April 19, 2009–Our relatively new Rockstar Energy Drink Mitsubishi Evo X showed great potential at Olympus this year. Chrissie and I came into the third round rally in a tie for first in the Rally America Championship with Evo IX driver Andrew Comrie Picard. Our car, the first Open Class Evo X on the planet built by John Buffum’s Libra Racing, is only in its third race and still has a lot of development in its future. But on the first day of racing this weekend it was fast!

We won three stages on Saturday and entered the second service in the lead by one second. Unfortunately, the surprisingly high torque of the Libra Racing prepared motor was taking its toll on the drive train.  A bracket holding the transfer case gave out and left the drive shaft to shake freely for two of the afternoon’s stages putting us back 25 seconds.

Day Two would be spent using the spare gearbox which was a synchro box. Unlike most transmissions used in rally racing, a synchro gearbox is just like the stock transmission and requires using the clutch to shift.  There was a lot of footwork involved to left-foot and unusually for rallying right-foot braking.  It was the first time I’d put my right foot on the brake pedal during a stage for three years!  We lost a little more time on Day Two but Ken Block had mechanical issues so we managed to podium with a third place overall.

The race this weekend was a rare scene–Evo’s and STI’s battling it out for seconds a stage at the top. The factory  and non-factory Subarus have traditionally dominated the US Pro Rally scene but with Rockstar’s new EVO X and Andrew’s quick EVO IX the pressure is now on them.