Subaru Rally Team USA sponsor news 2010-02-24

Subaru Rally Team USA signs VP Fuels as Official Fuel Supplier

(Febuary 24, 2010) Subaru Rally Team USA is pleased to announce today the selection of VP Racing Fuels products for their 2010 rally campaign. The partnership includes VP Fuels being designated the Official Fuel of Subaru Rally Team USA. Subaru Rally Team USA, managed by Subaru technical partner Vermont SportsCar, is headed by four-time defending Rally America National Champion Travis Pastrana and BMX legend Dave Mirra. The team is scheduled to compete in the six event 2010 Rally America National Championship, ESPN's X Games 16 Rally Car Racing event as well as Rally America's three all-new European-style RallyCross exhibition events this fall.

VP is the Official Fuel of American LeMans Series, NHRA, SuperDirtCar, World of Outlaws Sprint Car and Late Model Series among others, fueling championships in North America and around the globe for over 35 years. VP Racing Fuels was founded in 1974 by Steve Burns, who initially exhibited his aptitude for R&D in the early 1970's as a young racer in San Antonio, Texas. Self-taught in chemistry and physics, Burns began experimenting with exotic blends of fuel, much to the dismay of his parents whose garage served as Steve's laboratory. VP is now recognized by many as the world leader in race fuel technology, with a catalog of nearly 70 fuel blends and a growing roster of VP-fueled champions across the entire spectrum of motorsports.

"VP Fuel has been extremely successful in every form of motorsports they have entered and their international blends of rally fuel are second to none," said Lance Smith, President of Vermont SportsCar. "The decision to switch to VP Fuels was made after we assessed the power their rally car products make and learning of the technical and developmental support VP could provide our team. We are looking forward to both the technical and performance gains that VP Fuel can provide our team as we aim to win a fifth straight Rally America National Championship title."

Four-time consecutive and defending Rally America National Champion Travis Pastrana and his teammate Dave Mirra, the 2008 Rally America Rookie of the Year, both return to Subaru Rally Team USA and will pilot 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars. Vermont SportsCar will be working closely with VP Fuels on the build and development of the next evolution of their Rally America Open Class specification Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car to maximize engine performance and power output.

"Rally Racing is probably the most challenging and most exciting form of car racing on the planet" said Jim Kelly, VP Fuels Regional Manager for Europe and the Northeast United States. "VP fuels championship winning teams in all types of racing and while we are in a lot of rally cars in Europe it will be particularly gratifying to see the Subaru rally cars of Travis [Pastrana] and Dave [Mirra] flying down rally stages with VP in the USA."

Subaru Rally Team USA heads next to the second round in the Rally America Championship series, the 100 Acre Wood Rally, scheduled on February 26 - 27 in southern Missouri.

-source: rally.subaru.com