Riding shotgun, Pastrana-style | PH Footnote

There are many ways to experience the FOS rally stage - here's the best one...

By RacingPete / Thursday, 17 July 2025 / Loading comments

Back in 1995, I passed my driving test. To celebrate, I took a road trip with some mates to Chatsworth House in a chilly November, all to watch the RAC Rally. The main draw? The L555BAT-plated Subaru Impreza 555 - one of my all-time favourite rally cars. Subaru earned a place in my heart for its commitment to hiring flamboyant, flat-out drivers from McRae to Solberg. When Subaru bowed out of the WRC in 2008, they retreated into a world of SUVs, still around, but quietly humming away in the background.

But in the USA, it’s a different story. There, Subaru’s rallying fire was rekindled with the launch of the 2024 Subaru Motorsports WRX Rally car. And leading the charge? None other than Travis Pastrana, a man mentored by Subaru legends like McRae and Burns, and very much cut from the same cloth. So when someone at the Goodwood Festival of Speed asked if I fancied a ride in the navigator’s seat next to Travis on the rally stage, there was only one possible answer. With 320 wild horses waiting under the bonnet, nothing was going to stop me.

Travis is the definition of a hard-working professional. Starting in dirt bikes, he’s made his name pulling stunts that defy logic - and sometimes gravity. His skeletal x-ray would probably show equal parts bone and metal. In 2006, he was the first person to land a double backflip on a motocross bike at the X Games - six years after being the first to attempt one. He’s botched base jumps, flipped just about every wheeled machine imaginable, and is currently trying to 360 a car. Crashes? Occupational hazard.

Despite this, he’s disarmingly likeable. Humble, upbeat, and endlessly chatty. “I’m a good 10th-place NASCAR driver,” he jokes when I ask about his stint there. “I have to work hard on pavement, especially in rally cars.” The marshals lining us up clearly rate him higher. They all agreed he was the best driver of the weekend. Travis returned the praise with a grin, nudging the car playfully towards the line: “These guys have been great all weekend.”

We pull up to the start. Revs build. Travis offers a fist bump… and we’re off - plunging into the shaded woodland stage. “It’s so slippy in here,” he says, as we dive from the sunlit hilltop into the trees. “I’ve never driven on anything quite like this before.” But you wouldn’t know it. We flick through the course with effortless rhythm, handbrake flicks, footwork straight out of a ballet, and a constant narration from Travis: “This bit’s got a little rut on the inside - stops me getting the back out fully,” then into a fast section, “I love this bit - flat out, but clip that inside line and we’re rolling.” Somehow, I’m completely at ease.

The sound, the speed, the scenery whipping past - it’s visceral. Then we emerge into daylight for a hairpin around a barrel. “Jump on the horn for the fans, it’s by your foot,” he says, ever the showman. He wants everyone to enjoy it. He’s here to entertain.

Moments later, we’re sliding sideways out of a 90-right and it’s over almost too soon. “How hard were you pushing?” I ask him. In typical Pastrana fashion, he shrugs it off: “More sideways than I should be, makes it more fun through here. An F1 driver would probably be quicker - smoother, better grip. But hey, that’s not the point.”

Exactly. That’s the essence of Travis and of Subaru at its best. Not chasing the stopwatch, but chasing the thrill. Making people fall in love with rallying again. It’s why, 30 years ago, I drove hundreds of miles to see McRae in that iconic blue Subaru. And why, today, I’d do it all again.