get him to the end of the event with his championship lead intact on the final stage Pastrana keeps the pressure on he's been given a sliver of hope and that's all he needs his rival is limping and he needs a week who crosses the line having we can do okay good luck Wow well as architects that good work that's good three 47 47 house good yeah do a good job we I got a little heavier that one spot but I'm proud of you man good work thank you I couldn't expect anything else the team get is not Higgens follows he's watched Asher wind slip away to a second place and a final event showdown it's frustrating well it's service we stayed before last lost the rearranged car had to do this day with no brakes no rear drive shafts and just flick through rallies are a race against time team versus the road so when a fellow competitor needs a hand a spare tire a wrench they help out they'll win on the stages not through misfortune the fact that we've been still in this rally is a tribute to the drivers to the camaraderie to rally in the USA the other drivers came together no one protested everyone talked to the source and said yes we want Travis to be in this that's the only reason we even have a shot great doorman I underestimated him I didn't think we had a chance in the world and we want to stage this today to hear some of the words coming from Travis it's an honor it's an honor to sit in one in 99 and some of this stages it was probably the fastest I ever Code Rove when day one ended the outcome seemed clear the number 75 car would cruise to victory most of the time skill wins out but this weekend it paid to be lucky Pastrana's championship hope lives on until the Ojibwa rally where the teammates will face off for the title at the final rally of the season we're still in it because of the other drivers we won because we made the fewest mistakes I had the most luck and winner-take-all next round oh here we go yeah hi so um we got done I broke him but he's actually standing now which is good but Minster day yep there we got Greg and the three of us won the rally and now we got this kind of tired but I can't be tired tomorrow or the next day or the next week so let's go do this Nitro Circus see me great nitro this is your first nitro show for us I have no idea I'm not gonna make it on time because Taylor no backup story [Music] I'm not okay that I'm ready I'm just too old that's very possible it looks good right now again that was good good looks good set it circus fashion we're gonna go zero to a hundred and forty miles an hour real quick real fast who's ready to jump like a wild Trey [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Subaru

Views: 334,979

Rating: 4.9226379 out of 5

Keywords: Launch Control, Subaru of America, Subaru Rally Team USA, SubaruRally, David Higgins, Craig Drew, Patrik Sandell, Chris Atkinson, Atko, Subaru, WRX, STI, rally, rallying, race, racing, racer, snow, gravel, dirt, drift, drifting, Travis Pastrana, Rally America, American Rally Association, Global Rallycross, Red Bull, GRC, usrally, rallycross, rx, web series, video, crash, jump, Vermont Sportscar, New England Forest Rally, Bethel, Sunday River, Greg Dorman

Id: -GchEABEefo

Length: 21min 26sec (1286 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 06 2017