Subaru Drive Performance Magazine

Crowd Pleasers -- David Higgins and a 25-Year-Old Subaru

Day One: Confirming the list of vehicles to be on display from yesterday -- all seven are here. Each of them drew attention from the SEMA Show attendees. The 1986 XT Coupe in the back of the display area was as popular as the rest.

We've covered the XT Coupe in some detail in our sister publication Drive and the Drive website (www.drive.subaru.com). Read its background and the initial plans for the car here.

Then we followed the progress of the car's restoration online via image galleries. Click for Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

We found out about the Coupe making its appearance at the SEMA Show only a few days prior to receiving the press release about it.

 

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Rally champion and record-holder David Higgins visited the Subaru display for a couple hours. He signed autographs and handed out posters. One female fan asked him to sign her boot!

Higgins had quite a year in American rallying in 2011. We've documented his performance in the Rally America National Championship in Journal entries and Drive Performance articles throughout the year. After six tightly contested stage rallies driving for Subaru Rally Team USA, Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew placed 1st in the championship. You also can find information about the season at www.rally-america.com and www.subaru.com/rally.

In addition, David Higgins competed in a round of Global RallyCross, X Games Rally, and the Mt. Washington Climb to the Clouds Hillclimb. There's a wrap-up of the season in the next issue of Drive Performance, scheduled to mail and go live on this website November 15. Drive Performance also spent several days on Mount Washington, where Higgins not only bested the other hillclimbers, but shattered the official record for climbing the mountain by almost 30 seconds.

The #75 Subaru WRX STI driven by Higgins on his quest for the National Championship is on display. Featured in images from throughout the season in Drive Performance and this website, #75 was built and fielded by Vermont SportsCar in partnership with Subaru of America.

Come back tomorrow for more!

-- Ric Hawthorne

DP WRX Journal -- Thirteenth Drive (Twelfth Round Trip)

Purpose:

• To take the Drive Performance (DP) WRX to the 6th Wicked Big Meet at Stafford Motor Speedway (Stafford Springs, Connecticut)
• To attend meetings at Subaru of America, Inc. headquarters (Cherry Hill, New Jersey)
• To spectate and photograph at the Mt. Washington Climb to the Clouds Hillclimb (New Hampshire) with Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) 

Start/Finish: Drive Performance headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Distance:

• According to mapping services -- 3,015.7 miles
• Actual (with commutes to/from hotels) -- 3,280.0 miles

Major routes to Stafford Springs, Connecticut:

• Wisconsin: Interstate 94
• Illinois: Interstates 94, 294
• Indiana: Interstates 94, 80
• Ohio: Interstates 80, 90
• Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts: Interstate 90
• Connecticut: Interstate 84

Major routes from Stafford Springs to Cherry Hill, New Jersey:

• Connecticut: Interstates 84, 91, 95
• New York: Interstate 287
• New Jersey: Garden State Parkway, Interstate 95

Major routes from Cherry Hill to Mount Washington, New Hampshire:

• New Jersey: Interstate 95, Garden State Parkway
• New York: Interstate 287
• Connecticut: Interstates 95, 91, 84
• Massachusetts: Interstates 90, 495
• New Hampshire: New Hampshire Highway 16

Major routes from Mount Washington to Milwaukee, Wisconsin:

• New Hampshire: various state highways, including 140, 106
• Vermont: various state highways, including 9
• New York, Pennsylvania: Interstate 90
• Ohio: Interstates 90, 80
• Indiana: Interstates 80, 94
• Illinois: Interstates 94, 294
• Wisconsin: Interstate 94

Fuel consumption: 72.3 gallons

Mileage: 28.0 mpg

The focus for the 14-day round trip was the DP WRX. I thought it was going to be the events that I attended, but, in retrospect, it was mostly about the car.

Wicked Big Meet

The first stop was Wicked Big Meet (WBM). There the DP WRX stood proudly between new Subaru models at the Subaru of New England display right at the entry to WBM from the parking lot. Thanks to all who stopped by to talk about the car! I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you.

I'm impressed by the enthusiasm of WBM's participants. They were lined up to enter the speedway when I arrived, and I was more than two hours early to help set up the Subaru display. Later, I took a couple walks through the parking lot and between the two rows of cars entering the speedway. The supply of Subaru vehicles entering the venue seemed never-ending, and the amount of time, effort, and money spent on the vehicles was apparent. One unique set of modifications followed another, and, underneath it all, was that Subaru exhaust rumble. It seemed like a heartbeat all day.

I enjoyed the variety of vendors, too. They all work hard to meet customer demands, and they share a brotherhood of technology, it seems.

There was something at WBM for just about everyone: tuner car rides, an exhaust competition, T-shirts and stickers, knowledgeable vendors, raffles and giveaways, lots of Subaru vehicles to see and hear, and camaraderie.

Find observations about WBM here, and watch video of the exhaust competition. Learn more about WBM here.

Meetings at Subaru

It doesn't matter what we plan to meet about at Subaru, we spend a good part of our time together talking about the DP WRX. Kudos to Subaru for putting the car together! It's been a valuable tool for starting conversations with enthusiasts all across the country.

Where have I driven it? Who did I see? What are people interested in? These are some of the questions the people at Subaru headquarters have for me. Plus, they had not seen the car since early in the year, when all of the modifications had not been done. So we walked around it pointing out the changes.

Mt. Washington Climb to the Clouds Hillclimb

I had a day to drive from southern New Jersey to the upper part of New Hampshire. You wouldn't think that the drive would take all day, but it did. I've always enjoyed driving through New England, especially in the spring and summer. I like the green of the forests, and there's more forests than you might think, if you've never been there.

Mount Washington is one of my favorite stops in New Hampshire. My family and I drove to the top a couple of years ago, going from bright sunshine at the base of the mountain into a cloud about three-quarters of the way up the 7.6-mile Mt. Washington Auto Road. I anticipated a clearer view from the top this trip, and I chose the right day for the drive. (See all five 2011 Climb to the Clouds Journal entries, beginning with the one dated July 28. 

I also looked forward to driving the DP WRX up the Auto Road. In the other cars I've driven to the top, I had enough power. In the WRX, power wasn't a concern. The climb to 6,088 feet was effortless, but as much from the car's handling as from engine power. Tours like this reinforce the nimbleness of the WRX and how much I look forward to driving it.

Notes from the Trip

Putting more than 3,000 miles on a car's odometer in 13 days doesn't set any records for mileage per day, but it does give a person time to reflect. Much of the scenery through New York and New England encouraged reflection. Three days on a mountainside contribute to that thought process, too, even if you are working. In general, touring like this contributes to my peace of mind.

On both long legs heading east and then returning almost two weeks later, I hit complete traffic blockage. One was due to an accident, and I think the other was from construction. In both cases, traffic stopped completely for more than 30 minutes. Long ago, I came to terms with these experiences. When participating in long-distance travel, traffic is like weather -- you can't do anything about either of them.

Other notes:

• I saw this sign: "290 ENDS 3 MILES EXPECT STOPPED TRAFFIC AHEAD" If the road ends, ...
• Lodging in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, was near the path that a tornado had taken not long before, doing terrible damage; I saw a hotel that had been ripped apart and thought it was under construction until I saw the twisted and broken trees across the road
• Spending some time on Vermont Highway 9, I saw numerous references to Molly Stark; I had to Google her to find out that she was the wife of an American Revolutionary War general who led his men into battle saying that they would win "... or Molly Stark will sleep a widow tonight," according to a number of sources
• One of my routes took me past the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a facility I had visited shortly after its opening in 1990; it seems a lot less isolated now
• The license plate on a senior couple's sports car: B 4 2 OLD

Next trip with the DP WRX: To New Jersey Motorsports Park (Millville) for Subaru Road Racing Team in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge July 22-23.

-- Ric Hawthorne

2011 Climb to the Clouds -- Day Five

After three days of threatening weather, Sunday (June 26) promised some relief. At the base of Mount Washington, though, clouds still obscured the top.

I rode a shuttle to the part of the Auto Road called, "Cragway." It's a sharp turn on the gravel portion of the road.

 

 

As the van climbed the road, we drove into the clouds. Then, about halfway to the top, we broke through to see clouds below and clouds above. At Cragway, I felt like we were on top of the world.

The clouds would rise from below, and sometimes they held enough moisture to create a mist that could be a borderline shower. At times, too, we could see the paddock and parking area at the foot of the mountain.

 

Many spectators chose to drive their cars to the top of Mount Washington to watch the hillclimb from there. No matter where you were located -- at the halfway area where I was stationed the previous day, Cragway, or the mountain top -- you were committed to spending your day there. We weren't disappointed.

We were on the mountain for more than an hour before the competitors were turned loose on the road. They ascended in reverse order of their practice times, from slowest to fastest. For those who thought far enough ahead to pack some food, the time between cars and between the morning and afternoon sessions was enough for a picnic. (I'll be better prepared for the next hillclimb!)

The progression of slowest to fastest cars meant that the cornering speeded up from one vehicle to the next. By the time the fastest cars reached us, they were drifting through parts or all of the corner. The crowd of spectators at that point cheered louder and louder.

David Higgins in the #75 WRX STI had the most spectacular cornering by far, starting to drift earlier than anyone else.

Here Higgins rounds Cragway during his morning pass:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Higgins at Cragway for his afternoon pass:

 

 

Higgins' efforts yielded the fastest time of the day and a new record for the Mt. Washington Hillclimb event, taking only 6 minutes, 11.54 seconds to climb the 7.6-mile road. Read more about David Higgins setting the record here.

Complete results are here.

-- Ric Hawthorne

 

2011 Climb to the Clouds -- Day Four

Mount Washington in New Hampshire has a historic reputation for changeable weather -- more emphatically, the worst weather in the world. As a result, planning a day halfway up the side of Mount Washington involves a certain amount of anxiety, especially when the weather forecast is for rain. I expected a day like yesterday.

However, when I drove up to the base of the mountain, the clouds were breaking up a bit, and there was a patch of blue overhead. Still, the forecast was for rain, and I was prepared with raincoat and umbrella. I was determined to go up the Mt. Washington Auto Road to photograph the hillclimb competitors on course.

Because the top was obscured by clouds, the hillclimbers practiced only on the lower half of the road. Mountain road vans delivered photographers and some spectators to the last set of turns in the practice route. Approximately halfway up the mountain, we had passed through one layer of clouds, but we were still below the clouds at the mountain range's summits.

I expected wind; the air was calm. I expected rain; the upper layer of clouds parted enough so the sun shone through. The temperature was higher at that altitude than at the mountain's base. So much for the raincoat and umbrella, at least for a while.

Waiting for the official car to open the course, I explored the area and watched the clouds swirl, ebb, and flow. The view changed moment by moment.

 

On a road that had enjoyed sunshine a few minutes earlier, David Higgins driving Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) #75 WRX STI arrived in fog. Higgins was the first to make the run by virtue of his having the fastest time during practice on Friday. I heard him approach, and, just out of sight from my position, he stopped. Then he finished the run.

Higgins was followed by the rest of the competitors. Because a number of the corner workers and safety volunteers had radios, we could follow the order of the cars. Three or four would be on the road at the same time, clawing their way to the mountain's midpoint.

As the morning wore on, the damp pavement dried. Times quickened.

Higgins wasn't fastest the first run, but his second ascent was almost 16 seconds faster than anyone else during practice on Saturday. Times are listed here.

 

SRT USA is not fielding the only Subaru in the hillclimb. Here are some others.

 

 

On Sunday, there are two ascents of the entire road for the fastest time. The drivers hadn't practiced the upper half of the Auto Road, so the challenge is more from the road than the other competitors.

It has always been about the mountain.

-- Ric Hawthorne

2011 Climb to the Clouds -- Day Three

Rain.

Everything was soggy.

The paddock was full of mud by mid-morning, and the Mt. Washington Auto Road gleamed with water (sometimes a thin film and sometimes running in streams).

Even so, the hillclimbers practiced, taking two runs on the lower half of the road before lunch. From my point of view at the spectator point near the start line, the first ascent was made in a mist-like rain, and the second in showers.

The variety of vehicles is heartening. Besides Subaru, there are a number of other manufacturers, plus special-built racecars. There's an old NASCAR car and a couple open-wheel competitors, plus sports cars from the last few decades.

 For having attended hundreds of racing events through the years, this is my first hillclimb. From my vantage point, I could see the vehicles shortly after they left the start line, then negotiate one of the first turns on the mountain. Past where I was standing, the competitors had slight curves to handle before disappearing into the forest. So in some ways, a hillclimb is like a rally or a road course, but without a track's lap-by-lap repetition.

Competitors took off from the start line as if in a drag race to the finish line, running one at a time. But instead of a straight line at full speed, they negotiate the road's twists and turns. As described in an earlier Journal entry, the road is never very wide. Besides the turns, there are rough patches in the pavement and newly poured blacktop. The road is often off-camber, and the edges drop off sharply.

And the hillclimbers had to handle all of it while rain fell. As quickly as the vehicles left the start line, they showed their power even more in their acceleration up the hill.

Find results for each of the practice days here, on the Climb to the Clouds website. Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins led the field by nearly 20 seconds. Explore more of the event site for news reports on the weekend's events. 

-- Ric Hawthorne

2011 Climb to the Clouds -- Day Two

The second day of the 2011 Climb to the Clouds event (Thursday, June 23) was scheduled for reconnaissance by the drivers.

A heavy cloud layer provided moisture cycling between constant drizzle and heavy rain all day. It slowed the course of things. 

Some teams had arrived on Wednesday, and others drove into the make-shift paddock at the foot of Mount Washington throughout the day on Thursday.

Hillclimbers started up the Mt. Washington Auto Road along with tourists. Some of the racers drove their hillclimb vehicles, which gave onlookers an audio indication of their locations among the trees. I watched a number of these vehicles as they started up the mountain, only to disappear in the foliage and fog.

A Weekend of Champions

A good number of champions are listed in the weekend's program. Some are human, and others are machines. They've gathered at Mount Washington for a number of reasons, but at the heart of it all is the challenge of climbing the mountain road in the shortest possible time.

Among the competitors are three former record-holders: Tim O'Neil, Paul Choiniere, and Frank Sprongl. Sprongl holds the official hillclimb event record of 6 minutes, 41.99 seconds.

Vehicles, too, are champions. Cars in the Vintage Class have competed in the Mt. Washington Hillclimb in the past:

• 1931 Studebaker factory Indy car -- one of three (won both the Indianapolis 500 and Pikes Peak in 1931)
• 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 (Tazio Nuvolari won Le Mans with this car, and it won the Mt. Washington Hillclimb in 1937)
• 1934 Reuter Special
• 1951 Jaguar XK120

Climb to the Clouds with Subaru

Members of Vermont SportsCar's Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) will be taking part. In fact, Vermont SportsCar played a key role in organizing this year's edition of Climb to the Clouds. SRT USA driver David Higgins will be tackling Mount Washington in a specially prepared WRX STI.

Read more about Higgins' effort here, and follow along with Higgins on Vermont SportsCar's website. (Sign up to follow the site's tweets.)

There are many more interesting drivers and vehicles taking part in the weekend's hillclimb, all with their own stories. You can get a sense of the extent of these stories by taking a look at the entry list on the Climb to the Clouds website.

Practice for all vehicles starts at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning, June 24.

-- Ric Hawthorne

2011 Climb to the Clouds -- Day One

Mount Washington

Late June is my favorite time to visit New England. I know that many people like New England's winter snow for skiing and snowboarding, and others love the brilliant displays of color in the fall. I prefer the green.

The Presidential Range of the White Mountains carry the green of spring and summer nobly on their ancient backs. I've been lured to the tallest of this range -- Mount Washington -- many times in the past. Every time has offered an opportunity to drive up the Mt. Washington Auto Road, which, for me, combines history, science, racing, and beauty like few other places.

What drew me to Mount Washington for five days this week is the 2011 Climb to the Clouds Hillclimb. Brought back after a 10-year absence from competition, this year's hillclimb is part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Mt. Washington Auto Road.

Originally known as The Mt. Washington Carriage Road, the 7.6-mile toll road is the oldest man-made attraction in North America. It has several other historic claims as well:

• First run in 1904, the Mt. Washington Hillclimb is the oldest race in America.
• The Mt. Washington Hillclimb preceded the first Indianapolis 500, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, and the first Pikes Peak Hillclimb (1916), which also runs this weekend.

Hillclimb competitors race from the bottom of the mountain (altitude of 1,565 feet above sea level) to near the top (6,120 of the 6,288 feet at the top). In doing so, they'll drive on 6.6 miles of tarmac and 1.0 mile of hard-packed gravel. Road width varies, from a little more than a lane wide to barely two lanes wide. Trees, boulders, and mountainside (wall or drop-off) line the road. In addition, the weather can change dramatically due to altitude and/or the mountain's location. It lies at the confluence of three major storm tracks, and the highest wind velocity ever recorded by man -- 231 miles per hour -- was measured at the top on April 12, 1934.

The weather observatory at the summit is staffed year-round. Subaru is Mount Washington Observatory's longest-standing partner. (Find more information about the observatory here.)

You can read more about Mount Washington and its dramatic weather in Fall 2005 Subaru Drive magazine here.

Schedule

This week's schedule for the 2011 Climb to the Clouds and information on spectating can be found here. On Wednesday, June 22, I took advantage of the sunny weather and drove the Mt. Washington Auto Road in the Drive Performance WRX. Ascending the mountain, you don't realize how steep the grade is. (It averages 11.6 percent.) But when you stop and get out of your vehicle to explore at the pull-off areas, the angle at which you stand can be surprising.

The views from the mountain are gorgeous, as you'd expect with the advantage that high altitude affords. You're above the tree line at 4,400 feet, which you might not expect in the New England mountains. Another effect of high altitude is a drop in air temperature. Take your jacket with you!

Wednesday was a day for registration and preparation. Competitors started building a small community of RVs and tents at the base. They'll learn as much as they can about the Auto Road on Thursday (recce), Friday (morning practice), and Saturday (morning practice). Then, weather permitting, they'll make two passes to attack the Mt. Washington Hillclimb record time of 6 minutes, 41.99 seconds set by Frank Sprongl in 1998. (The Vermont SportsCar team with Travis Pastrana driving surpassed that record with a run of 6 minutes, 20.47 seconds in an unofficial run in September, 2010.)

There also was enough time on Wednesday for me to do some exploring in the nearby national forest.

We'll have more on the 2011 Climb to the Clouds in the next few days.

-- Ric Hawthorne