May 12, 2025
Portland, OR – Following a very eventful Olympus Rally, the Subaru Motorsports USA teams continue the American Rally Association (ARA) 2025 west coast swing with the May 16-18 Oregon Trail Rally. With their sights set on a fourth consecutive ARA Open 4WD championship, the formidable duo of driver Brandon Semenuk and co-driver Keaton Williams aim to extend their 2025 winning momentum. In the Limited 4WD category, extreme sports icon Travis Pastrana and co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino are forging ahead in the development journey of the all-new WRX ARA25L.
“Oregon Trail Rally is one of my favorite rallies,” says Pastrana. It’s also a fan-favorite event, with a unique mix of urban and forest environments providing lots of places to watch the action from. Originally a one-off event in 1984, the Oregon Trail Rally as we know it now was established by the Oregon Rally Group in 1995. The three-day event sprawls out from Portland across the area around Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge farmlands and even pokes into Washington. Drivers will contend with the speed of the stages as well as features like the famous Boyd Jump, which regularly sends cars over 100 feet across the air.
“Three long days starting with an awesome super special stage for the fans and then heading east where the roads are fast and flowing,” says Pastrana. “Looking forward to seeing how it goes with the new car!” The all-new WRX ARA25L made its debut at April’s Olympus Rally, with Pastrana and Gelsomino driving it to an early lead in L4WD during the first day of racing. A mechanical at the end of day one caused the team to make the proactive decision to bring the car in for repair. This unfortunately meant Pastrana and Gelsomino had to miss a stage, impacting their chances for a class victory. The ARA25L returned to competition on Saturday and powered through the day. As the new machine Subaru Motorsports USA on continues to undergo testing and refinement, it is quickly becoming a fan favorite, and the team is optimistic about its potential at the Oregon Trail Rally. Meanwhile in O4WD, Brandon Semenuk is as focused as ever on his objectives: "Oregon Trail is one of those rallies where commitment is key,” he notes. “The speed here is unreal, and there are a lot of big exposures. Margins are usually tight, so you’ve got to be on it right from Stage 1.”
That first stage takes place Friday evening at Portland International Raceway before heading into the woods for a mix of gravel and tarmac stages including the famous Maryhill Loops Road hillclimb, with its intense elevation changes and challenging corners. For all of the latest news and updates during the May 16-18 Oregon Trail Rally, follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and on TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.
Name: Oregon Trail Rally
DATES: 5/16/25 - 5/18/25
HOST TOWNS: Portland, OR. Goldendale, WA. Dufur, OR.
TIME ZONE: Pacific Daylight Time (UTC -7)
NEAREST INTL AIRPORT: Portland Intl Airport (PDX)
WEATHER: Partly cloudy. Low 41F. High 64F. Sunset 8:30pm PDT.
2025 Oregon Trail Rally Stage Info
Total Distance: 426.4 miles
Number of stages: 19
Stage distance: 108.3 miles
Stage surfaces: Gravel, Hardpacked Dirt, Tarmac
Longest stage: 10.01 miles (SS3 / 7 Dalles Mtn Up I&II)
Highest Elevation: 2,300 ft
Recce: Open
Service Parks: Portland Intl Raceway (Fri) Goldendale HS (Sat) Dufur City Park (Sun)
Official Start: 7:00pm on Friday
Superspecials: 2 (SS1 & SS2)
Power Stage: SS18
Stages in darkness: Yes, SS2
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, DirtFish Rally School, and Sparco USA. Follow the team online at www.subaru.com/motorsports.
Follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and on TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.
About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $300 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged nearly 88,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do. For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.