Subaru Drive Performance Magazine

Subaru Motorsports -- Mid-May 2013

It's mid-May, and Subaru Motorsports teams are percolating with excitement.

 

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA)

Already three rounds deep into the season, Subaru Rally Team USA has a substantial lead in the Rally America National Championship -- three stage rallies, with one 2nd-place finish and two 1st-place finishes.

The last was the Oregon Trail Rally, where SRT USA raced against other teams at Portland International Raceway and on gravel and dirt roads with Mount Hood as a backdrop. Driver/co-driver David Higgins/Craig Drew started strongly and never let up. They set stones flying, water rising, and dust clouds hanging with stolid determination. In addition, key competitors faced insurmountable challenges. Read more, plus find videos and photos at the Subaru Motorsports rally site.

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) 2013 Rally America Schedule
Round/Date	Event	Location	Driver/Co-Driver	Finishing Position	Driver Standings
Round 1 January 25-26	Sno*Drift Rally	Atlanta, MI	David Higgins/ Craig Drew	2	2
Round 2 February 22-23	100 Acre Wood Rally	Salem, MO	David Higgins/ Craig Drew	1	1
Round 3 April 27-29	Oregon Trail Rally	Portland, OR	David Higgins/ Craig Drew	1	1

Round 4 -- Susquehannock Trail Pro Rally around Wellsboro, Pennsylvania -- takes place next week, May 31-June 1.

 

Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRT)

For the weekend of May 16-19, SPRT shipped off to Spain to enter the Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) fray at X Games in Barcelona, Spain. However, GRC had to contend with unusually heavy rains, which eventually caused cancellation of the event. Find more about SPRT in Barcelona here.

Since the end of last season, SPRT has worked diligently to make its WRX STI rallycross cars more competitive for drivers Sverre Isachsen, Bucky Lasek, and Dave Mirra. Click here for a press release about SPRT in GRC for 2013.

 

Subaru Motorsports -- Behind the Scenes

A few weeks ago, Subaru debuted the online video series Launch Control. It's a behind-the-scenes look at the rally and rallycross teams that form Subaru Motorsports. Here are Episode One: Rinse & Repeat, Episode Two: Blank Sheet, and Episode Three: Blank Sheet -- Part 2. Episodes are planned for release every two weeks. Search for "Subaru Launch Control" on YouTube and watch for their announcements on Subiesport.tv.

 -- Ric Hawthorne

 

 

 

 

Rally in the 100 Acre Wood -- More Snow and Ice

Standing at spectator points during a rally, you'll find conversations centered on two things -- cars and weather. Spectator Point D for Stage 13 of the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Missouri February 22-23 was typical. While waiting for the first car to come by, I heard and participated in discussions about:

• An unsolvable problem with a luxury SUV's V-8 engine
• The year the snow fell so hard in a flash storm that stages were canceled due to limited visibility

 

 

 

• The duct-tape car -- an older Subaru that was decorated with duct tape of many colors: not talking so much about the car, but about the concept of entering the rally with it; where do you suppose they thought up that idea?!
• The Ken Block stone, which pelted the storyteller in a previous Rally in the 100 Acre Wood event -- the storyteller wanted to take it home and put it in a shadow box marked "Hoonigan" along with a cellphone that played a continuous-loop video of the car going through the corner and spewing stones. However, he couldn't determine which of the rocks at his feet had hit him. (You run into insightful ideas such as this all the time at a rally. And this one did not allow alcohol.)
• The word hoonigan started a conversation about hoonigan duct tape (see above), duct-tape wallets, yellow caution tape emblazoned with hoonigan in a stylized font, and so on
• How the stage will start soon (it was behind schedule) -- there must have been a problem in an earlier stage
• Who was left in the rally, and who had dropped out due to accidents or mechanical failure

 

 

 

• The hole at the midpoint of the corner where we were -- triangular, and deep and wide enough to swallow any of the vehicles in the rally; speculation ranged on what to do about the hole:
  -- Fill it in with a small car
  -- Use a large car as a bridge
  -- Jump it
• Pictures taken at stages earlier in the rally -- "Did you see this car?" -- which led to even more animated conversation about the mid-1960s Saab with its two-cycle engine that had entered the rally
• The person next to me having a Saab of the same vintage; what are the odds?
• Being patient ("The cars will be by soon ...")
• How Ken Block's dominance at this event had been broken
• Dinner -- "Do we have enough time to go to Potosi for some Mexican food and come back for the next spectator point?"

It was the Saab that kept most of the spectators at Spectator Point D until all other entries (including leader Subaru Rally Team USA David Higgins/Craig Drew) had passed. The crowd stayed and cheered not because of the brand or the driver, but with respect and curiosity because of the car's history, age, and unique properties. It was enlightening to see how much state-of-the-art rally cars have changed over 50 years.

Read more about the overall win by Subaru Rally Team USA here in a report that includes an excellent video about the rally.

Find even more at subaru.com/rally.

View a gallery of more than 20 other Subaru rally cars from the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood here.

-- Ric Hawthorne

Ric's ride for the weekend (2013 XV Crosstrek) -- picture taken along one of the stage roads.

2013 Subaru Motorsports Schedules

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA)

SRT USA has revved its engine and spun its tires this season. Two rallies have been completed, with a 2nd-place finish and a win.

Follow the team in its quest for a third consecutive Rally America National Championship title.

Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA)  2013 Rally America Schedule
Round/Date	Event	Location	Driver/Co-Driver	Finishing	Standing
Round 1 January 25-26	Sno*Drift Rally	Atlanta, MI	David Higgins/ Craig Drew	2	2
Round 2 February 22-23	100 Acre Wood Rally	Salem, MO	David Higgins/ Craig Drew	1	1
Round 3  April 27-29	Oregon Trail Rally	Portland, OR	David Higgins/ Craig Drew
Round 4 May 31-June 1	Susquehannock   Trail Rally	Wellsboro, PA	David Higgins/ Craig Drew
Round 5 July 26-27	New England Forest Rally	Newry, ME	David Higgins/ Craig Drew
Round 6 August 23-24	Ojibwe Forests Rally	Detroit Lakes, MN	David Higgins/ Craig Drew
Round 7 October 18-19	Lake Superior Performance Rally	Houghton,   MI	David Higgins/ Craig Drew

 

Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRT)

The 2013 season for SPRT will kick off with three international races at X Games before it returns to the United States.

Follow the Subaru trio as it looks to outmaneuver the competition.

Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRT) 2013 Global Rallycross Schedule
Round/Date	Event	Location	Drivers	Finish	Standing
Round 1 April  21	X Games	Foz do Iguacu, Brazil	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 2 Mar 17	X Games	Barcelona, Spain	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 3 June 29	X Games	Munich, Germany	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 4 July 13		Loudon, NH	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 5 July 20		Bristol Motor Speedway, TN	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 6 August 4	X Games	Los Angeles, CA	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 7 August 11		Atlanta Motor Speedway, GA	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 8 September 22		Charlotte Motor Speedway, NC	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81
Round 9 October 20		TBD	Sverre Isachsen #11 Dave Mirra #40 Bucky Lasek #81

 

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Rally Season Begins -- From Between the First Two Rounds

During the last week of January, Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) began its season in the Rally America National Championship in Michigan at the Sno*Drift Rally. Driver/co-driver David Higgins/Craig Drew were on hand to begin defending last year's championship season. Here's what Subaru had to say about the team in anticipation of the weekend.

As part of the 48HRS of Tristate charity drive the weekend before Sno*Drift, I had seen the new livery on the #75 WRX STI -- blue and white with black and gray accents. Crisp and clean. Here it is on display in technical partner Vermont SportsCar's facility in Colchester, Vermont.

The rally was hotly contested, especially between SRT USA and Canadian Rally Champion Antoine L'Estage/Nathalie Richard. In the end, Higgins/Drew finished 2nd, only 6.2 seconds behind the Canadians. Details are here, along with video.

That leaves us in between, anticipating a rematch at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Missouri February 22-23. This second round of the Rally America series has been dominated by Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino the last six years, so everyone is out to steal the show from them. Check Rally America for a preview.

Conditions for the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood around the Mark Twain National Forest and the Ozark foothills are unpredictable. During the last few years, we've stood in spectator areas through rain, sleet, and snow that falls so hard it causes stages to be canceled. Oh, yes, at sporadic times the sun shines through, but those times are hard to remember.

And there's lots of mud ... everywhere. 

But the other side of it is the action -- the cars screaming by just a few feet away, sliding and throwing gravel everywhere. You see different lines taken through the corners, along with slight mistakes that result in time spent extracting a car from a muddy ditch.

Plus, always, there's the sound of Subaru performance exhausts. Whether the cars are in the middle of a heated stage, in transit to the next stage, tuning or warming up in service, those exhaust notes convince you that there's only one legitimate rally sound -- that of a Subaru!

So come on out! The season is still new. Plus, the weather will be fine for rally. Grab your warmest coat and meet me there.

-- Ric Hawthorne

 

 

 Photo credit: top and third image -- Lars Gange / subaru.com/rally

48HRS of Tristate -- 2013 Edition

I love driving on snow-covered roads, especially if there are drifts. But I never thought I'd hear anyone else ask, "When do we get to the snowy roads?"

Those are the kind of people you hang out with when you participate in this charity drive that raises money for the American Cancer Society. The 48HRS of Tristate drive took place January 17-20, 2013.

Where were the snow-covered roads? Here's where they were NOT -- Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and even Vermont, at least on the routes we took. But on the second day of the drive, twisting around the mountains in northern New York, we found them. Accompanied by moderate snow squalls, the snow-packed roads were a delight for us Subaru drivers.

Fifty-five Subaru vehicles took part in the 2013 version of 48HRS of Tristate -- three days of driving close to 1,000 miles. More importantly, the drivers and passengers raised almost $32,000 for cancer research. This is the heart of the weekend.

Although our drives took place over three different routes in three different groups, the dynamics were similar. Communicating via CB radios, each group of 13 and more vehicles plied roads that the group leaders had devised. All of them strove for scenery and fun-to-drive roads. They succeeded.

For added interest, we made stops at motorsports team headquarters. That allowed us to talk with team owners and see the latest race cars -- all being prepared for their 2013 seasons.

 

Participants drove everything from 1990s Impreza and Forester vehicles to Legacy and Outback models. At least one Baja joined the pack, and I had a 2013 XV Crosstrek that started its journey with a little more than 500 miles on the odometer.

Find maps, see photographs, and read more about the event here. Find another gallery here. Read a Drive Performance article about charity drives here.

-- Ric Hawthorne

SEMA GRC -- 2012's Grand Finale

-- by guest journalist John Rettie

At the beginning of the year, Global RallyCross (GRC) organizers said there would be six rounds in the 2012 championship. One date and venue, though, remained unannounced until September. It would be held in a parking lot at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas in late October. The SEMA Show is the gigantic annual trade-only exhibition that draws 100,000 visitors from around the world. They come to see the latest parts, tools, and trends in modified cars. It’s a wild show with some amazing vehicles on display.

Many GRC regulars who have followed the series since its inaugural race in March 2011 wondered if this would be a suitable place for the final round of the 2012 season. Those doubts were unfounded; the race turned out to be one of the best, if not the best, of the year.

Good as Gold

The Gold Parking Lot, as it is known, normally holds close to 2,000 cars for those attending exhibitions at the giant Las Vegas Convention Center. However, for this event, all but a small part of the parking lot was transformed into a temporary rallycross track and paddock.

Many truckloads of dirt were hauled in, and earthmovers created a figure-8 track with almost half of the course run on dirt, just the way a genuine rallycross track should be. For the first time this year, the 70-foot jump was formed from dirt instead of the unpopular steel jump that had been utilized at previous venues.

Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRT) leader Sverre Isachsen had finished a strong 3rd at the previous round, garnering the team its first podium finish of the season. The mood was upbeat as the year’s development of the cars was beginning to pay off.

Although the rallycross WRX STI might look similar to the SRT USA rally car from the outside, there are considerable differences under the hood and in suspension setups. For starters, the GRC engine produces close to 600 hp compared to around 300 hp in a rally car. The radiator also is moved to the rear of the car to be less prone to collecting mud and overheating the car and so it’s out of harm’s way in the inevitable fender benders that occur in rallycross events.

The Heats Unfold

Sadly, fender benders kept Isachsen from repeating his success from the previous race. He was punted out of his qualifying round as well as the first heat race and the Last Chance Qualifier, so he was a nonstarter in the Final.

Dave Mirra kept out of trouble in the first heat race and finished 4th, putting him in the Final. Likewise, Bucky Lasek also made it through his heat race for a spot in the Final for the second time in a row.

Even though the first turn (on pavement) at the SEMA course was much wider than prior races this year, it was still important to make it through to the front to have any chance of winning. Ken Block had been fastest in qualifying, so it was not surprising to find him leading the pack of 10 drivers as they scrambled into the first turn. Tanner Foust stayed on Block’s tail until a couple of laps before the finish, when he squeezed by. However, Block had smoke in his car, and he pulled over just as flames appeared. The race was red flagged as fire crews raced to extinguish the fire.

The organizers could have called the race, but decided to let the nine cars rerun the Final – a real treat for the drivers, spectators, and those watching the event live on ESPN. This time Foust got the lead at the start and managed to hold off a hard-charging Brain Deegan to finish 1st in the race and take the championship. Mirra and Lasek finished 6th and 7th, respectively, which were the best results for the two drivers all season. 

Lasek’s Progress

Lasek was particularly pleased with his showing after completing the Finals in the last two events. He started the year as a rallycross rookie and drove cautiously in the first four races. You could see his increased confidence as he flung his WRX STI around the SEMA course as wildly as anyone. Lasek, one of the world’s top skateboarders, has competed in a variety of racing disciplines. However, this was his first season as a professional race driver.

“I certainly don’t feel like a rookie anymore, and it was nice to end the season with another trip to the Final,” said Lasek after the Final. “I’m steadily getting more comfortable in the Subaru WRX STI; it’s all about seat time and learning the limits this year. This is an amazing opportunity that Subaru and PUMA have given me, and as a new team with a new car, we have all worked so hard this season.”

Team Standings

When everyone’s scores had been tallied for the second GRC season, Isachsen finished in 10th place among the 20 drivers who scored points. Mirra and Lasek tied in 12th place.

Isachsen summed up the season succinctly: “2012 has been a learning year for us as we developed the Subaru WRX STI for rallycross; we knew that from the start. We achieved a podium at the [next to] last round, and so we know we have made very good progress. I’m looking forward to 2013 now where we will be even stronger.”

 A photo gallery from the race weekend can be seen here.

 

Vegas Brings Good Vibes to Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team

-- by guest journalist John Rettie

For Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRT), things finally started to jell nicely in the fifth round of the 2012 Global RallyCross (GRC) (September 29, 2012).

Realistically, SPRT has been at a distinct disadvantage all season. It does not have the experience of Scandinavian teams who have been building specialized rallycross cars for many years. Indeed, if you take a walk through the pits at a GRC event, you’ll hear Scandinavian accents emanating from many teams. Just take a look at the results in European rallycross events, and the Scandinavians traditionally have tended to dominate.

Of course, that’s a major reason why Sverre Isachsen drives for SPRT. As a former European champion, he brings valuable experience to the team.

However, he’s a driver and not an engineer, so there’s only so much he can do as Vermont SportsCar develops the 2012 Subaru WRX STI rallycross car from its super-successful rally car.

From Rally to Rallycross

At first glance, there might seem to be a lot of similarities between rallycross and rally cars, but take a look under the hood, and you’ll immediately see major differences.

First off, the rallycross engine has to develop more than 600 hp compared to just 300 hp in a rally car. What’s more, each rallycross event only entails perhaps 15 minutes of full-bore driving, whereas a rally can last for hours over a two- or three-day event.

A rallycross event compared to a rally is like a sprint compared to a long-distance run.

Continuing Development

Following X Games and the fourth round of the GRC in New Hampshire, series contestants had a long break. SPRT took this opportunity to spend more time developing the cars. It even went back to the New Hampshire track and rented it for a few days for some serious development time.

The effort was immediately apparent as practice unfolded in the early morning heat at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Long-time fans of rallycross have not exactly been enamored of the layout of tracks in prior GRC events because they have been too restrictive for drivers. Ideally, there should be plenty of room for cars to go three or four abreast through corners, especially soon after the start. Otherwise, the first driver through the first corner would easily go on to take the checkered flag, barring any mistakes.

Once the Vegas course was constructed on the first evening, drivers and team managers walked the track and were pleased with what they found. There was more room to race than had been the case in previous rounds.

The GRC organizers also promised that the first turn would be covered in plenty of dirt for the races. It was midway down the pit straight where the rallycross track would double back onto the main banked start/finish line of the banked oval track. However, the first turn remained paved during the practice runs.

As before, the main feature of the temporary course was the giant jump made of steel ramps. Since the ramp accident at X Games, the structure was fitted with giant foam pads to help soften the blow should anyone fail to make the jump.

Heats

Practice and seeding took place on Friday and Saturday morning. The track proved quite different for the racing, which took place under the lights Saturday night.

By coincidence, all three SPRT drivers ended up in Heat 1 along with Tanner Foust, who had been fastest in seeding. One of two privateers – Canadian Richard Burton in an older Subaru WRX – was the fifth driver in this heat.

Alas, Burton was the unlucky one; he fell victim to the jump when he decided he did not have enough speed to make it. He braked, but the coefficient of friction between rubber tires and steel is not that great, and he gently slid off the top and crashed down to the track below. Fortunately there was no car passing underneath at that moment. Despite heavy damage to the nose of his car, Burton was OK, although he was taken to a hospital as a precaution. Aside from that misadventure, the rest of the evening races went off without a hitch.

Isachsen finished less than a second behind Foust in the first heat, which assured him a spot in the Final. That meant Dave Mirra and Bucky Lasek would have to try their luck in the Last Chance Qualifier.

Since there were only 15 competitors and the track was wider, the organizers elected to have five competitors in each of the first three heats. Then all nine drivers who did not finish 1st or 2nd in the first three heats would compete in the Last Chance Qualifier.

Needless to say, everyone scrambled for a good finish. In the end, Mirra lost out when he suffered damage in a tangle with another competitor and Lasek managed to finish 4th, giving him the last spot in the 10-car final.

The Final

By the time the green light went on for the final race, it was after 11:30 p.m. Still, thousands of spectators had stayed to watch one of the best races in the 2012 Global RallyCross series.

Isachsen stormed from the middle of the pack and tucked himself in behind Foust and Brain Deegan. Despite being passed by another competitor after he took the joker lap, Isachsen managed to grab back the 3rd spot to take a podium finish – the first for SPRT this year. Lasek kept out of harm’s way and finished 8th – his best finish so far as well.

“Our goal all season has been to develop the car and reach the podium. This feels so good,” exclaimed Isachsen at the finish celebration. “My Subaru was good all weekend, and my driving, too. This is a big confidence boost for the team, and now I’m looking forward to the next race outside the Las Vegas Convention Center during the SEMA Show.”

Link to photo gallery. 

A Ride with RallyCross Driver Bucky Lasek

Bucky Lasek is new to the RallyCross scene this year, having secured a ride on the newly formed Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team. My introduction to him was earlier in 2012 at the Hoon Kaboom Global RallyCross event in Texas, where he took a ride off one of the ramps. 

 

 

When at Subiefest at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, on October 6, I was asked if I would like to ride along with Lasek as he took to the autocross course. That was a no-brainer. It would be the ultimate experience, and I was excited!

 

 

 

Earlier in the day, I had ridden in a BRZ on the course with a first-time autocrosser, so I was a little experienced.

All eyes were on me as I got in Bucky Lasek’s personal WRX STI, which wears Satin White Pearl with orange rims that complement the paint perfectly. Minor mods to the car include bolt-ons and COMP-2^TM tires. Inside were RECARO(R) racing seats and everything typical of an everyday driver: things on the back seat, items in the door, and sunglasses in the console. But he did mention that he removed the child seat.

 
 
 

We strapped in and chatted as we waited for our turn at the line. Revving off the start line, the next 50 seconds were a pure adrenaline rush!

We made a quick left and headed into the first series of corners. I laughed out loud and felt like a giddy child. Lasek pushed through the chicane like it was a straight line, with no need for the brakes until the next corner.

I’ve never experienced a car pushing into corners so hard and so fast. Lasek’s driving was much cleaner and smoother than that of the driver of my previous ride. No jolting braking into the corners – it was fast, with smooth transition, minus a missed shift coming out of the last corner.

Feeling the power of that WRX STI in the hands of a skilled driver was unadulterated excitement!

And this definitely was not your daily drive.

–Melissa Carlson



Good Times with a Good Team

Subaru Road Racing Team at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

If you’ve ever met the members of the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT), you know what an easy-going, fun group of guys they are. I always look forward to spending time with them at the track.

 

 

 

 

A weekend in California isn’t complete without Cali-style hair. Thanks to team member Steve, SRRT had a new look. Most of the crew tried it on – even team principal Joe Aquilante.

    

 

 

Of course, it’s easy for them to be light-spirited when the #35 WRX STI is running well. That weekend it was strong during all practices. It ran in the top few spots each time out, consistent with the pace the team has been running all season long.

But when it came down to business, the boys were ready for the challenge.

Lead-off driver Bret Spaude qualified the car in 10th. A decent place to start, but with 60 cars between the two classes on the 2-plus-mile course, this would no doubt be an action-packed race.

Contact began before the green flag dropped and continued non-stop until the last lap. Contact was so constant that the majority of the race was run under yellow (11 full-course yellows resulting in 39 of 71 laps under yellow), and few cars escaped with minimal damage, let alone with their bumpers intact.

  

 

 

After a less than perfect pit stop past the mid-way point of the race, Andrew Aquilante did what we does best and worked his way to the front of the pack. An end-of-the-race penalty for the leaders left the #35 WRX STI in 2nd, positioned to fight for the lead.

Heading into the hairpin at the beginning of the white-flag lap, Aquilante made contact with the bumperless lead car. Immediately flames shot from beneath the Subaru, but ever-hopeful Aquilante thought he could finish that last lap.

With fluids spilling and threatening far more damage to the WRX STI, Aquilante pulled to the side after turn 3. Physically unhurt, he emerged from the smoldering vehicle.

 

 

 

As the #35 was flat-bedded back to the garage, adrenaline was still running high with the team. They were so close to another victory. Team spirit and focus then turned to the next event.

Final race of the season is September 29, 2012, at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. Going into this final race, SRRT sits in 10th place.

Click here to view more images of SRRT in the Continental Tires Sports Car Festival at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

– Melissa Carlson

Do you have images from a 2012 Subaru Road Racing Team event? Submit your photo for an opportunity to be published in Drive Performance magazine. Click here to view complete rules and to enter.

 

SRRT Performance in the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport Class
Round/Date	Event/Track	Location	Drivers	Qualifying/ Finishing Positions
Round 1 – January 26-27	BMW Performance 200 at Daytona Daytona International Speedway	Daytona Beach, Florida	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	7/28 (DNF1)
Round 2 – March 30- April 1	Porsche 250 Barber Motorsports Park	Birmingham, Alabama	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	3/23 (DNF2)
Round 3 – April 27-29	Homestead-Miami Speedway	Homestead, Florida	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	1/3
Round 4 – May 11-13	New Jersey Motorsports Park	Millville, New Jersey	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	1/1
Round 5 – June 8-10	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	4/183
Round 6 – June 22-24	Road America	Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	6/21 (DNF1)
Round 7 – June 29-   July 1	Continental Tire 150, Watkins Glen International	Watkins Glen, New York	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	12/12
Round 8 – July 27-29	Super Weekend at the Brickyard, Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Indianapolis, Indiana	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	16/11
Round 9 – September  7-9	Continental Tire Sports Car Festival Powered by Mazda, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca	Salinas, California	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	10/15
Round 10 – September 28-29	Lime Rock Park	Lakeville, Connecticut

¹ Accident, ² Rear differential, ³ Broken suspension

SUBARU ROAD RACING TEAM CHALLENGES TO THE CHECKERS AT THE PENULTIMATE ROUND OF GRAND-AM CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE

Team Press Release

Phoenixville, PA. – Sept. 8, 2012 – It was a mixed race weekend for the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) which showed strong promise after a run up to 2nd place by the last lap but ultimately resulted in a 15th place finish at the race’s end.

The suburban Philadelphia-based team traveled cross-country to the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., for the season’s next-to-last round of the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge professional road racing series.

The final race results show team drivers Bret Spaude and Andrew “AJ” Aquilante finished 15th in the 26-car Grand Sports Class with their #35 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, one lap down to the eventual winner. But a moment before the final tally was taken and on the final lap, Aquilante had been harrying the race leader for the win, and was right on the rear bumper of the lead car.

"The story of this race will always be about our cool-headed, experienced pit crew as we executed a seamless final pit stop where we topped up on fuel to make a late race charge for the lead,” said Phoenix Performance team owner Joe Aquilante. “On an earlier [pit] stop, we burned precious time as another team’s car inadvertently blocked the entrance to our pit box.”

“The race had 11 full-course-caution flag situations. The safety car was used to control the field for an amazing 39 of the race’s 71 laps. That’s an awful lot of safety car time, and each one of them forces you to constantly recalculate pit stop strategies.”

The Subaru Road Racing Team entry took the green flag from 10th place in qualifying, with Bret Spaude successfully avoiding problems caused by fellow competitors during his 17 laps at the controls of his #35 Subaru Road Racing Team WRX STI.

SRRT teammate AJ Aquilante slotted into the car as Spaude pitted, while circulating in a solid 7th spot. The tactics for the day were dictated when mishaps caused the safety car to lead the field nine of the first 17 laps.

“AJ made some good passes toward the end to move from 10th to second in 10 laps, but then things went awry. There was no reason to believe he couldn’t have passed the race leader, John Edwards, for the win. But by that point in the race, Edwards had already been hit in the rear and his car had lost its rear bumper. Moreover, though, John’s brake lights weren’t operational. Brake lights are a mandatory within GRAND-AM’s safety rules,” added Joe Aquilante.

“With a win in sight, AJ tapped the leader’s car from behind while initiating the pass, but John’s exposed rear bumper structure tore through our car’s radiator, causing both a coolant and oil leak plus perhaps a small oil fire. Half a lap from a potential win, and suddenly we’re 36th overall, 10th in class, and a lap down.”

“Our team made the most from a race fraught with laps run 11 times and 39 of 71 laps under full-course yellow conditions,” added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “We came very close to putting our #35 Subaru WRX STI on the top podium step, and we’re carrying a healthy level of confidence going into the last round of the series at Lime Rock Park in a two weeks.”

The Laguna Seca Raceway event was televised by SPEED TV and will be aired both Sept. 16 at 1:30 p.m. ET, and Sept. 17 at 2:00 a.m. ET.

The season’s final race will be at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT, on Sept. 28-29. Practice and qualifying will be Friday the 28th and the race Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Indy Journal (SRRT at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway)

I'm a huge Indy fan -- of the old school, some would say. My passion for the place and its 500-mile race at the end of May began when I was somewhere between 5 and 9 years old. Every Memorial Day, my family would listen to the race on the radio. The race would be on no matter what we did -- one of my family's rituals.

I was in my early 30s when I first visited the track. It was mid-May, and qualifying was under way for the big race. The cars were out for practice when I drove under the track in the tunnel between turns 1 and 2. One race car passed overhead, and I could smell the fuel. At that time, I had been away from racing for a couple years, and I had assumed that I had outgrown it.

Not so -- by a long shot! That day -- passing under the track with that one car on it -- was a turning point in my life. On that day, I committed to attending every race I could, of every type -- especially open wheel. Since that day, I've gone to all sorts of championship (Indy) car, sprint car, midget car, sports car, NASCAR^(R), etc. races, and, a few years later, I became an automotive writer.

For more than 10 years from the late 1970s into the 1990s, I went to the Indy 500 every year. In the early 2000s, I saw the first two Formula 1^TM races at Indy.

But I haven't been able to return since then -- until July 6. Later in the month, there was a "super" weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). It included NASCAR and GRAND-AM series races, and Subaru was at the track July 6 and 7 for practice.

Driving into the speedway on July 6, I used the same entrance -- the same tunnel. There were no cars on track, but the same feeling I had more than 30 years ago washed over me. I'm awed by the track's history -- much of which I've followed ardently. I'm awed by its immense size. And I'm awed by the spirits of drivers past that are part of the place.

All of July 6th, I photographed around the infield of the track, which is still new to me, even though it has been there more than 10 years. For the second practice on July 7th, I shot from the pits. Walking onto pit lane and seeing the yard of bricks at the start/finish line took my breath away. Another team member had told me it would.

I'm not alone in my reverence for the speedway. Others among the teams and officials echoed similar sentiments.

Seeing a Subaru speeding from south to north on Indy's front straight seemed completely out of context after hearing and seeing so many open-wheel cars of different types racing the other direction for so many decades.

But I was ecstatic that Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) was there for a run at the end of the month.

 

Race Day -- July 28, 2012

I returned to IMS with the team three weeks later for the GRAND-AM Continental Sports Car Challenge -- hoping for cooler weather. It wasn't as hot -- approximately 15 degrees cooler than the practice days. SRRT had a packed day -- a one-hour practice, followed immediately by qualifying, fan walk at noon, and then the two-and-a-half-hour race at 1:00 p.m.

SRRT qualified 16th.

SRRT faced humidity, drivetrain issues caused by heat, close contact racing of the GRAND-AM style, and a lightning storm with heavy rain -- so heavy that GRAND-AM stopped the event until deep water cleared from parts of the track.

Even as the race ended with SRRT in 11th, the team had to deal with another storm rolling through the area.

SRRT Performance in the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport Class
Round/Date	Event/Track	Location	Drivers	Qualifying/ Finishing Positions
Round 1 – January 26-27	BMW Performance 200 at Daytona Daytona International Speedway	Daytona Beach, Florida	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	7/28 (DNF1)
Round 2 – March 30-April 1	Porsche 250 Barber Motorsports Park	Birmingham, Alabama	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	3/23 (DNF2)
Round 3 – April 27-29	Homestead-Miami Speedway	Homestead, Florida	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	1/3
Round 4 – May 11-13	New Jersey Motorsports Park	Millville, New Jersey	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	1/1
Round 5 – June 8-10	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	Lexington, Ohio	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	4/183
Round 6 – June 22-24	Road America	Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	6/21 (DNF1)
Round 7 – June 29- July 1	Continental Tire 150, Watkins Glen International	Watkins Glen, New York	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	12/12
Round 8 – July 27-29	Super Weekend at the Brickyard, Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Indianapolis, Indiana	Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude	16/111

¹ Accident

² Rear differential

³ Broken suspension

-- Ric Hawthorne