David Higgins (rally driver)

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David Higgins
David Higgins Mount Washington Hillclimb 2014 001.jpg
David Higgins' Subaru Rally Car
Nationality Flag of the Isle of Man.svg Manx
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg British
Born (1972-11-14) 14 November 1972 (age 51)
Isle of Man
Related to Mark Higgins (brother)
American Rally Association career
Debut season2017
Current team McKenna Motorsport
Car number75
Former teams Subaru Motorsports USA
Championships2 (2018, 2019)
Rally America
Car number75
Championships8 (2002, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
Best finish1st in 2002–2003, 2011–2016

David Higgins (born 14 November 1972) is a Manx rally driver. He is an eight-time Rally America champion and a two-time ARA Champion with Subaru Motorsports USA.

Contents

Early and personal life

Born on the Isle of Man but living in Trefeglwys near Llanidloes, Powys, Wales his brother Mark is also a rally and stunt driver. Higgins started motorcycle trials aged 8, and aged 10 he moved into the UK national kart racing circuit, winning seven titles against drivers including later Formula 1 driver David Coulthard.

Higgins stills lives in Trefeglwys, with his wife and two children, Alicia and Matthew, both of whom are karting drivers. [1]

Career

In 1993 he won his first rally car title, the Peugeot Challenge. Higgins won the 1997, 1999 and 2002 British Rally Championships in the Group N category. [2] He then won the SCCA ProRally Championship in the United States in 2002 and 2003. Grassroots Motorsports presented David Higgins with the Editors' Choice Award in 2003. [3] In 2004 he returned to the British championship for what was supposed to be a one-off entry at the season opener in a Hyundai Accent WRC. After winning the opening round he went on to complete the full season, winning the title. From 2004, Higgins spent his time rallying in China. He began in 2004, competing in three events and winning two of them to help Ralliart Hong Kong to win the teams' title. He returned in 2006, beginning a long relationship with the Wanyu rally team. In 2007 he won every round in the championship and helped the team to win the title in both 2007 and 2009.

In 2011 Higgins joined Subaru Rally Team USA in the Rally America series as a replacement for Travis Pastrana. He won the title at the first attempt with three wins from six events. That same year he also set the new record up Mount Washington in a Subaru Impreza, faster than Pastrana's run up the mountain. Later, in 2014, he would beat his own record again with Co-Driver Craig Drew. [4] He won the Rally America championship 8 times in 2002, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. He also won the American Rally Association National Championship in 2018 and 2019. Of those 10 championships, Higgins achieved 8 with Subaru Rally Team USA.

During the running of the 2007 Rally of Yorkshire, Higgins came across a JCB digger/tractor coming towards him on the seven mile Gale Rigg stage. Luckily, Higgins was able to swerve and avoid the JCB, whose driver had managed to avoid rally officials and get onto the stage, driving in the reverse direction to the competing cars. [5]

Racing record

Complete WRC results

YearEntrantCar12345678910111213141516WDCPoints
1994 Peugeot Sport Peugeot 106 Rallye MON POR KEN FRA GRE ARG NZL FIN ITA GBR
Ret		-0
1995 David Higgins Honda Civic SIR MON SWE POR FRA NZL AUS ESP GBR
27		-0
1997 David Higgins Rover Mini Cooper MON SWE KEN POR ESP FRA ARG GRE NZL FIN IDN ITA AUS
Ret		-0
Seat Ibiza GTi 16V GBR
31
1998 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX MON SWE KEN POR ESP FRA ARG GRE NZL FIN ITA AUS GBR
11		-0
1999 FAW-Volkswagen FRD RT Volkswagen Golf Kit Car MON SWE KEN POR ESP FRA ARG GRE NZL FIN CHN
Ret		 ITA AUS -0
David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX GBR
Ret
2000 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX MON SWE KEN POR ESP ARG GRE NZL FIN CYP FRA ITA AUS GBR
Ret		-0
2001 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX MON SWE POR ESP ARG CYP GRE KEN FIN NZL ITA FRA AUS GBR
11		-0
2002 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRC '99 MON SWE FRA ESP CYP ARG GRE KEN FIN GER ITA NZL AUS GBR
Ret		-0
2005 David Higgins Opel Corsa S1600 MON SWE MEX NZL ITA CYP TUR
31		 GRE ARG FIN GER -0
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII GBR
24		 JPN FRA ESP AUS
2006 David Higgins Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII MON
21		 SWE MEX ESP FRA ARG ITA GRE GER FIN JPN CYP TUR AUS NZL -0
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX GBR
18
2007 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX STi MON SWE NOR MEX POR ARG ITA GRE FIN GER NZL ESP FRA JPN IRE GBR
19		-0
2008 David Higgins Subaru Impreza WRX STi MON SWE MEX ARG JOR ITA GRE TUR FIN GER NZL ESP FRA JPN GBR
28		-0

Complete Global RallyCross Championship results

AWD

YearEntrantCar12345678GRCPoints
2011 Subaru Rally Team USA Subaru Impreza GR WRX STI IRW1
IRW2
SEA1
SEA2
PIK1
4		PIK2
2		LA1
3		LA2
7		7th57

Supercar

YearEntrantCar123456789101112GRCPoints
2012 Subaru Puma Rallycross Team USA Subaru Impreza WRX STI CHA
TEX
LA
7		LOU
LV
LVC
19th10
2016 Subaru Rally Team USA Subaru Impreza WRX STI PHO1PHO2DALDAY1DAY2MCAS1
MCAS2†DC
AC
SEA
9		LA1
6		LA2
9		13th57

†Race cancelled.

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References

  1. ↑ "David Higgins: Powys driver on verge of retaining US rally crown". BBC News. 11 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "David Higgins – Driver". subaru.com. Subaru of America, Inc. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  3. ↑ http://www.grassrootsmotorspors.com%5B%5D
  4. ↑ "Climb to the Clouds".
  5. ↑ "Higgins slams organisers over digger incident". www.manxradio.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
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