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Time to read 13 min
Car enthusiasts can all agree that the evolution of the automotive world has progressed over the years due to some very important influencers and pioneers whether in the areas of development or within the facets of the motorsports industry. Looking at the scope of past history here in the present day there seems to be an unending list of inventors, innovators, and drivers who have pushed the envelope just to deliver the modern day automobile to the levels of functionality, technology, and performance that many in younger generations may take for granted. Conducting an on the street interview or poll with your average person that may have a limited education about automotive history might, with a little encouragement, be able to confirm that they know a name that had something to do with the birth, development or the overall direction of the modern automobile. Asking someone about a historic figure in this area may prompt the most unknowing to respond with "Henry Ford" just because of the lessons they remembered from school days learning about industry, the assembly line, or even turn of the century inventors and entrepreneurs. If the question is switch over to the influences in motorsports, some may proudly throw out names like Enzo Ferrari, Jackie Stewart, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Mario Andretti, Shirley Muldowney, and Janet Guthrie - just to pick out a few from a very long list of icons.
Although these names are by far some of the most important individuals to get behind the wheel of motorsports engineering in the modern centuries, there are lists of others who were incredibly impactful and influential to specific brands and models within the exciting industry we loved so dearly. Drilling down further into the foundation, as true enthusiasts of the Subaru brand, we would be neglecting our dedication not to illuminate those drivers who used their talents and efforts to amplify the badge and the platforms we spend much of our efforts supporting and keeping alive through our modifications and involvement within the uniquely creative and faithful community. It would be impossible for us to create an outline which could concisely cover all the most important and relevant individuals who have delivered huge investments as innovative performers, impactful thinkers, and dynamic personalities to truly amplify the Subaru brand. This article would be volumes of history and background which would take hours to digest. We have decided, alongside those names who carry such stature in their individual genres, to feature only three specific Subaru drivers who, like those historic icons, have not only pushed themselves and their cars to prove what humans and machine can do, but also pushed the brand into the forefront and help it reach the diverse global audience it has today.
Walk up to any serious Subaru enthusiast who follows motorsports and the history of modern performance and the mention of Colin McRae will most likely get you involved in a great conversation. McRae's name and accomplishments go hand in hand with the rally competition and the success of the Subaru brand in that arena. A Scotland-born British rally driver, McRae was destined to be a motorsports champion as the blood in his veins was already mixed with DNA that was both powerful and unavoidably influential to his driving soul. Born in 1968 to five-time winning British Rally Champion Jimmy McRae, Colin grew up to quickly build an impressive resume of victories that had his name permanently branded on the motorsports timeline faster than any other competitor of the time. By the end of 1992, he had already ticked two important boxes by grabbing a set of British Rally Championships for himself in both 1991 and 1992. During the 1993 season, McRae piloted Subaru's Prodrive-built Group A Legacy platform with team members including Hannu Mikkola and Ari Vatanen to further prove his abilities and pave the way for future performance greatness. He would move on to his first WRC rally score at Rally New Zealand, a historic first win for the freshly launched Subaru World Rally Team. At this point Subaru was entering a transition from the Legacy to their newly minted Impreza 555 which would continue to shake things up in the genre with his hands on the wheel.
Young Colin was at full momentum from the tail end of one impressive performance to another by quickly grabbing another crown at the World Rally Championship Drivers' title in 1995 at the age of 27, an end-of-season victory at the Rally of Great Britain alongside his teammate Carlos Sainz. McRae continued to be a successful, hard driving individual rally competitor throughout the 1996 and 1997 seasons while taking on courses including Tour de Cors, the Acropolis Rally, and the Safari Rally, he could not break through higher than a second place showing in these specialized events. Showing the professional motorsports industry that his power was his endurance, he successfully led Subaru on a consecutive three manufacturers title reign up until 1998. During his final season during that year, McRae grabbed a trophy at the Race of Champions in Gran Canaria on the Canary Islands, took an additional three rally crowns, while being ranked third in overall standings as a professional rally driver. By the end of 1998 when McRae would close the door on his last season, he would be chiseled in the motorsports history books for the next 24 years as the youngest ever World Champion with a celebrated 25 victories in the World Rally Championship - the record for the most wins in the series at the time of his retirement. Unfortunately, in 2007, less than a decade into his life away from professional rally competitions, McRae, his son, and two family friends were killed one mile from his home in Scotland, when a helicopter he was operating crashed. At only 39 years old, the world of motorsports lost a young, influential driver who definitely had an impact on both a brand and an exciting genre in motorsports.
Another name that lines up famously with Subaru is a dynamic, multifaceted individual that has touched different areas within the motorsports world all while remaining clearly defined in each. The American motorsports and stunt driving icon Travis Pastrana has been an active participant in the world of performance for 25 years and counting. Between timelines investing in rally racing and impressive careers in supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and offshore powerboat racing, Pastrana has turned his love for speed, endurance, thrills and inspirational high performance into a victorious career winning several championships, gold medals at the X Games, a numerous accolades in all the mentioned areas of sport. In the world of rally competition, Pastrana has worn the crown at Rally America four times while also being an aggressive competitor at Monster Jam, the Global RallyCross Championships, and at the Race of Champions where he launched his professional rallying career in 2004 driving for the Subaru supported Vermont SportsCar Rally Team. His successes quickly led him to another impressive accomplishment as signed with Subaru Rally Team USA to head their newly launched professional rally crew which included Christian Edstrom, a veteran driver who has lists of his own impressive accomplishments. Soon after signing and motivating his team, Pastrana saw instantaneous victory at the first rally competition held at the X Games in 2006. Pastrana brought home a gold medal by beating Colin McRae after his car rolled over on the final jump. Later into the year, Travis and his teammate Edstrom grabbed another overall victory at the Rally America National Series then took home another prize at the open class championship on the first day of competition during the Lake Superior Performance Rally.
In the middle of December in 2006, Pastrana jumped into the Race of Champions in Paris by representing the United States and competing for the Nations' Cup as a solo driver since both teammates Jimmie Johnson and Scott Speed were forced to withdraw from the event due to injury. Taking the team to the finish line again right up to the last possible moment in 2006, Pastrana was able to take a first place cup in Olympia, Washington at the Wild West Rally and wrap up an amazing year of success. Between 2008 and 2023, Pastrana has secured victories in a number of events driving platforms built by Subaru, Ford, Dodge. He participated in some historic events including the 2008 the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, which was held to memorialize the life of McRae, who died earlier in 2007, and the Ojibwe Forests Rally, which brought him an overall win, a fourth consecutive Rally America driver's title and the most victories in that series' history. Spanning the next 14 years while banking more victories at the Global RallyCross Championships, the Americas Rallycross Championship, and creating the Nitro Rallycross to successfully cover multiple aspects of professional rally competition, Pastrana constructed a test track on 150-acres of land he purchased near his home in 2021. Three years later, Pastrana signed with Legacy Motor Club's electric off-road racing series as a substitute driver to stand in for the first two rounds of the season. The absent lead driver, Jimmie Johnson, would be competing in the 2024 Daytona 500. Proving himself a true innovator and futurist in this new area of competition, Pastrana and partner Gray Leadbetter would finish sixth during the first two rounds at the Desert X-Prix. A true Renaissance Man in the world of motorsports competition, Pastrana's resume speaks for itself and opens many doors for the inspired enthusiast to walk through if they choose.
Finally, to round out our short list, we had to choose an individual who had not only been an impactful contributor to the world of motorsports during his life, but has also been a successful entrepreneur, and a spirited automotive enthusiast who can be both inspirational and encouraging to anyone who thinks that ideas can become bigger, more actionable, and take on a life of their own with some passion and concerted effort. Like both Colin McRae and Travis Pastrana, Ken Block has stamped a name in the hearts of many a faithful enthusiast, whether they are one of the Subaru faithful or not. Much like the two previously featured icons, Block chose his own road which was paved with the spirit of rally competition and the need for performance. Beginning in 2005, he started down the rough path of rally driving by launching his national competitive career with Vermont SportsCar. Block was given the now, so often revered and cherished 2005 Subaru WRX STi platform to use as his weapon of choice, and as the saying goes, "he was off to the races" to prove himself and, literally, put this car through its paces. He boldly began his professional rally driving career in the Sno*Drift competition, a snow/ice event launched in 1973 which is the only one of its kind in the United States. Sno*Drift is a two day, performance stage-rally which brings a wide collection of highly modified and categorized road vehicles to compete and challenge the clock while attempting to conquer obstacles through the wooded back country of Northern Michigan. Block, despite being his first run during the rally season, finishing seventh overall while taking the fifth slot in the Group N class, which is known as the "showroom class" in rally circles. During that first season, Block competed in the Rally America National Championship where he captured five top five finishes, placed third overall in the Group A class, and successfully achieved a fourth place overall crown for the event.
Due to his quick, meteoric rise in the rally world during that first year of running over his proving ground of competition, Ken would seize the Rookie of the Year award from Rally America for 2005. With new accolades, attention and solid proof of potential, Block would be offered and then accept a new sponsorship deal with Subaru along with his friend and teammate Travis Pastrana. This new partnership with our favorite brand would solidify and anoint this newly established crew as "Subaru Rally Team USA" allowing them to take on the upcoming season with new energy and performance muscle. With new battles on the horizon, Block was upgraded to the latest designed weapon for his arsenal, the 2006 Subaru WRX STi, which was again primed and readied by Vermont SportsCar. After two years of competition, the onset of 2008, and the steady approach of the Rallye Baie-des Chaleurs of the Canadian Rally Championship, Block had decided to take on this event, get prepared, and gain more credentials with his newly acquired Vermont SportsCar upgrade, the 2008 Subaru WRX STi. Block set his sights not only for victory at the Rallye Baie-des Chaleurs, but also at the 2008 World Rally Championships. Being that it was only the second competitive event for his new Subaru WRX STi, he still grabbed his first Canadian rally win. Unfortunately, because of not being issued a Canadian competition license, he could not be credited any championship points. Between 2008 and 2010, Block successfully captured a number of impressive victories including the Rally 2008 New York USA competition finishing first, the Rally America National championship finishing at overall second, the Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) where he secured the second overall position by finishing one minute ahead of the following car. Block took on an additional three World Rally Championship events that season with impressive performance and aggressive effort, but by 2010 Ken opted to finish his partnership with Subaru, and compete at the World Rally Championship for Monster World Rally Team which is supported by Ford. Throughout his career his parallel entrepreneurial efforts were as aggressive as his passion for driving. His business interests led him to become one of the founders of DC Shoes, co-owner of Hoonigan Industries, creators of apparel for auto enthusiasts, and his love of competition illuminated him as a fierce competitor in skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross. His thrill filled life led his story to an unfortunate and tragic end. A snowmobile accident near his ranch in Woodland, Utah took his life at 55 years of age. To honor his life, his competition number 43 was retired from the 2023 World Rally Championship.
As we have mentioned, the list of iconic influencers and innovators is long and sorted with many, unfortunately, quite obscure and lost within the overall picture of automotive history. Others from the past that had directly or indirectly injected their skills and talent to obviously amplify the brand would include individuals like Richard Burns the English rally driver and winner of the 2001 World Rally Championship who took a 1992 Subaru Legacy with support from Prodrive and won the National Championship in the Group N class and Petter Solberg who became the first Norwegian member of the Subaru World Rally Team to win the drivers' world title in 2003. Tommi Mäkinen, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz, Scott Speed, and many others have definitely left their mark in the overall personality of many Subaru injected performance vehicles while also inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. Whatever your level of passion for the Subaru brand, it is important to remain inspired by those who have come before and support those who are coming up in the ranks globally, nationally, or down to the performers at your local track, rally event, or overland outing. Our vast community is filled with Subaru drivers who have been bitten by the bug and wish to show the world how much the brand and their platform has given to them each and every day. The next time you are at an event and witness some great driving or act of extreme performance by an individual that is unidentifiable by you, do yourself a favor, search them out and offer your support, your praise, and your confidence that their pursuit is worth every ounce of energy they expel on the thing they love most. That connection is what our community is all about. We are here not only to write about it, but also to spread the word. We are only as good as the valuable memories we choose to preserve. Go out and support your local motorsports organization and be there for the drivers who hold it steady. You will be happy that you did.
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Bryon Turcotte - Marketing Writer/Analyst
Turcotte has worked as a writer, journalist, and digital content developer for 30 years. He began his career in music journalism in 1995 then worked for several years as both a staff writer, managing editor, and a freelancer for both regional and national music publications. Over the next three decades his contributions extended beyond the music industry as he served within the realms of higher education, science and technology, manufacturing, and finance. He has been serving as a content developer and writer on the Subimods Marketing team since August 2023.
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