Brandon Semenuk and Keaton Williams Take Their Subaru To Victory in Oregon Trail Rally

Subaru Motorsports USA driver Brandon Semenuk and co-driver Keaton Williams claimed a spectacular victory at the 2023 Oregon Trail Rally and thus continued their undefeated winning streak in the 2023 American Rally Association (ARA) championship. Specifically, this marks a fourth victory out of four events so far in the season. The team led from start to finish, taking wins throughout the rally’s 19 stages.

The two initial stages were witnessed by several thousand spectators at Portland International Raceway, from which Semenuk and Williams emerged with a 28.4-second lead. Saturday temperatures reached the high-80s outside, which of course, was even higher inside the vehicle. Being the lead car burdened Semenuk and Williams with the role of sweeping the very dusty stages and clearing away big rocks and loose dirt away for the competition’s benefit. Just the same, the tenth stage ended the day with Semenuk and Williams holding a nearly four-minute overall lead.

Sunday, the final day of racing, was cooler, but leaders Semenuk and Williams still had sweeping duty for stages Stages 11 and 12, known as Boyd Loop and Shadow Buck.  “A fast start to the final day. Fastest stage of the day (Boyd Loop), with a huge jump from the start,” said co-driver Williams. 

The dust intensified at Stage 13, known as Nagle’s Revenge, and the terrain became rougher.  After the penultimate stage, known as Starveout, the STi suffered a cracked bumper, damaged fender, plus numerous scratches and scrapes, but Semenuk and Williams’ lead held.  They won the power stage as well to complete their fourth straight victory in the season. They weren’t the only Subaru drivers on the podium.  Four WRX Sti and one Impreza RS accounted for five of the top six finishers. 

“We had a blast today. A lot of fast stages. I think the overall speed was like, almost 80 mph – fast. The car is in great shape, it’s got a week back in the shop before we head to Ohio so it will be tip-top for the next round,” said a confident Semenuk.

The completion of Oregon marks the halfway point of the season with four more events. 

The next competition is the Southern Ohio Forest Rally on June 8-10, where Semenuk and Williams, together with Subaru Motorsports USA, will aim for five-for-five.