Thursday, March 10, 2011

Double Podium for Subaru Rally Team USA at 2011 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood

Michael Hohl Subaru

Higgins and Mirra Achieve Double Podium for Subaru Rally Team USA at 2011 Rally in the 100 Acre Wood

Mirra consolidates 2nd overall position in championship


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 Cherry Hill, N.J., 03/02/2011 – Subaru of America, Inc. Subaru Rally Team USA drivers David Higgins and Dave Mirra finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively, at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood this past weekend piloting 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars. His second straight podium finish, Dave Mirra retains 2nd overall position in the 2011 Rally America National Championship while inching closer to the top points position.  Higgins, in his gravel rally debut for SRT USA, pushed hard for the victory but ultimately came up just 17.7 seconds short of the top podium step.  The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood was round two of the six-round 2011 Rally America National Championship series.

Named after the storybook home of Winnie the Pooh, the 100 Acre Wood Rally is set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri.   Based in and around the town of Salem, the 100 Acre Wood Rally features very high-speeds on smooth and flowing gravel roads that are a favorite of many rally drivers.

The 100 Acre Wood Rally was especially challenging for new SRT USA driver David Higgins.  Higgins previously rallied in the USA (he was the 2002-2003 SCCA ProRally Champion), but never competed at the 100 Acre Wood Rally.  Higgins has not competed on gravel with his new ride, the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI; and would also need to get accustomed to his new co-driver Craig Drew whom he has raced with for only a handful of competitive stage miles.

“The roads were fantastic, just loads of fun but require huge levels commitment as they are so fast,” explained Higgins. “We had lost time on the first day with some handling problems that caused a lack of confidence to push and after we sorted it out I tried maybe a bit too hard to make back that time on the second day and ended up making a few small mistakes.  But we pushed hard through to the end and came away with a very strong points finish and a very good feeling heading to the next gravel event.”  Higgins won five of the events fifteen competitive stages but would fall short of the overall winner Antoine L’Estage by just under 18 seconds.  

Coming off a career best 2nd Overall finish at last month’s Sno*Drift Rally, Dave Mirra entered the 100 Acre Wood Rally with the mindset of continuing his rally driving development.  “I knew coming into this rally that I wanted to do exactly what I did at Sno*Drift and that was to run my own rally, set my own pace, and really work on listening to the notes,” said Mirra at the podium.  “We didn’t try to get caught up in fighting for the win and taking any risks but were fast enough to hold off the entire rest of the field easily.  I wanted to use this rally to make some progress on my driving and bringing the car home scratch free and on the podium was icing on the cake.”  With his 3rd place finish Mirra, co-driven by Marshall Clarke, solidifies his 2nd overall position in the 2011 Rally America National Championship standings while inching closer to the top position.

“Having both of our SRT USA cars finish on the podium at this event is a solid result,” added Subaru motorsports marketing manager James Han.   “Antoine [L’Estage] drove an inspired rally building on his experience from past drives at 100 Acre [Wood Rally].  There were some really positive takeaways from this event.  Our 2011 SRT USA STI rally cars performed great, and David [Higgins] and Dave [Mirra] both banked valuable points for SRT USA towards the championship.”

Subaru Rally Team USA heads to the west coast for the next two Rally America rounds.  First stop, they head to Ocean Shores, Washington for the Olympus Rally (April 3-May 1) then on to Portland, Oregon for the Oregon Trail Rally (May 13-15).

About Subaru Rally Team USA
Subaru Rally Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Vision X, Alpinestars, Motul, Exedy, VP Fuels and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on Subaru Rally Team USA, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries visit subaru.com/rally and for the latest news follow the team on Twitter:twitter.com/srtusa.

About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers 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. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.

About Michael Hohl Subaru.
Michael Hohl Subaru is proud to serve Carson City with quality Subaru vehicles. With models like the Outback, Forester, Impreza, Legacy and Tribeca, we have something for every taste and need. Come visit us at 2910 South Carson St to see our vehicles and take one for a test drive.
If you're looking for a used car in Carson City, we can assist you there as well. Visit our inventory page to see our large collection of pre-owned vehicles.
Michael Hohl Subaru is not just your Carson City Subaru dealership, we also provide a full line of services dedicated to our Nevada customers. From Subaru car repairs

Subaru Reports Nearly 20% Increase in Sales

Michael Hohl Subaru

Subaru of America, Inc. Reports Nearly 20% Increase in Sales

- Impreza leads increase -

CHERRY HILL, N.J., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru of America, Inc. today announced continued record-breaking sales for February, up almost 20% compared to the previous year.  
(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080325/SUBARULOGO )
February sales records were set by Forester, Impreza, Legacy and Outback. Impreza WRX volume more than doubled compared to the prior year and helped lead the Impreza carline to an impressive 40% increase.  

"This is by far the best start to a year we've ever had," said Timothy M. Colbeck, senior vice president of sales, Subaru of America, Inc. "We have been working to get more units to our dealers, but every time we think they will build some inventory, they increase sales instead.  With the exception of the Cash for Clunkers comparison in August, this is our 12th consecutive record month."

Thomas J. Doll, executive vice president and COO, Subaru of America, Inc. said, "While we are proud of our February results, we are also very excited that our entire organization - from Subaru of America, to our region and zone offices and independent distributors - is committed and poised for the continued growth of our franchise."

About Subaru.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers 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. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.

About Michael Hohl Subaru - a Carson City New & Used Subaru Dealership
Michael Hohl Subaru is proud to serve Carson City with quality Subaru vehicles. With models like the Outback, Forester, Impreza, Legacy and Tribeca, we have something for every taste and need. Come visit us at 2910 South Carson St to see our vehicles and take one for a test drive.
If you're looking for a used car in Carson City, we can assist you there as well. Visit our inventory page to see our large collection of pre-owned vehicles.
Michael Hohl Subaru is not just your Carson City Subaru dealership, we also provide a full line of services dedicated to our Nevada customers. From Subaru car repairs performed by expert mechanics, to OEM Subaru auto parts, to car loans, Michael Hohl Subaru is the smart choice for your automotive needs.
Come in and say hi! We're located at 2910 South Carson St or you can give us a call.