Photos: Andrew Harvey

(July 1, 2008) Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block earned his maiden Canadian rally victory this past weekend at Rallye Baie-des Chaleurs in Quebec, round three of the 2008 Canadian Rally Championship. The win was the first for Subaru Rally Team USA's new 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI on only its second event. Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino dominated the rally on their way to a victory with over a two-minute margin against a very strong contingent of Canadian rally veterans.

(June 9, 2008) The 32nd annual Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) proved a battle of attrition that claimed many top teams including both Subaru Rally Team USA entries of Travis Pastrana and Ken Block. Pastrana and co-driver Derek Ringer were unhurt after a high-speed impact into a road-side dirt embankment ended their rally. Teammate Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino damaged the suspension
on their new 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI on an uncharacteristically rough stage, forcing them to stop. Block was able to continue on day two and complete a bulk of the event's 120 competitive stage miles but was ineligible for any national points.

Shinoda Premieres Special Engagement of “Glorious Excess (Born)”

LOS ANGELES (May 28, 2008) — DC is proud to support Glorious Excess, an art exhibition by musician/producer/artist Mike Shinoda, His most ambitious and powerful series of paintings and digital works to date will open on July 12 at The Japanese American National Museum. The special engagement features large-scale pieces that blend Shinoda’s personal experiences in the spotlight with pop commentary and classical vanitas influences. The first in a two-part series, the exhibition will be displayed in the George and Sakaye Aratani Central Hall of the Japanese American National Museum from July 12 to August 3.

Glorious Excess is a subversive interpretation of the classic art movement “vanitas,” a type of symbolic still life painting commonly executed by Northern European painters in Flanders and the Netherlands in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.[1] Following a central character through various facets of celebrity life, the exhibition explores the motivations behind contemporary society's fascination with fame, excess and instant gratification, from the unique perspective of an outsider on the inside of rock superstardom.

(May 21, 2008) BMX legend and burgeoning rally driver Dave Mirra got his first chance to drive a top specification Open Class Subaru rally car in competition on the final day of last weekend's Oregon Trail Rally, after swapping cars with Monster Energy teammate Ken Block. Mirra was northing short of impressive at the wheel of Block's BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, netting a 3rd and a 4th fastest overall stage time on two of the four competition stages run on Sunday. Block, who was leading the Rally America National Championship points standings entering Oregon 'stepped-down' to drive Mirra's lower spec, non-turbo Subaru Impreza.

Ken Block and Travis Pastrana are in Portland this weekend, taking on the rest of the field for the Oregon Trail Rally, round four of the 2008 Rally America National Championship. Team Subaru USA landed at the Portland International Raceway on Friday before heading out to the Tillamook State Forest for the real deal this weekend. Lucky for me, I just got back to Portland and was fortunate enough to be invited to ride along with Ken for a little demo on what these guys do for fun. Check out the video below to see what it feels like coming into a 90-degree turn at 90+ mph in a souped up Subaru STI.

We've been featuring press releases about Team Subaru's accomplishments for years, but it took a ride in the car with Ken to understand how incredible of an organization this really is. Keep in mind that Ken Block and Travis Pastrana came into this highly competitive sport with no prior formal race training, and immediately began to dominate the point standings. Two guys from a skate, snowboarding and motocross background have managed to not only take over the Rally America circuit, but managed to bring Rally Driving in general to a larger audience via the Summer X-Games. They even got BMX champion Dave Mirra on the team now! It’s inspiring to see these guys not only achieve greatness in their previous endeavors, but continue to follow their dreams and be successful at another true passion in life. Special thanks go out to Team Subaru for the invite, and to Ken Block for not rolling us into the ditch.

(May 14, 2008) Subaru Rally Team USA lands in Portland, Oregon, this week for the Oregon Trail Rally, round four of the 2008 Rally America National Championship. The event kicks off on Friday, May 16th as Subaru drivers Travis Pastrana and Ken Block first tackle several mixed surface stages at Portland International Raceway. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, the real rallying begins, with competition covering nearly 120 miles of serpentine gravel logging roads west of Portland in the Tillamook State Forest. Pastrana and Block will be at the wheel of their Open Class, BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars.

(May 1, 2008) - Subaru of America, Inc. and DC Shoes are proud to announce a new partnership that will bring Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) gear for sale to the consumer public. The partnership in creating the official SRT USA Gear program will establish DC Shoes as supplier for Subaru Rally Team USA and SRT USA-branded consumer gear plus apparel. DC Shoes, known worldwide for their performance skateboarding shoes and skate/snow apparel has been a major sponsor of Subaru Rally Team USA and both team drivers, Travis Pastrana and Ken Block, since 2005.

Photos: Lars Gange

Subaru Rally Team USA Dominates Olympus Rally with 1-2 Finish

(April 20, 2008) Subaru Rally Team USA dominated this weekend's Olympus Rally, in eastern Washington with drivers Ken Block and Travis Pastrana scoring an impressive 1-2 finish. Rally winner Ken Block, at the wheel of his BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI led from the start of the rally and was the class of the field, winning or tying 12 of the 16 total stages. Block's teammate, two-time defending Rally America National Champion Travis Pastrana finished just twenty four seconds behind in second overall. This is the second 1-2 finish in a row for Subaru Rally Team USA, and Block now has a commanding lead in the championship, with Pastrana moving up to fourth with 6 rounds remaining in the Rally America National Championship series.

Photos: Pete Kuncis

(April 7, 2008) Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block dominated this past weekend's Rally New York USA event, earning a convincing win by over four minutes in his Monster Energy 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Block and his co-driver Alex Gelsomino entered the event with the intent to gain FIA-style reconnaissance experience and for personal enjoyment. This rally does not serve as a round in the 2008 Rally America National Championship, where Block currently tops the standings after winning round two, the 100 Acre Wood Rally.

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