Scott Speed has revealed that he would like to sample stage rally following his move to Subaru Rally Team USA.
The four-time rallycross champion, who has had spells in Formula 1 and NASCAR, will join the Vermont Sports Car-led team next season following a fruitful five seasons with Andretti Autosport.
While racing for Andretti’s factory Volkswagen team, Speed took took advantage of both Andretti Autosport and Volkswagen’s wider motorsport activities to compete in Formula E, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and the Audi Sport TT Cup, as well as carrying out some IndyCar testing.
His new team’s only other motorsport activity is in the American Rally Association championship, where it runs a two-car programme – David Higgins ran full-time for the team this season, taking the ARA title, while the second car was shared between Americas Rallycross drivers Patrik Sandell, Chris Atkinson, and Travis Pastrana.
Despite his racing record being exclusively in racing, Speed told the Checkered Flag that he is extremely keen to sample one of Subaru’s championship-winning rally cars.
ARX drivers Patrik Sandell (pictured), Chris Atkinson, and Travis Pastrana all competed in rallies for SRT USA in 2018 – Credit: Matt Stryker/Subaru Rally Team USA
“I absolutely 100 percent want to do it, absolutely,” he said. “That was certainly part of the decision to go down this route, because of that ability to potentially do that.”
“I don’t know anything about it, it’ll be like going to my first rallycross race and it will certainly be something that is in the back of my mind as something that I’d like to try,” he added. “It will be incredible for sure.”
Speed moved to Rallycross in 2013 and despite cutting his teeth on the European single-seater ladder before transitioning to NASCAR in 2008, Speed was instantly successful in the mixed-surface discipline, winning on his debut.
The American is counting on his varied experience across the motorsport landscape will allow him to hit the ground running in Subaru when he makes his debut for the team in ARX next year.
“If there’s one thing that I have definitely done, it is change my foundation,” he said. “I’ve been able to transition from so many different sports or avenues and when you change a team like this it is much the same, every team has its own quirks and part of your job as a driver is to figure out what those are and make it work, no differently than making a car work.”
