Subaru on the Podium at Red Bull Global Rallycross Atlantic City

CHERRY HILL, N.J., Aug. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru Rally Team USA's climb to the top of the GRC Supercar field this season continued with another podium finish for the team and a strong showing throughout the doubleheader race weekend in Atlantic City, NJ.

Patrik Sandell highlighted the Subaru team's improved pace this season with a hard-fought second place overall finish in the final of Race 1 of the Red Bull Global Rallycross Atlantic City doubleheader.  His teammate, Chris Atkinson then achieved a strong result in Race 2 with a fourth place overall finish in the final. Both drivers, at the wheel of Vermont SportsCar-prepared 600hp Subaru WRX STI rallycross cars, showed impressive pace throughout the weekend with strong finishes in the heats and semi-finals.  The team has now started a car on the front row of the final for the past three races in a row, and have earned two podiums in the last five rounds.

The weekend began with rain and slick conditions in which Sandell excelled.  Sandell earned a excellent grid position for the final after an impressive second overall finish in the semi-final. In the ten-car final Sandell jumped out to the lead early and then lead for a majority of the race.   The race culminated with Sandell locked in a crowd pleasing back-and-forth fight against defending GRC Champion Scott Speed, who just edged out Sandell for victory on the last lap.

"It was a good race, I was able to have a clean start and I got away quick. I was leading for most of the time, but with my brakes fading I was not able to hold off Scott (Speed) on the last two laps. I didn't really want to fight him too crazy and risk anything because we were up there, so I'm happy with 2nd and it feels like a win," said Sandell at the podium.

Sandell's teammate Chris Atkinson also finished Saturday's semi-final in second place, and started the final from the front row. However, just after the start of the final Atkinson was hit hard by another competitor which broke his rear suspension, forcing him to retire.

Sunday brought clear weather and a new day of racing as the double-header weekend concluded. Atkinson took victory in Heat 3a while Sandell finished in second in the semi-final, putting him on the front row of the final.  Chaos ensued in the final however as Sandell, who was running as high as 3^rd Overall, got pushed back to 5^th before being hit hard from behind by another competitor on the last turn of the last lap, forcing him to stop.  Atkinson, running just behind Sandell, was able to avoid the carnage and earn a fourth overall finish.

"We've shown the progress and proven it two days in a row," explained Team Principal Lance Smith. "Our new Subaru WRX STI is competitive and we are fighting at the top end of the podium, so we're in the mix now. The cars are consistent and they will continue to get better, we just have to keep working on it.  It is very promising."

"The team at Vermont SportsCar has put together a great Supercar package for the WRX STI this season, and we're proud to see the results this weekend," stated Subaru motorsports marketing manager Rob Weir. "Both Patrik and Chris have been invaluable in helping the team improve and getting Subaru on the podium this season. We congratulate Patrik on his first podium with our Subaru team."

Subaru Rally Team USA will fight to keep their positive momentum going at Evergreen Speedway in metro Seattle, WASeptember 9-10, home of the next Red Bull GRC doubleheader weekend. Click here for event info.

Full coverage of Subaru Rally Team USA is available on the Subaru Motorsports App. To download from the iTunes App store, click here, for Android App on Google Play store, click here. Follow the team on Instagram @srtusa, on Twitter @srtusa, and on facebook @Subaru Rally Team USA. 

About Subaru Rally Team USA
Subaru Rally Team USA is managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Valvoline, KÜHL, Method Race Wheels, DirtFish Rally School, DMACK Tires, PIAA, RECARO and DBA USA. Follow the team online at www.subaru.com/rally

About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation 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 620 retailers 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. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $120 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do. For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Rob Weir
Motorsports Marketing Manager
Subaru of America, Inc.
(856) 488-3453
rwei@subaru.com

Dominick Infante
National Manager, Product Communications
Subaru of America, Inc. 
(856) 488-8615
dinfante@subaru.com

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/subaru-on-the-podium-at-red-bull-global-rallycross-atlantic-city-300504027.html

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.