S1 E1 • Rinse & Repeat

In this debut episode of Launch Control, Subaru Rally Team USA driver, David Higgins is preparing and training in Wales, UK for the upcoming season, while the Vermont Sports Car team is hard at work preparing the 2013 Subaru race cars. The day their season finished in 2012, was the day preparation for 2013 began. If there is a team that knows what goes into winning a championship, this would be it. Subaru's 2012 Rally America championship victory marked their 2nd in a row and their 6th in 7 years. Rallycross, on the other hand, is relatively new for the team. Competing against established rallycross teams from Europe, the learning curve for Bucky Lasek, Dave Mirra, Sverre Isachsen, and the team has been steep. New venues. New race format. New Rules, New Cars. As quickly as the three Subaru STI's ran on-track, the pace of development at the race shop has been just as quick. This is everything it takes to win. This is everything that gets in the way of victory. This is Launch Control.

Première diffusion : 17 avril 2013

S1 E2 • Sno*Drift Rally (Part 1)

In episode 2 of Launch Control, Subaru Rally Team USA reunites in Michigan for the 2013 Sno*Drift Rally. For fans and competitors, the first day of the season is an exciting one. This is a new beginning, a chance for a fresh story starting from a blank sheet. The one-off ice and snow event provides a unique challenge for the team, where just a small mistake can be costly. Holding a slim lead into the night stages on Day 1, David Higgins and Craig Drew find out just how treacherous these roads can be. This is everything it takes to win. This is everything that gets in the way of victory. This is Launch Control

Première diffusion : 1 mai 2013

S1 E3 • Sno*Drift Rally (Part 2)

Episode 2 left off with the Subaru Rally Team USA facing an overnight rebuild after a crash on the first day of Sno*Drift Rally 2013. The mechanics had a long night ahead of them to get the car back in action. Would the car be ready? Could Higgins and Drew hold on to their slim lead? Episode 3 has the answers. Catch all the Subaru Rally Team USA and Subaru Puma Rallycross Team action at http://www.subaru.com/rally Produced by Formula Photographic Inc. This is everything it takes to win. This is everything that gets in the way of victory. This is Launch Control.

Première diffusion : 15 mai 2013

S1 E4 • Buck Up!

Subaru PUMA Rallycross Team driver, Bucky Lasek, drops in at Vermont SportsCar to check out his new rallycross car and show the team his gratitude. Lasek then gets sideways with Ryan Tuerck on some snow covered forest roads. Meanwhile Subaru Rally Team USA is in Missouri testing for the highspeed Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, where Mother Nature throws competitors a curve ball.

Première diffusion : 29 mai 2013

S1 E5 • David vs. Goliath

David Higgins and Craig Drew of Subaru Rally Team USA may be back-to-back champions, but at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, Ken Block has been king. A win here at round two for Higgins would rock the boat and shake things up for the rest of the series. But, an overnight storm in Missouri has dumped snow on the high-speed stages, placing the whole outcome into question. Can the teams keep it on the road in the treacherous conditions? Can Higgins and Drew get their first career win at this event?

Première diffusion : 12 juin 2013

S1 E6 • Tale of Two Cities

It's 9:36 PM on April 24th and the crew at Vermont SportsCar is putting in a late night loading the three Subaru PUMA Rallycross cars into the transporter for a final pre-season test. Three thousand miles away on the west coast, another part of the crew is preparing the Subaru Rally Team USA car for a final shakedown before the Oregon Trail Rally. Two teams, one week, one goal. In this episode, David Higgins and Subaru Rally Team USA are on the west coast for the Oregon Trail Rally, while Bucky Lasek, Dave Mirra, Sverre Isachsen and the Subaru PUMA Rallycross Team are hard at work in Connecticut testing the new cars in preparation for the first overseas event. Balancing two teams in separate championships is a logistical game of chess. Packing up for X Games Barcelona is just the next step in the long season ahead.

Première diffusion : 26 juin 2013

S1 E7 • When It Rains, It Pours

The Global Rallycross season kicks off for the Subaru Puma Rallycross Team, as Bucky Lasek, Dave Mirra, and Sverre Isachsen head overseas for X Games Barcelona. After a test session in the picturesque Monterrat area of Spain, its time to hit the track in anger for the first time this season. However, nobody was expecting the sequence of events that would transpire on race day. Back in the Rally America championship, David Higgins and Craig Drew go to battle with Ken Block again at the Susquehannock Trail Rally. Subaru Rally Team USA suffers a major setback on stage 3, and puts in a valiant effort to keep fighting. Sometimes when it rains, it pours, but overcoming adversity is what makes rally so unique.

Première diffusion : 10 juillet 2013

S1 E8 • Nothing Comes Easy

David Higgins and Craig Drew of Subaru Rally Team USA fight back from a Day 1 mechanical problem (see Episode 7) to salvage any Rally America Championship points they can, as their main rival heads towards a win. Can they possibly get a podium, after starting the day in 21st overall? It is maximum attack, and the pair are flying...but not everything goes smoothly. In Munich, the Subaru PUMA Rallycross Team drivers, Bucky Lasek, Dave Mirra, and Sverre Isachsen are finally getting the opportunity to race door-to-door in Global Rallycross competition. Sverre Isachsen makes it to the finals, and finds himself on two wheels through turn one. His ongoing rivalry with Ken Block gets heated only three turns before the finish. It's a dramatic finish to a busy month for the Vermont Sportscar and Subaru rally teams.

Première diffusion : 24 juillet 2013

S1 E9 • Small Victories

A season of racing for any team is filled with steps forward, and steps back. In the off-season, the Subaru PUMA Rallycross Team took many steps forward. A complete redesign of the car leveled the playing field. But, the team was met with adversity at the first two events of the season - a canceled race in Spain and a take-out from behind in Germany. Now, the team is back on home soil at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and eager to accelerate their progress. Episode 9 takes you behind the scenes as Sverre Isachsen and Bucky Lasek advance to the finals, and the team puts in a huge effort to repair Dave Mirra's car after a freak mechanical failure left his car on three wheels.

Première diffusion : 7 août 2013

S1 E10 • High Pressure Art

The Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team was fighting at the top during Round 5 of the Global RallyCross Championship held July 20th at Bristol Motor Speedway. Team driver Sverre Isachsen, a former three-time European RallyCross Champion, won his heat race advancing him to the front row of the Final. An impressive start by the Norwegian saw him run as high as 2nd Overall before race-contact crushed his exhaust, robbing his Subaru STI of power and dropping him back to 4th Overall, the team's best finish thus far in 2013 after competing in three earlier events. Teammates Dave Mirra and Bucky Lasek showed impressive pace but narrowly missed out on advancing to the Final. On the other side of the country, at the New England Forest Rally, Subaru Rally Team USA is preparing for a different task. With a lead in championship points, an outsider would suggest the team could coast to a championship. The reality within the team is entirely different. One bad result and their lead is erased. Progress and pace are only found in hard work and constant attention to detail. Their speed is a result of every piece of the puzzle clicking together with perfection. With two events remaining after the New England Forest Rally, you wouldn't call this the home stretch, but everyone's focus is starting to shift to the bigger picture. The loss and gain of seconds, stage by stage, shows how close the battle is with their rivals. Day one ends with the Subaru team conceding 16 seconds to Block... but the dust is far from settled.

Première diffusion : 21 août 2013

S1 E11 • Eyes on the Prize

It's calm in sunny LA the week before the X Games, but on the other side of the country Subaru Rally Team USA is in the heat of battle at the New England Forest Rally. Sixteen seconds. It's all that separates David Higgins and Ken Block as the final day of the 2013 New England Forest Rally begins. The two teams have very different strategies. To stay in the hunt for the Rally America Championship, Block desperately needs the win today. Meanwhile, Subaru Rally Team USA is playing a longer game, banking on the significant points lead they've built by being on the podium at every event this year. However, if you were to suggest to David Higgins and Craig Drew that they should coast to second and bank the points, you'd quickly learn that this team has no interest in being runners-up! Next, we head to X Games Los Angeles with Sverre Isachsen and his family who have joined him at the event. The Viking Warrior is a patient man. Previous events have shown promise and given him confidence, but now is the time to deliver a result. The team knows that here, on the biggest stage of the season, a clear and obvious step forward is important. It wont be easy though as X Games Los Angeles features the deepest lineup of GRC competitors yet, all eyeing a coveted X Games medal!

Première diffusion : 4 septembre 2013

S1 E12 • Swinging for the Fence

Thirty minutes outside of San Diego, California, Bucky Lasek is home for a rare two days off before his next event. It doesn't take long for regular life to settle in, and Bucky enjoys a rare one-on-one day with his daughter. Bucky's passion for motorsports is only surpassed by his desire to prove himself. And he feels that with nearly two years in Global Rallycross, his goal can now shift from development to fighting for podiums. Two days later at the Atlanta Motor Speedway the Subaru PUMA Rallycross Team is outside the oval doing a final shakedown. With temperatures expected to be in the mid 90s and extremely humid, the race will be very taxing on the drivers AND the cars. The track is a tricky one. With dirt sections that get very rutted and rough, some of Subaru's competitors are feeling the adversity. But for the Subaru PUMA Rallycross Team, things are looking up. All three subarus qualify well but Bucky Lasek lands a notable fifth fastest time, beating both his teammates. Its Bucky's best seeding position yet in GRC, proving that his track and karting racecraft is beginning to meld with the more raw world of rallycross. The true joy of rallycross is that predicting the outcome is simply impossible. A podium finish is never out of reach until three cars cross the finish line. And as the cars leave the start line for a 10 lap final, the script changes once again.... It's been a long month for the team. Zig-zagging the country in the hunt for success doesn't come without its toll. But when the toll is paid, you get to cross the bridge. A taste of success only makes you hungry for more.

Première diffusion : 18 septembre 2013

S1 E13 • In The End

If it was simple, anyone could do it. There would be no need for hours of toil. No reason for endless development. There would be no need to race. But instead, the pursuit of speed never ends. Race cars might run on fuel, but they are built and driven with heart. It's been a season full of highs and lows, but with just two rally events remaining, and a championship up for grabs, the time for heart is now. The 2013 Ojibwe Forests Rally features nearly 140 miles of technical sandy gravel roads around the western Minnesota town of Detroit Lakes. In rally, you race the elements as well as your opponents. The concern here at Ojibwe Rally is dust. Even a 3-minute dust window might not be enough to get a clear line of sight when racing at speed. Ken Block is first on the road, and evidence of a difficult event is already apparent. As David and Craig pull up to the start line behind Block, the dust still lingers around them. As expected the dust eats away at their visibility. Only seconds into a 2-day rally and the team knows they are losing time. Sections of clear vision build confidence only to have that confidence ripped away by a wall of dust. The team will end day one down by over a minute. Not exactly the race they had hoped for. However, as the cars set out to start the second day of racing, the wind has picked up which should help visibility. With over a minute to make up, David and Craig know they need to gain ground with every mile. Early on day two, Higgins loses the power steering, then shortly thereafter something in the road surface snaps the wheel which seriously injures his hand. After exiting the stage, Higgins and Drew pull over and work under the hood to try and repair the power steering when Higgins' foot is run over and injured by a passing SUV. Two injuries to the Subaru team driver in less than an hour could spell the end of their rally, putting their championship hopes in peril. On the season finale of Launch Control, Subaru Rally Team USA tries to save their championship hopes. All while looking ahead to a new season in both disciplines. A championship will be handed out at the final event of the year. Will Subaru be handed a trophy, or a hand shake? That's next time on the season finale of Launch Control. This is everything it takes to win. This is everything that gets in the way of victory. This is launch control.

Première diffusion : 16 octobre 2013

S1 E14 • In The End, Part 2

With an unbroken string of podium finishes, Subaru Rally Team USA has lead the Rally America championship for the majority of the season. However, with the competition stepping up their game and only two events remaining, the points gap has tightened. Hanging dust, power steering failure, and injuries to David Higgins at the penultimate event have put the Subaru team into damage control. Their ability to finish the event is now in question, but with bandages and ice David Higgins refuses to give up valuable championship points and finishes the Ojibwe Rally. The final rally will be a winner-take-all battle royale. Houghton, Michigan. Home of the Lake Superior Performance Rally - the final and deciding round of the twenty-thirteen Rally-America Championship. This is the closest championship race in years, and both sides have claimed their intention to win. The air of calm confidence and smiles is just a mask hiding the intense emotion and pressure these teams are facing. Ken Block and Ford must win to take the championship. Higgins and Subaru need to get in their way. As the cars arrive at the start of the first stage, the usual friendly banter and socializing is gone. The teams stick to themselves and focus on the task at hand. The speed is immense and the two teams trade seconds back and forth all weekend. Higgins and Drew in the Subaru dominate on the night stages to take an overnight lead, putting the pressure on Block to chase on Day 2. One team will end up finishing the rally, the other does not. It's a fight to the final hours of the 2013 championship season. Will Subaru Rally Team USA receive a trophy or a handshake? This is everything it takes to win. This is everything that gets in the way of victory. This is launch control.

Première diffusion : 30 octobre 2013