Snowbank Drama Costs Pastrana Victory After Commanding Sno*Drift Performance
February 7, 2026
Atlanta, Michigan -Â Subaru Motorsports USA's Travis Pastrana and co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino dominated the opening round of the 2026 American Rally Association National Championship before a late-rally excursion denied the team a shot at victory at the Sno*Drift Rally.
The season opener, round one of eight in the 2026 ARA Championship, took place in Montmorency County, roughly four hours north of Detroit in the forests of northern Michigan, where crews tackled over 100 miles across 16 stages of notoriously slippery snow and ice-covered roads. Adding to the challenge, Michigan state law prohibits studded tires, creating a unique test of car control and precision driving on some of the most treacherous surfaces in rally competition.
The defending ARA Limited Four-Wheel-Drive (L4WD) champions and six-time National Champions won 11 of the first 13 stages and were leading comfortably in their Subaru WRX ARA25L, making its first competitive appearance on snow. Pastrana, a four-time Sno*Drift winner, appeared poised to add a fifth victory to his tally.
But on stage 14, the team's commanding performance came to an abrupt halt when they slid wide and buried their Subaru deep in a snowbank. Pastrana and Gelsomino spent over 20 minutes digging the car free, dropping the duo out of podium contention.
The lost time dropped them out of contention, but a second-fastest time on the Power Stage was some consolation, allowing them to collect additional championship points.
"Well, that was a disappointing end to a really, really fun and awesome rally," Pastrana said at the finish. "Rhi did a great job. The Subaru Limited 4WD class car was absolutely amazing. I had a blast, maybe I had too much fun out there and should have slowed her down a bit more; I'm disappointed in myself for that, but proud of the team and ready to fight another day."
Subaru Motorsports USA returns to action March 13–14 for the second round of the ARA National Championship at 100 Acre Wood Rally in Missouri.
About Subaru Motorsports USA
Subaru Motorsports USA is directed by Subaru of America, Inc., managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by MOTUL, Yokohama Tires, R53 Suspension, Triple-R Lights, and Peplink. Follow the team online at www.subaru.com/motorsports.
Follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and on TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.
