Semenyuk knew that the first ARA crown “was a long shot” – DirtFish

After winning his first ever American Rally Association presented by the DirtFish National Championship in a year marked by wild turns, unexpected results and luck constantly changing hands, Brandon Semenyuk said it was a huge relief to get the car to the end of the final. stage of the Lake Superior Performance Rally on Saturday.

Semenyuk repeatedly stated in the second half of this season that he did not expect to show up and challenge for the title this year, but as each round went by, there was a slim but possible chance of holding off or overtaking his main rival, Ken Block insisted.

“I’m so happy to finish the season in this position,” Semenyuk told DirtFish as crowds of fans milled around the cars in indoor park after Saturday night’s Lake Superior Performance Rally.

“Even before going to [Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally] I knew it was far,” he admitted, “and after the STPR incident, the chances of us staying here were very, very slim.

Entering the final round at LSPR without ever seeing the stages, Semenyuk’s work was clear to him.

“I had never been to this event, but I kept going. We needed to get ahead of Travis and put pressure on Ken and luckily there was enough pressure for him to make a mistake and we were able to stick together today and get the car to the end.”