Cherry Hill, N.J. – February 19, 2014 - Action sports superstar Travis Pastrana will make his much anticipated return to rally racing this weekend with Subaru Rally Team USA at The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood. The Salem, Missouri based event represents round two of the eight event 2014 Rally America National Championship series. Pastrana returns to Subaru, and rallying, after three years competing in NASCAR. Pastrana will team with defending series champion and last year's 100 Acre Wood Rally victor David Higgins. Both Subaru drivers will drive Vermont SportsCar-prepared 2014 Subaru WRX STI rally cars featuring Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.

Named after the storybook home of Winnie the Pooh, The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Based in and around the town of Salem, the event features very high-speeds on smooth and flowing gravel roads that are a favorite of many rally drivers. However, in recent years the weather has unleashed freezing rain, sleet or snow in the days leading up turning the roads treacherously icy.

Subaru driver David Higgins, with co-driver Craig Drew, will be going for their second straight win at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood. Pastrana however, has different expectations and goals. After three years away from the sport he expects to need some time to get back up to speed again. He will have both a new car and new co-driver to get accustomed to. Pastrana will be joined by veteran co-driver Chrissie Beavis.

"The 100 Acre Wood Rally will be a learning experience for me. The cars are much faster than when I last competed, I've got a new co-driver, and the competition is stiffer," explained Pastrana. "Winning the Rally America Championship in my last full season (2009) will mean there will be a lot of expectations. It will take some time adjusting to my new co-driver, (Chrissie Beavis) and for her to adjust to me. The speeds of the team's new Subaru will mean that I will have to do more than knock the rust off. I will have to improve if I want to keep up."

After a win at the season opening Sno*Drift Rally in January, as well as a win in Missouri in 2013, David Higgins' confidence level is high. "This is always a tricky event with the variable weather conditions. Hopefully this year will be less wild. This year the competition will be stiff and now I've got a fast teammate to worry about too!"

The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood begins on Friday, February 21st with a Parc Expose in Steelville, MO at 12:00pm. Fans can meet the drivers and view the rally cars before competition begins. Spectator guides will be available onsite. A free event spectator guide download is available at: http://bit.ly/1jkWHPx

The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood will broadcast on NBC Sports to a national audience of 80 million households on May 3rd, 2014 at 6:00pm ET. Check local listings for channel information.

Subaru Rally Team USA event updates and photo galleries will be posted throughout the weekend at Subaru.com/rally as well as on Twitter and Instagram; @SRTUSA

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), Method Race Wheels, RECARO, PIAA, Race Proven, and MOTUL.

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.

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