Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team Enters X Games Gymkhana Grid with driver David Higgins
(August 1, 2013) The Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team revealed today they will enter a car for Subaru driver David Higgins in the Gymkhana Grid event making its X Games Los Angeles debut this weekend. Higgins, who drives full time for Subaru Rally Team USA is the defending Rally America Champion while also serving as both test driver and spotter for the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team. Both teams are run by Subaru technical partner Vermont SportsCar. Higgins will drive one of the team’s 2012 specification Global RallyCross Cars in the Gymkhana Grid event at the Irwindale Speedway on Saturday August 3rd, 2013. The following day, the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team with drivers Sverre Isachsen, Dave Mirra and Bucky Lasek will compete in the X Games Global RallyCross Event also held at Irwindale Speedway.
The Gymakhana Grid event will be televised live on Saturday August 3rd on ESPN at 10:30 EDT and the Global RallyCross Event will be televised live on Sunday August 4th on ESPN at 5:00PM EDT.
X Games Los Angeles will for the first time include the discipline of Gymkhana, which has been made popular by former Subaru driver Ken Block in his viral Gymkhana YouTube videos. The Gymkhana Grid event will feature drivers competing head to head on a specially designed mirrored courses consisting of cones, tires, barrels and other obstacles. The race will require drivers to perform figure eights, 180-degree spins and other advanced driving techniques to get through the course as quickly as possible, with the faster driver advancing on. Higgins will pilot a Subaru WRX STI with over 400hp and Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.
“I’m really looking forward to doing Gymkhana Grid at the X Games,” said Higgins. “It has most of the fun parts of Rally and Rallycross with sliding and precision driving but without the door-to-door contact or big risk of damage, so it’s maybe easier to have fun out there!”
Higgins is no stranger to the X Games, having competed the last two years in a row, and having earned a Bronze medal at the 2011 X Games Los Angeles’ Rally Car Racing event. He is also no stranger to the Gymkhana Grid’s founder Ken Block whom he competes against in the Rally America Championship. Higgins and Block are currently locked in a tight battle in that series with Higgins leading the championship points standings with two rounds to go, aiming for his third straight Rally America title with Subaru Rally Team USA.
“I have a little battle going on with Ken [Block] and I hope we can continue it here in Los Angeles,” said Higgins. “However, Gymkhana is Ken’s sport, he practices and has the car setup likely perfect. It won’t be easy to beat him here at his own game!”
About Subaru Rally Team USA
Subaru Rally Team USA is managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), PUMA, Method Race Wheels, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, PIAA, Exedy, Race Proven, and MOTUL. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries, visit http://subaru.com/rally and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter:@srtusa.
About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.
Launch Control Episode 8 released: Nothing Comes Easy
Webseries achieves 1.5 million views and growing!
Launch Control is our new webseries, released every other Wednesday, that follows our two teams throughout our very busy 2013 race season. Through seven episodes the series has amassed over 1.5 million views and garnered tremendous positive feedback from viewers! Check out Episode 8 below or click here for the full playlist!
Launch Control: Maximum attack at STPR Rally & Isachsen clashes with Block in Munich – Episode 8
Vermont SportsCar
Subaru Rally Team USA and the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team are managed by Subaru technical partner Vermont SportsCar. The company is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), PUMA, Method Race Wheels, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, PIAA, Exedy, Race Proven Inc., and MOTUL.
For more information please visit www.vtcar.com