October 9, 2023
After earning a second consecutive American Rally Association (ARA) championship, Subaru Motorsports USA driver Brandon Semenuk and co-driver Keaton Williams will arrive in Marquette, Michigan for the October 13-14 running of the 2023 Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR), the final event of the 2023 ARA season.
Semenuk, Williams, and the rest of the Subaru Motorsports USA team bring the all-new WRX rally car to Michigan after its winning debut at the Ojibwe Forests Rally in August. Waiting for them is a Lake Superior Performance Rally that honors the 70-year history of rally racing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A Time-Speed-Distance rally known as Press On Regardless began in 1949 in the area, becoming a staged rally event by the end of the 1960s before serving as a round in the World Rally Championship (WRC) for the 1973 and 1974 seasons. For the 2023 LSPR, event organizers are reaching back into the event’s Press On Regardless roots, featuring classic stages that go back to the WRC era.
Two of the event’s highpoints are the Mount Marquette and Marquette Mountain stages, which are laid out and drive as differently as their names sound alike. Mount Marquette is a high-speed sprint over hard black gravel culminating in a tricky downhill finish that has challenged top drivers since the WRC days. Marquette Mountain, on the other hand, is a rougher clay path that requires drivers ease speeds down to navigate jumps and uneven surfaces.
The 2023 Lake Superior Performance Rally is a true test for the new WRX Open 4wd rally car and a spectacular way to close out the 2023 ARA season before the team comes back for 2024, joined by a second car driven by extreme sports legend Travis Pastrana. Don’t miss any of the action coming up October 13-14: Get news and updates by following Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.
Driver Quotes
Brandon Semenuk:
“Looks like we could be in for some nice Fall conditions at LSPR! Much less stress without the championship pressure this year but will be fun to wrap up the season on a high in the new car.”
Keaton Williams:
“Great to be back at LSPR, lots of great memories from last year. It’s never an easy rally and will be a good test for the new car!”
Lake Superior Performance Rally 2023 (LSPR)
DATES: 10/13/23 - 10/14/23
HOST TOWNS: Marquette, Michigan
TIME ZONE: Eastern Daylight Time (UTC -4)
NEAREST INTL AIRPORT: Sawyer Intl Airport (MQT)
WEATHER: Cloudy with occasional rain showers. High near 50F. Low around 45F. Sunset 7:05pm.
2023 Lake Superior Performance Rally Stage Info
Total Distance: 342.6 miles
Number of stages: 17
Stage distance: 126.6 miles
Stage surfaces: Gravel
Longest stage: 12.35 miles (SS3/7 Far Point I/II)
Highest Elevation: 1,833 ft
Recce: Open
Service Parks:
Camp Sidnaw (Fri)
Aspen Ridge Elementary School (Sat)
Official Start: 1:50pm on Friday
Superspecial: Yes (SS17)
Power Stage: SS14
Stages in darkness: Yes (SS5-8 & 17)