2022 Oregon Trail Rally Presented by Wilsonville Subaru: Dates to remember

High flying jumps, high speed turns, and loads of fun await the 2022 Oregon Trail Rally presented by Wilsonville Subaru! After a dominant 1-2 finish at the Mount Olympus Rally, Bandon Semenuk and Travis Pastrana look to keep up the success going into the Oregon Trail Rally May 20^th-22^nd, 2022. Teams will try to conquer three of the toughest trails in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from asphalt to gravel service roads. The race begins at the Portland international raceway and ends in Dufur, Oregon. Between the two venues is a Saturday race in Goldendale, Washington!

Participating vehicles range from the newest WRX 2021 model to vehicles from the 1970s, with everything in between. This variety of vehicles is what a lot of rally fans live for, and the oldest vehicles tend to be the most reliable, often make it through the final stages. Cars, drivers, co-drivers, and other team member will be available for pictures and autographs before each day’s stages . The action starts Friday on multi-surface stages at Portland International Raceway. The fan-favorite PIR brings stage rally to the city in a spectator friendly environment. On Saturday the rally moves to the steep hills near Goldendale, Washington. Day 2 of OTR sees a few more tarmac stage miles, showcasing the historic Maryhill Loops Road. Laid down in 1911 as a test road by the famous Sam Hill, Maryhill is almost perfectly built for racing thanks to its sharp corners and quick elevation changes. On Sunday, OTR crosses the Columbia River into the wide sweeping plains of Dufur, Oregon. The rally gets fast on these backroads and even sees teams ford a creek at racing speed! Sunday also features the Boyd Jump, a chance for drivers to fly ~120ft or more!

The Oregon Rally Group was formed in 1995 by local rallyists. Some came from a background in stage rally, with others participating in rallies around the Puget Sound area in Washington. The past 25 years have brought many winners, but driver David Higgins has dominated the event more than any other driver with 9 total wins. David Higgins won’t be competing in this rally, but legends Travis Pastrana and Ken Block will be competing against ARA frontrunner Brandon Semenuk.

Pre-Rally Dates to Know

Josh Gierman’s Legacy

Leading up to the race, stop by Wilsonville Subaru to check out two real rally cars! Josh Gierman will be at Wilsonville Subaru May 7^th from 11am-2pm showcasing his 2000 Subaru Impreza, and Steven Redd will be showcasing his 2007 Subaru STI.  Gierman’s car started out as a base Impreza 2.5RS, but has been upgraded to a 2005 STI drivetrain with a 3.0H6 engine from a Tribeca. Rally coilovers with 46mm Bilstein shocks were chosen for its record of robustness and reliability. Gierman was interested in rally from driving to work down long gravel roads, and video games with co-drivers angry at him for wrecking the cars. Gierman states, “Turns out (rallying) is crazy, and will absolutely challenge anyone who attempts it”.

Steven Redd’s Subaru

Steven Redd is a former rally driver who ran his last race in 2017 after competing in numerous events in the Pacific Northwest. On the weekend of May 7^th Steven will be at Wilsonville Subaru with his Subaru WRC S12b Replica. Installed with special imported body panels and lightweight carbon/Kevlar, the overall weight of the car has been decreased for maximum handling. Under the hood is a eJ22T that has been bored and stroked to 2.35L. The car features custom suspension arms built by Redd with Baratech coilovers and Tubular subframes, and he mentions  “Every inch of the car has been gone over and modified to exactly the way I wanted it to be. Its been a 3-4 year build process that is almost finished!”

It should be a fun couple weekends in May and we can’t wait for the festivities to begin!

For more information, please visit the Oregon Trail Rally Website

To view our inventory and browse our service specials, please visit the Wilsonville Subaru Website.