Fansided

Patrik Sandell joins Subaru’s Red Bull Global Rallycross team

By Brittany Frederick

Patrik Sandell prepares for competition at Red Bull Global Rallycross in Atlantic City on August 27, 2016. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Red Bull Global Rallycross.
Patrik Sandell prepares for competition at Red Bull Global Rallycross in Atlantic City on August 27, 2016. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Red Bull Global Rallycross. /
facebooktwitterreddit

Red Bull Global Rallycross contender Patrik Sandell has left Bryan Herta Rallysport to join Subaru Rally Team USA for the 2017 season.

There’s been a shakeup near the top of Red Bull Global Rallycross. Patrik Sandell, the always competitive driver who finished fifth last season for Bryan Herta Rallysport, has departed the team after two seasons and signed with Subaru Rally Team USA.

Per the official announcement this week Sandell will be teammates with Chris Atkinson, who competed in the final four races of the 2016 campaign for Subaru.

“To finally be a part of the Subaru family is a childhood dream coming true,” the Swedish driver said. “I was watching Subaru cars rallying all over the world as a kid and I am now very proud to be in those same shoes.

“Subaru have been able to create a unique passion around its brand and cars that I really like, as I am so passionate about both rally and rallycross myself,” he continued. “I am really looking forward to meeting all the Subaru fans out there that share my passion for the sport. It feels like this is where I belong.”

Landing Sandell is a huge coup for Subaru, which struggled to find consistency in the 2015 season and wound up running five different drivers over twelve rounds. As a result, the team finished out of the top ten in the GRC championship standings and was far outpaced by both Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross and Chip Ganassi Racing.

Now with Sandell, they have a proven contender. The Swede was the only driver not from Andretti or Ganassi to win a GRC race in 2016. He also finished second three times and third once.

His addition means that Subaru Rally Team USA goes from a team unable to even field the same roster from race to race, to a team that fans have to keep an eye on. Paired with Atkinson – who captured the first-ever pole position for Subaru at the Los Angeles season finale – he could easily challenge the more established teams for the 2017 championship.

But what happens to his former organization? The second major question is about the future of Bryan Herta Rallysport. Sandell was their only driver in 2016 and the team has not yet named a replacement. They have roughly four months to find one; the 2017 GRC schedule hasn’t been made public yet, but last year’s season started on May 21.

There aren’t any indications that BHA would be pulling out of Red Bull Global Rallycross but it would be a significant loss to the league if they did. GRC is already experiencing difficulties of its own; only eight drivers from five teams ran the complete 12-race schedule in 2016.

And one of the league’s best-known and most marketable personalities, Ken Block, pulled out of GRC before the season in order to focus his efforts on the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

GRC needs all the organizations it can muster in order to sustain a decent field. But those teams also have to be competitive, and by signing Patrik Sandell, Subaru has ensured that it will take a major leap forward when the green flag drops this year.

Next: Three IndyCar drivers added to Rolex 24 at Daytona

The 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross season is shaping up to be a compelling form of motorsport with the advancement of drivers like Sandell.