Ft. Lauderdale, FL – The Oregon Spring Trail is a three-day racing contest held every summer, near Portland, OR. This year’s event, its eleventh, commenced on April 20 at Portland International Raceway.

Crowd favorites

Rally America points leader Travis Pastrana, and his navigator Christian Edstrom were the fan favorites. They drove an Open Class 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Tanner Foust and co-driver Christine Beavis, another favorite, took an early lead on the first day driving a Rockstar Energy Drink Subaru.

Weather plays truant

The notorious Oregon weather, which produces heavy rain at this time of the year, makes this race a test of endurance as much as of skill. On the second day, due in part to Tanner Foust’s flat tire, Andrew Pinker and teammate, Patrick Walsh, driving a Jack Daniels Subaru took the lead on the slippery surface.

Final result

By the time the rally reached its final stages, only 44 of the 75 racers remained to cross the finish line. The final result showed Pinker on top; Ken Block second and Foust third. All the top three places went to a Subaru.

Soaring popularity

The popularity of this event has reached such a level that the X Games were introduced to it in 2006. Today, these games are broadcast live to millions on ESPN and ABC.

One difference between NASCAR and this is that here, all cars must be street-legal, and Oregon Trail racers are protected by working windshield wipers and headlights and should have license plates.

For further information please visit: http://www.autousa.com/content/oregan-trail.jsp

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ESPN announced Friday that Subaru is the exclusive automotive and gold level sponsor of the X Games 13 to be held in Los Angeles, Calif. August 2-5, reported PRNewswire.

Terms of the sponsorship agreement said that Subaru of America, Inc. will provide ESPN with a 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX to be the grand prize awarded by ESPN to the “Subaru Most Outstanding Athlete of the Games.” ESPN will solely be responsible for choosing the recipient and administering the giveaway.

“We are very pleased to be an integral sponsor of X Games 13,” said Tim Mahoney, the senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Subaru of America, Inc. “Last year, we had such tremendous success in the rally competition that we dubbed the event the ‘WRX Games’ in a celebratory print ad.’ It is a perfect fit for our performance enthusiast customers that are always ready for action.”

The X Games is an annual multi-sport event with a concentration on action sports. The games are divided into seasons: the Winter X Games and the X Games. The former is held in January or February, while the latter in August. Competitors perform in various categories and styles, trying to win bronze, silver and gold medals, as well as prize money. This year, the 2008 Impreza WRX will serve as the grand prize to be awarded to the ‘Subaru Most Outstanding Athlete of the Games.’

The WRX, is an all-wheel drive turbocharged version of the Impreza. The Impreza WRX became popular to aficionados because of its superb performance and handling. The vehicle was originally introduced in Japan in 1992. Then it was launched in Australia and Europe.

The Impreza WRX is equipped with enhanced Subaru ball joints, radiator, filter and exhaust to complement the turbocharged 2.5L Boxer engine. Compared to the base Impreza, the WRX has larger brakes, bigger low-profile tires, and firmer, higher quality suspension components.

The Impreza WRX STI, formerly called the STi, is the highest standard-edition trim in the Impreza line. With the establishment of the Subaru Tecnica International (STI) division aimed at coordinating development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports, the Japanese company created the high-performance Impreza WRX STi. In 2001, the Impreze received a complete update to bolster performance, style, dynamics and handling. To stress, the five speed transmission, which was said to be one of Impreza’s weak points, was changed to a STi engineered six speed manual transmission.

Meanwhile, the Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana is set to defend the X Games gold medal. In 2006, Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom earned the gold medal in the inaugural X Games Rally event. Pastrana will be back in action to defend his X Games gold medal in the rally competition.

Pastrana edged out a win over former Subaru World Rally Champion Colin McRae, a rally legend. Pastrana’s Subaru teammates Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino grabbed the bronze medal. The podium finishers drove Open Class Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars sponsored by the Japanese automaker and prepared by Vermont SportsCar.

The addition of Subaru to our roster of sponsors for X Games 13 comes at a great time after the success of last year’s debut of Rally Car Racing, said Rick Alessandri, the Managing Director of the X Games Franchise. “Partnering with Subaru is a terrific fit for the X Games audience, and we look forward to growing the relationship for future action sports events.”

This year, The Home Depot Center will host extra X Games competitions, while other events will return to STAPLES Center. For the complete information and schedule of X Games 13 rally events, enthusiasts can visit www.expn.com.

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.