Subaru Driver Sverre Isachsen Impressive in Fourth Overall Finish at Global RallyCross Round in Bristol, Tennessee

CHERRY HILL, N.J., July 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team was fighting at the top during Round 5 of the Global RallyCross Championship held July 20th at Bristol Motor Speedway.  Team driver Sverre Isachsen, a former three-time European RallyCross Champion, won his heat race advancing him to the front row of the Final.  An impressive start by the Norwegian saw him run as high as 2nd Overall before race-contact crushed his exhaust, robbing his Subaru STI of power and dropping him back to 4th Overall, the team's best finish thus far in 2013 after competing in three earlier events.  Teammates Dave Mirra and Bucky Lasek showed impressive pace but narrowly missed out on advancing to the Final.

Opened in 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway is nicknamed "Thunder Valley" and is referred to as the world's last great coliseum, owing to its deep bowl seating and steep concrete banking.  The Bristol Global RallyCross course featured a unique layout with a mix of  dirt and concrete sections as well as a large jump.  The Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team entered three Vermont SportsCar prepared 600hp Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive 2013 Subaru STI RallyCross cars for drivers Sverre Isachsen, Dave Mirra and Bucky Lasek.  

Isachsen got things rolling for the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team with an impressive Heat win in which he drove smartly, taking the longer "joker lap" early,  then reeling in his rivals and passing them handily when they later chose to take the required joker lap.   The victory advanced Isachsen straight to the Final and a spot on the coveted front row of the grid.

His teammates Bucky Lasek and Dave Mirra had much more difficult Heat races.  Mirra retired from his Heat race after taking damage early while Lasek was unable to finish in the top two in his Heat race,  landing both Subaru drivers to the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ).  In the LCQ Mirra unfortunately was slowed by a punctured tire while Lasek drove well but came up just short, finishing in fourth, just behind the last transfer spot.

Isachsen then went to battle for the team in the Final.  Starting from the front row Sverre muscled his way into 2nd Overall after a chaotic start.  His impressive fight for the win was cut short however when another competitor hit him in the rear and subsequently crushed his exhaust, causing his Subaru to lose power.  Isachsen would soldier-on and finish 4th Overall.

"The other teams see that we're coming up now, and trying to push the limit every time," said Isachsen. "The team is working really hard and it's getting better and better in every race. To win my heat and be on the front row of the Final is a good result and I'm very happy.  I'm really looking forward to X Games in Los Angeles now!"

Click here to see in-car team footage from the event

The team heads to Irwindale Speedway for the ESPN X Games in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 4th and broadcast live on ESPN at 5:30pm ET.

About Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team USA
The Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team is managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), PUMA, Method Race Wheels, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, PIAA, Race Proven Inc., and MOTUL. For more information on the team, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries, visit subaru.com/rally. For the latest news follow the team on Twitter: @srtusa.

About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru 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 media.subaru.com.

"Subaru", "WRX STI", all model names, and the Subaru logo are registered trademarks of the Subaru subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd, Japan. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.

Contacts:
Rob Weir
Subaru of America, Inc.
630-250-3453
[email protected]

Dominick Infante
Subaru of America, Inc.
856-488-8615
[email protected]

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.