Experiencing a ride with Travis Pastrana in a Subaru rally car is pure chaos in its most elegant form.

      Adam Ismail

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      I do not seek thrills, and no one would characterize me as such. I drive slower than anyone I know who is passionate about cars. In contrast, there's Travis Pastrana. He is the ultimate expert on risk-taking, and he’s here at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed’s Forest Rally grounds, giving joy rides in the Subaru WRX ARA25 rally car. This is the same vehicle competing in the American Rally Championship’s Open Class, and it's one of the fastest cars that will take on the 2.1-mile course throughout the weekend.

      Goodwood is both a celebration and a serious competition. While it’s an event for all ages dedicated to cars and motorsports, the hill climb has a leaderboard, as does the rally stage. Once those times are displayed on a large screen for everyone to see, the atmosphere becomes serious, even for factory-backed teams that technically have nothing to prove.

      “They’re ‘demo’ runs,” said Rhianon Gelsomino, Travis’ co-driver, to a small group of journalists on Sunday afternoon. “However, they are posted on the board and later on YouTube. Competitive individuals immediately seek out their times.”

      Rhianon explained how she takes pace notes. Adam Ismail

      Rhianon mentioned that the WRX’s times on Friday were only about a second slower than the leading World Rally Championship cars from Toyota, Hyundai, and Ford also participating in the stage this weekend. This remarkable similarity is surprising, given the significant differences between the two classes, which typically wouldn’t compete directly.

      Modern WRC cars weigh 2,600 pounds and produce 365 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque; they are also shorter, making them better equipped to take optimal lines on narrow stages. In comparison, ARA Open Class cars generate roughly 45 horsepower less but have 50 lb-ft more torque. This might suggest an advantage for the latter on a Goodwood course that Travis described to me as “tight and slow.” However, the WRX’s additional 300 pounds is significant, along with its longer length. A Toyota GR Yaris WRC car is 17 inches shorter than a standard WRX, and the ARA25—with its large fenders and aggressive aerodynamics—is even longer.

      While Travis was piloting the Subaru WRX ARA25 Open-class car at Goodwood, he usually drives the ARA25L in the championship. The “L” designates “Limited,” indicating it's more akin to a standard WRX. Adam Ismail

      I’m not a rally trainer, but I suspect Travis had to hold back a bit during our run together. That’s the only way to explain the significant time differences of 10 seconds or more between his slowest and fastest performances. This discrepancy reflects the influence of my presence. But honestly, it didn't seem like he was easing off. While we were in the car, just before the countdown began, he discussed how slippery certain parts of the stage were, likening the surface to ice. “You would honestly perform better with winter tires,” he said on a warm, surprisingly sunny July afternoon in England.

      The following two and a half minutes felt both fleeting and drawn out. Fleeting because I struggled to remember specific details, and I selfishly wanted to take another ride; drawn out because I felt like we were on the edge the entire time. You’re rarely pointing straight, to start with, and the acceleration is mind-blowing. The term “no margin of error” is frequently used in motorsport, but let’s face it—in most circuit racing, it refers to the line between winning and losing. In rallying, it entails that, but also the difference between staying on a path barely wide enough for a sedan and crashing. You can watch Travis’ fastest run of the weekend at the 45-minute mark in the video below.

      I've likely traveled twice as fast on asphalt, yet it feels much faster when you could nearly reach out and touch a hay bale. Halfway through, we briefly emerged from the woods to execute a donut around a barrel, highlighting the calculated, precise flair of rally driving that makes it distinct.

      Right before our experience concluded, Travis kindly warned me that he preferred to lean on the banking outside the final chicane to aid in positioning the car. This was followed by a couple of elbows-out nudges to the right, then the left. He apologized for them being a bit rougher than intended, which I thought was overly polite. Honestly, I anticipated more of those jolts, but sharing a car with him was a wonderfully chaotic experience.

      Subaru arranged my trip to Goodwood, and I appreciate them for the ride. Yet, even without meeting Travis, I would have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Festival—especially the rally aspect. When attending races, meets, and