Subaru Debuts 2011 WRX STI-based Rally Cars for X Games

The Subaru Rally Team is back with three new cars based on the revised 2011 Impreza WRX STI . The cars have been prepared by Vermont SportsCar and will compete in X Games 16 rally events in Los Angeles this weekend. The transformation begins with a 2011 WRX STI just like the ones you can buy in your local Subaru dealership; SRT chose to stick with the five-door hatch rather than using the newly resurrected sedan model. The gap between a showroom STI and the rally car quickly widens. SRT stripped the car’s interior, welded some of the body seams for extra stiffness, and bolted in a full roll cage and Kevlar fuel cell. Standard components are replaced by Recaro racing seats, a custom dashboard, carbon-fiber door panels, a rallying trip computer, and an automatic fire extinguisher. On the outside, they added a 0.25-inch aluminum skid plate, mud flaps, a carbon-fiber roof scoop, and the requisite rally-car (read: loud) graphics treatment. At the car’s heart is a 2.0-liter, turbocharged flat-four engine (based on that of the Japanese-spec STI) capable of converting race fuel into 500 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a heavy-duty Exedy clutch and a close-ratio, five-speed manual transmission designed for clutchless shifts. As in the street STI, drivers can adjust the center differential split for the all-wheel-drive system, although Subaru says reprogrammed electronics mean

rally-car drivers have even more adjustment than in the stock car. Although the horsepower figures are impressive, Subaru spokesman Dominick Infante reminds us that prodigious amounts of torque are more important to rally drivers, allowing them to “explode out of corners.” Depending on the gearing chosen for each event, Infante said the STI rally cars can pull off 0-to-60-mph times in the mid-three-second range—on dirt and gravel, no less. Everything sits on a fully-adjustable suspension from EXE-TC that’s durable enough to take rallying abuse. The larger rear wing can reportedly provide downforce even when the STI is drifting sideways around turns. Additional rally-specific tech includes launch control, a turbocharger anti-lag system, and a hydraulic handbrake for initiating slides. At the helm of the new cars will be Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra, and European rally champ Sverre Isachsen. Last year, Ford’s Fiesta rally car dominated the X Games events, with a Subaru WRX STI piloted by Pastrana coming in second place. After this year’s X Games, the three new Subarus will compete in Rally USA rallycross events at New Jersey Motorsports Park this fall. Related posts: Rally 101 in a Subaru Cup Impreza WRX STI 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI – First Drive Review 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Sedan – Car News

See the original post:
Subaru Debuts 2011 WRX STI-based Rally Cars for X Games