CHERRY HILL, N.J., June 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Iconic X Games Skateboarding athlete Bucky Lasek earned his 20th career X Games medal in Austin, Texas on Saturday but it wasn't earned atop a skateboard. Instead, Bucky earned a Silver medal behind the wheel of his 600hp Subaru WRX STI Rallycross car in a hard fought X Games Rallycross event held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Lasek's Silver marked the 14th medal earned by Subaru drivers at the X Games.
Bucky Lasek Claims a Silver Medal for Subaru at X Games Austin, his first Global Rallycross podium. (PRNewsFoto/Subaru of America, Inc.) (PRNewsFoto/Subaru of America, Inc.)
Subaru Rally Team USA Driver Bucky Lasek claims his first Rallycross podium with a Silver Medal at X Games Austin. (PRNewsFoto/Subaru of America, Inc.) (PRNewsFoto/Subaru of America, Inc.)
Sverre Isaschen kept an impressive pace at X Games Austin until he was crashed by another competitor. (PRNewsFoto/Subaru of America, Inc.) (PRNewsFoto/Subaru of America, Inc.)
Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana was quickest of the team in early heat races, but finished one position out of the final six to fight for an X Games Medal. His Subaru teammate Bucky Lasek went on to claim a silver medal in Rallycross. (PRNewsFoto/Subaru of America, Inc.) (PRNewsFoto/Subaru of America, Inc.)
"It was intense—that was the hardest fought medal that I've ever worked for," said Lasek. "It brings me to tears; I'm just holding them back. My team gets more credit than I do, they're ability to give us the proper setup and quickly repair car damage is what got me here. We're making it happen race to race." The Silver medal for Lasek is his best result in Rallycross competition after starting in the sport as a rookie in 2012 with Subaru Rally Team USA.
Lasek fought hard against the deepest field the sport has ever seen in the USA, with 19 entrants, including five factory teams. After a third place finish in the Semi-Final, Lasek found himself in the Final with an un-enviable position on the back row of the six-car grid. Lasek drove faultlessly and avoided trouble, finding himself in third overall in the early laps. Lasek then began to reel in 2nd place from Nelson Piquet JR after each lap, until Piquet JR, while under pressure from Lasek, mistakenly took the Joker lap twice and was subsequently given a stop-and-go penalty. Lasek moved into 2nd place while holding off a hard charging Liam Doran to earn Silver.
Lasek's Subaru teammates Travis Pastrana and Sverre Isachsen had a strong start to the event, each winning a heat race early in the event. Isachsen however was unable to show his potential after crashing in the quarter-finals when he was hit from behind on the opening lap. The incident left Isachsen fuming and race fans confused as Race officials refused to penalize the offender, leaving Isachsen out of the event.
Pastrana was Subaru Rally Team USA's fastest qualifier but was unable to advance out of the semi final where Lasek earned the third and final transfer spot ahead of him. But with a win and a 2nd place finish in the early heats Pastrana was pleased with his pace considering it was his first time driving the car, as he had not tested his Subaru WRX STI Rallycross car ahead of the event due to his hectic schedule.
"As the track dried up so did my speed," joked Pastrana. "Thanks to everyone at Subaru and Vermont SportsCar for the epic car and all the work. I'm so happy for my teammate Bucky (Lasek), it was a stellar drive!"
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 Royal Purple.
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.
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