The Oregon Trail Rally has passed meaning that the fourth round of the American Rally Association season has passed and some things have changed.
Day One
Day One saw two super special stages, both being raced at Portland International Raceway. Ken Block won the first time with a time of 3:49.8 and Travis Pastrana won the second with a time of 3:49.6. Block said he let up on the second ruining because he felt like there was potentially a puncture. Kyle Tiley, unfortunately, had his rally cut short after he rolled over on the first running of the super special stage. Due to Tiley’s retirement, this left Tom Williams the only driver in the RC2 class for the rest of the event.
Times After Day One
1 Pastrana/Gelsomino, 7:40.7
2 Block/Gelsomino, 7:43.9
3 Semenuk/Williams, 7:45.7
4 Williams/Whitlock, 8:23.4
5 Perusina/Bautista, 8:32.5
Day Two
Ken Block dominated Day Two with eight straight stage wins, leading to him ending Day Two with a lead of just under a minute. Travis Pastrana and Brandon Semenuk ended the second day being tied. Pastrana and Semenuk both had to deal with mechanical issues during Day Two. Pastrana said his car couldn’t go faster than 70mph on straights during SS4. Subaru Motorsports USA fixed the issue at service for Pastrana but then on the second loop of stages, Brandon Semenuk began to have the same issue. This isn’t the first time Subaru’s have had problems at Oregon Trail, when in 2019 David Higgins suffered engine problems and even stalled on the way to service. Day Two also saw Jeff Seehorn retire on SS5 with a mechanical failure, he would rejoin the rally on Day Three but would end with the same result.
Times after Day Two
1 Block/Gelsomino, 44:57.2
2 Pastrana/Gelsomino, 45:56.5
3 Semenuk/Williams, 45:56.5
4 Williams/Whitlock, 49:15.3
5 Carpetyan/Hall, 50:26.8
Day Three
Day Three saw the opposite of Day Two. Six of the seven stages on Day Three were won by a Subaru. Unfortunately for Pastrana and Semenuk, Ken Block’s lead was just too much to beat. Block’s lead went nearly untouched even after losing seven of the eight stages. Block was running on a soft tire for the first loop of stages which is probably the reason he lost those stages by a couple of seconds margin. Block ended the rally with a 55.4 second lead over Championship leader Brandon Semenuk. Travis Pastrana won the powerstage granting him five extra championship points.
Times After Day Three
1 Block/Gelsomino
2 Semenuk/Williams
3 Pastrana/ Gelsomino
4 Williams/Whitlock
5 Perusina/Bautista
For the First Time in 14 Years
Ken Block’s win marked the first time a Hyundai has won a US stage since Antonie L’Estage won the 2008 Susquehannock Trail Rally in a Hyundai Tiburon. L’Estage would win the rally with a 17-second lead over Tanner Foust. Both Block and Pastrana would retire from the rally.
He’s Found His Rhythm
Ken Block has finally found some luck this season after two unfortunate and unlucky ends to the first two events. Block came out to the Oregon Trail Rally with the main objective being to do better than he did at the Olympus Rally where he crashed out on SS3. Block knew he needed to do good at this event to be able to contend for the 2022 ARA Championship.
The Block Family
Ken Block wasn’t the only member of the Block family racing at the Oregon Trail Rally, his wife Lucy and daughter Lia were also racing at the event. Lucy was racing in a 2021 Ford Fiesta Rally3 car, this is Lucy’s first season driving a 4WD car and her first season driving the full championship. Lia is racing in a 2014 Ford Fiesta R2 and this is the 15-year-old’s first full rally season and only her fourth rally event. Block was second in the O2WD class before having to temporarily retire on SS10 after not finishing the stage. Lia would later rejoin the rally on Day Three and went on to place ninth in the O2WD class and 34th overall. Lucy had a good event placing seventh overall in the O4WD class and 16th overall.
Subaru Troubles
ARA Championship leader Brandon Semenuk has lost only his second event this season but still placed in the top three, even after being held back with mechanical problems on Day Two. Reigning ARA Champion Travis Pastrana also dealt with the same issues as Semenuk but luckily it was only for one stage. Pastrana and Semenuk were tied after Day Two. Semenuk won the battle between the two teammates, Semenuk finished the rally with a 14.4 second lead over Pastrana. Pastrana won the powerstage by a mere 1.7 seconds over longtime friend and rival Ken Block.
Tiley’s Retirement
Kyle Tiley fell victim to unfortunate luck at the Oregon Trail Rally where he rolled over on the first stage, ending his event immediately. This left Tom Williams as the sole driver in the RC2 class. Tiley also didn’t gain any championship points from the event leaving him in fifth place and 12 points behind Ken Block and Tom Williams. Tiley is currently entered for the Southern Ohio Forest Rally.
Seehorns Short Return
The Oregon Trail Rally was Seehorn’s first rally in 12 months, the last rally he raced was the Olympus Rally, which ended with him retiring due to an accident on SS7.
ARA Championship
Brandon Semenuk still leads the ARA championship standings by 16 points. The Oregon Trail Rally also saw more drivers close in on Brandon Semenuk.
ARA Championship Standings after Oregon Trail
1 Semenuk, 72
2 Pastrana, 56
3 Williams, 43
4 Block, 43
5 Piatkowski, 34*
*note Piatkowski is not eligible for the ARA Championship
My name is Joe Moore, I am a writer for Belly Up Hockey, Belly Up Racing, and Belly Up Sports. You can find me on Twitter.
