BITS & PIECES
Drive Performance Smartly
Kings of the Hill – Pikes Peak
Quicker Times at Nürburgring
Gravel Girl
SPT ESX WRX
DRIVE PERFORMANCE SMARTLY
“I recently purchased the WRX STi, and it’s a real Beast. The handling is good, but since it’s lighter and stands higher than my old Camaro Z28, the STi takes getting used to. It’s not for a kid or average driver.
“When you ‘get on’ the STi, keep your hand tight on the wheel while shifting gears and when going around turns on a dry, hard surface. So be careful!” – Philip Falco of Davie, Florida
EDITOR’S NOTE: We heartily concur and add that we highly recommend advanced training for driving all vehicles, but high-performance vehicles in particular. Find schools listed in enthusiast magazines or at www.drivingdirectory.com under “Performance Driving Schools.”
KINGS OF THE HILL – PIKES PEAK
Subaru performed well in June’s SCCA ProRally Championship Presented by Hot Wheels® at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 82nd Race to the Clouds. Driving in Open Class, Robby Unser was co-winner overall in a specially prepared Subaru Impreza WRX. This is Robby Unser’s ninth win at Pikes Peak, one of 38 wins for the Unser family on this mountain.
Impreza WRX driver Patrick Richard and co-driver Natalie Richard finished first in the FIA Group N Class and second overall.
More on the ProRally Championship – www.scca.com, “Rally.” More on Pikes Peak – www.ppihc.com.
QUICKER TIMES AT NÜRBURGRING
Since 1992, Subaru has tested vehicle performance at Germany’s historic 14.2-mile Nürburgring race circuit. In the most recent test of a prototype Impreza WRX STi, it was clocked faster than previous WRX models (some not available in the United States):
| • 1992 – first Impreza WRX | 8 minutes, 28.93 seconds |
| • 1996 – first Impreza STi Ver. III | 8 minutes, 10.75 seconds |
| • 2002 – Impreza STi spec C | 8 minutes, 6.59 seconds |
| • 2004 – Impreza STi spec C | 7 minutes, 59.41 seconds |
GRAVEL GIRL
“Since I was old enough to drive, I have loved my 1993 1.8-liter automatic
Impreza L. The day I purchased it, it already had 150,000 miles on it. It now has
266,000 miles and still running strong!
“Not only is my Subaru my daily driver, but also my racecar! I started autocrossing my Impreza, quickly picking up the skills of competition driving, and shortly thereafter began mastering the art of presetting and driving on gravel in local rallycrosses. Not long after that, I became a strong competitor in the California Rally Series RallyCross Championship.
“My Impreza inspired me to dream of becoming a World Rally Champion and compete in this man’s world and has also inspired ‘Gravel Girl’.” – Bristol Ann-Vanessa Keele, Anaheim, California
More on autocrossing and Subaru Challenge, see www.scca.com and www.subaruchallenge.com.
SPT ESX WRX
Ali Afshar’s successful
pursuit of faster quarter- mile times in the SPT ESX WRX continues. Remaining 2004
show and race dates:
| September 18-19 | Battle of the Imports, Joliet, Illinois |
| September 25 | IDRC, Maple Grove, Pennsylvania |
| October 2-3 | NHRA, Englishtown, New Jersey |
| October 23-24 | NHRA, Pomona, California |
| November 2-5 | SEMA Show, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| November 13-14 | IDRC, Palmdale, California |
Find the most recent schedule at www.esxmotorsports.com.