DAVID Higgins has entered the history books as the first European driver to win major rallying titles on both sides of the Atlantic.
Trefeglwys-based Higgins won the British Rally Championship in 2004 and his second place at the New England Forest Rally last weekend saw him become the first European rally driver to win the prestigious 2011 Rally America National Championship.
The Subaru Rally Team USA driver was joined by co-driver Craig Drew in registering three victories and two runner-up spots in the six event championship and continues Higgins’ love affair with rallying around the globe, having also competed in China.
Higgins’ latest victory eclipses his previous success in the USA, when he won the SCCA ProRally Championship in 2002 and 2003.
“It’s amazing and hasn’t really sunk in yet,” explained Higgins. “The level of competition was really fierce all year, and it was a big challenge for me to come back to the USA after seven years away and adjust to new events, a co-driver I had never worked with as well as new car.
“However everything meshed really well and our Subaru STI was a joy to drive fast. Driving for Subaru is every rally driver’s dream as the brand is so famous for rallying, so this is something really special for me.”
Higgins’ 2011 success follows that of Travis Pastrana who had earned the Rally America National Championship from 2006 through 2009 for Subaru and he maintained their dominance of the event in the face of a season long challenge from defending champion Antoine L’Estage.
In addition to three event victories and the driver’s title in the Rally America series, Higgins recently won the revived Mount Washington ‘Climb to the Clouds’ Hillclimb, while smashing the course record by 30 seconds.
Higgins has little time to celebrate ahead of competing in the ESPN Summer X Games 17 in Los Angeles on July 30 and 31.