Travis Pastrana hopes for Back-To-Back American Rally Association Championships may have come to an end. What would it take to win now? How can he still have an effect on the championship?
The One To Beat
Travis Pastrana came into 2022 as a double champion. Having won both the 2021 American Rally Association Championship and the 2021 Nitro Rallycross Championship. Pastrana was the one to beat this season. On paper that sounds hard as Pastrana has won four straight Rally America titles from 2006-2009, and two American Rally Association titles in 2017 and 2021, Pastrana knows what it takes to win. In 2017 Pastrana would beat his mentor and American Rally Legend David Higgins to win the inaugural season of the championship.
Fourth Fastest
Travis Pastrana missed the first rally on the 2022 ARA national calendar Sno*Drift. He missed the event due to an injury. Pastrana would start his season at the Rally In The 100 Acre Wood, the second event on the calendar. Pastrana would place fourth at the event finishing behind teammate Brandon Semenuk, rivals Ken Block and Barry McKenna. Not the greatest start to the season for the reigning champion.
That’s Better
At the Olympus Rally Pastrana would place second behind teammate Brandon Semenuk. However he wouldn’t achieve this by beating Block or McKenna he would achieve it by completing the rally, something Block and McKenna didn’t do. Things were heading in the right direction for Pastrana nonetheless.
Mr. Consistent
Although Pastrana hasn’t won a single event on the 2022 American Rally Association Calendar, he has been consistently in the top three. Pastrana has finished second two times and third two times so far this season. This consistency allowed Pastrana to remain in the championship battle until this point.
A Win Was Needed
Pastrana came into the Ojibwe Forests Rally knowing he needed a win to stay in the championship battle. Pastrana looked as if he was going to win the event until disaster struck. On SS10 Pastrana wouldn’t be able to slow down enough to make a corner and went into a tree. When Pastrana hit the tree his backend took the brunt of the force. This caused his rear suspension to break. Ending his rally and any hope of a win in an instant. Both Pastrana and Gelsomino were OK after the accident, but Pastrana’s championship hopes were not.
What Would It Take To Win Now?
The odds of Travis Pastrana winning the 2022 ARA National Championship are slim, but not impossible. Drop points are the only thing keeping Pastrana’s hope alive right now. As of right now both Block and Semenuk will drop 17 points at the end of the season. Due to this Semenuk only has 99 points with Block having 95. Pastrana on the other hand will only drop 16 points. Due to this Pastrana sits at 79 points. For Pastrana to win the 2022 ARA National Championship he would have to win both STPR and LSPR. Along with those wins, Brandon Semenuk cannot gain more than 15 points collectively in the events. As for Block, he cannot gain more than 11 points collectively in those two events. Everything would have to go right for Pastrana to win the Championship and everything go wrong for Block and Semenuk.
How Travis Pastrana Can Still Have An Effect On The Championship
Although Travis Pastrana’s chance at the 2022 ARA National Championship is realistically over, he can still affect the outcome, how? Travis Pastrana can try his best to take points away from Block. If Pastrana places higher than Block at STPR and Semenuk wins, it will be near impossible for Block to win the championship. This won’t be easy as Block has been the fastest driver so far this season, and Pastrana has been behind the pace for much of it. This also has a chance to go wrong as well, if Block places ahead of Pastrana with Semenuk placing behind Pastrana, Block takes the Championship points lead, along with making it much harder for Semenuk to win the championship. It’s a risk but it’s a risk Pastrana and Subaru Rally Team USA is willing to take.
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.
