Posted Friday, April 18, 2025 at 9:42pm
Travis Pastrana smiled. He knew what he wanted to say, but how best to put it across?
Route one. Same way he’s always gone.
“Brandon Semenuk pretty much retired me,” he said, answering the question of why he’d stepped back from American rallying’s dream ticket of an Open class Subaru WRX ARA25 to the all-new Limited category equivalent.
“I realized I’m no longer willing, capable maybe, I don’t know, whatever the word is, to run at that high of a level. It’s been such an honor, it’s been so much fun. But right now, where I am with my life, with my girls, and trying to spend a little bit more time at home and just really have fun.”
Watching Pastrana wrestle with his desire to unflinchingly put everything on the line in search of another win, another title wasn’t much fun last year. The Maryland driver is one of the most straightforward drivers I’ve ever met. There’s no side to him; what you see is always what you get. And what you see is always worth watching – when did you last hear of somebody jumping out of a plane without a parachute, but with a plan to find one on the way down?
