Subaru WRX's Worst Nightmare Over Thanks to Rally America

What are the changes?

In 2015, David Higgins, who was driving the Subaru WRX STI on behalf of SRT USA had called the schedule a driver's worst nightmare. He had been talking about the 100 Acre Wood rally in particular which was the second race on the schedule. In 2016, officials have decided to change the date for this Missouri event and have moved it forward by almost a month to March 18th-19th.

Why have they done this?

Last year, as reported by Higgins, the road conditions there were the worst with a variety of different conditions for drivers to deal with. Some of the stages were 80% gravel while there were other parts which were 80% ice. The worst problem which the drivers had to face is that ice tires wear out very quickly when driving on gravel & gravel tires have absolutely no grip when on ice.

That is not appealing at all!

The 100 Acre Wood Rally is Known for being Fast and Dusty

This rally which is held in Salem, Missouri takes place during the last weekend of February and usually offers mild, dusty, and fast conditions for drivers. But, single digit temperatures and snow had transformed the second rally race in 2015 into nothing short of a full-fledged snow event. Officials confirmed that this was the reason they decided to change the date of the event to the end of March this year.

Even though there was so much snow and ice at the event, Higgins still managed to dominate right from the beginning and was also able to get through the entire course which had been converted into nothing short of a snow event. 50% of the roads had been covered with ice and there were certain turns which switched from gravel to ice that made it even more challenging for the drivers.

Ken Block

Ken Block has made it very clear that he loves the super-fast gravel course in Salem but he hasn't entered the event this year yet. The change in dates may just convince him to enter the race though. He has not yet announced his racing schedule for 2016.

Schedule

The new schedule is once again going to comprise of 8 events throughout the Continental United States:

1. The Sno Drift Rally in Atlanta, Michigan scheduled for the 29th and 30th of January
2. The 100 Acre Wood Rally in Salem, Missouri scheduled for the 18th and 19th of March
3. The Oregon Trail Rally in Portland, Oregon scheduled from the 22nd to the 24th of April
4. The Olympus Rally in Olympia, Washington scheduled for the 14th and 15th of May
5. The Susquehannock Trail Rally in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania scheduled for the 3rd and 4th of June
6. The New England Forest Rally in Newry, Maine scheduled for the 15th and 16th of July
7. The Ojibwe Forests Rally in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota scheduled from the 27th to the 29th of August
8. The Lake Superior Performance Rally in Houghton, Michigan scheduled for the 14th and 15th of October

The first event of the season, the Sno Drift Rally is 2 weeks away and the only question on everyone's mind right now is whether David Higgins & Craig Drew will be able to become champions again in the 2016 Subaru WRX STI. Let’s wish them the best of luck!