National Subaru Rally Team Tests on Oneida Road

ONEIDA — Residents along Newfound Road got an unusual look at professional motorsports last week when a factory-backed Subaru rally team came to Clay County for a one-day testing session.

The closed-course test was conducted by Subaru Motorsports USA as the team prepared for the American Rally Association’s Overmountain Rally Tennessee, scheduled for Sept. 18-19 in Newport, Tennessee.

Newfound Road provided the type of twisting terrain the team was looking for ahead of the national event, which features more than 100 miles of competitive stages through Newport and the Cherokee National Forest.

Rally teams routinely conduct private testing during the week leading up to an event, searching for roads with surfaces and conditions similar to those they will encounter during competition. Nine individual rally teams tested at various locations across Eastern Kentucky during the week, including the Subaru team in Oneida.

The Subaru WRX ARA25 that tested locally was being prepared for competition in the Open 4WD division.

Vermont SportsCar test driver Conner Martell was selected to drive the Subaru at Overmountain in place of regular driver Travis Pastrana, who was recovering from injuries suffered while practicing a freestyle motocross stunt. Martell was scheduled to compete alongside co-driver Ross Whittock.

Martell was already familiar with the car, having previously tested Pastrana’s WRX ARA25. He also had success at Overmountain, earning his first ARA National overall victory there in 2025.

This year’s Overmountain Rally Tennessee features 100.92 stage miles over two days. Approximately 75% of the course is packed gravel, with another 20% dirt and 5% tarmac. The rally concludes at Newport Speedway with a head-to-head Super Special Stage.

Locally, the Clay County Fire Alliance provided stage marshal and communications support along the Newfound Road test route.

Organizers also thanked Clay County Judge-Executive Tommy Harmon and the Clay County Fiscal Court for welcoming the Subaru team to Oneida.

The visit gave residents a rare opportunity to see a nationally recognized factory rally operation testing its equipment on the roads of Clay County just days before a major competition.