At the New Forest Rally, on 15 July, it was sufficient for David Higgins and his co-pilot Craig Drew to finish in sixth place to win the championship title, so great was their lead already. As they bagged second place with pizazz they therefore knew they had won the title. Higgins suffered a bit the first day because he took the start in second position, inhaling the billowing dust caused by the very dry weather of recent weeks. The following day, the race marshals granted an additional minute interval between cars, which improved things somewhat. Higgins thus managed to win five of the seven specials of the day at the wheel of his Subaru WRX STI.
For Subaru Rally Team USA, partnered technically by Motul, it's the sixth Rally America Championship title in seven years of participation (2006-2009 and 2011-2012) and, for Higgins, it's the second title on a trot. A remarkable performances, as emphasised by David Higgins: 'I'm extremely proud of what we've achieved this year. Our Subaru was perfect throughout the season: it's reliable and so resistant that that's what made the difference. We finished all the events either winners or in second place and the car worked well in all the conditions we met.' For James Han, Subaru of America marketing manager, 'Although it was frustrating for David and Craig to drive in dust, they were wise enough to bear in mind our goal of winning the championship title, it's a magnificent result for this penultimate round.'
The final event will take place at the Olympus Rally, on 22 and 23 September. But the die has already been cast...
Standings
01// David Higgins, 95 pts - Motul
02// Antoine L'Estage, 63 pts
03// Leonid Urlichich, 41 pts
Photo credit: Lars Gange
