Even though a spin and contact caused by fluids from another car's blown engine prematurely ended Subaru Road Racing Team's day in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Road America, a number of Subaru-related encounters helped to perk up the weekend. (See Road America gallery here.)
I met the owner of a very clean 2002 WRX who was camping in the Carousel. It was one of the earliest models to hit American shores. The owner learned about the WRX coming to the United States from a tour put on by Subaru at that time, and then he followed up by playing video games that featured the WRX. This was one of the ways that customers learned about the WRX. We refer to this phenomenon in an article about video games in the latest issue of the Subaru owner magazine Drive.
Another Subaru owner in the same camping area wishes he still had his first one. He's owned seven of them. His current family Subaru is approximately 10 years old and has 170,000 miles on the odometer. He wants to get a new one so he can leave his fishing equipment in the one he has (which he'll keep).
A WRX STI owner (T REX plates) who works at Road America stopped me to ask if the magazine still had the Drive Performance WRX. He wanted to see the performance parts and accessories on the car so that he could decide which ones he would put on his. I remembered his email to the magazine, which was sent just a couple days after we turned in the car. Timing is everything.
A BRZ in the Subaru parking area had a #35 and Subaru Road Racing Team on its sides. Hmmm.
Rallycross took to the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, for Round 2 of the Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) season. The events have been moved to larger venues, featuring the full course on pavement, ramped jumps, and a tight, condensed course.
Sverre Isachsen #11 of the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team spoke about his thoughts of the rallycross set up this year. He had the chance to run the course at New Jersey Motorsports Park two years ago when this series was newly formed, but that track had some off-track sections and dirt jumps. He said this new setup was good for the discipline and good for the fans. It allowed for more viewing opportunities and being a smaller course allowed the spectators to see all the action.
The Texas venue featured a "car wash" (water source sprinkled water over cars on a section of the course), a small jump, a chicane section, large jump, and a hairpin turn, all contained within the track's front straightaway and pit road.
For this event, pit road was the starting line for GRC and was the perfect place to feel the rush of the cars zooming by was exhilarating. There's nothing better than the feeling of 550 hp of a Subaru WRX STI whizzing by.
It wouldn't be rallycross without some spectacular action: spinouts, crashes, and up to three cars nose to tail cars going over the gap jump. That jump proved to be troublesome for most of the cars at some point during the day.
Prior to the heat races, many of the drivers discussed how to take the jump: on the brake, on the gas, and nothing at all. Isachsen revealed that he would rather have more smaller jumps over which the cars could go two wide versus the larger gap jump.
Dave Mirra started his day with his #40 Subaru WRX STI in the garage following practice on the gap jump. He was unable to get his car to the line for his heat run, but was able to fight for his chance to advance through the last chance qualifier (LCQ). He battled hard to the end and finished only 4 seconds behind the winner, which kept him from the final round.
The jump ended Bucky Lasek's LCQ efforts as he took #81 WRX STI sideways off the upward section of the ramp. A slow competitor caused him to check up and lose momentum. Lasek was uninjured, but his Subaru did not fare as well, as the left side landed on the plastic barriers; however, it was drivable.
Isachsen ran a smooth heat race, and with his 2nd-place finish advanced to the final round. With 10 cars in the final, it was packed with action and incidents. Drivers were allowed to take the shorter joker lap on the first lap (which would’ve disqualified them in the previous heat races). About half of the cars took the joker that first opportunity, separating the pack in two, but still leaving groups of cars fighting for the top spot. Being so bunched up caused Isachsen to have to brake coming out of the chicane, and he stopped on the ramp thinking he did not have enough speed to make the jump. As he slid back down the ramp and stopped at the base, he brought out the red flag. Being disqualified for bringing out the red ended Isachsen's run.
This jump, which caused so many issues, is scheduled to be a part of two more rounds.
Follow the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team at www.subaru.com/rally and through this journal to see how the season progresses. The team is scheduled to compete in X Games in Los Angeles at the end of June.
Team Press Release
SUBARU PUMA RallyCross Team USA Ramped Up Competiton at Inaugural Hoon Kaboom Texas RallyCross Race.
Watch Bucky Lasek rail slide his STI:
Fort Worth, Tx., June 12, 2012 - There was certainly no shortage of excitement during race day at round two of the 2012 Global RallyCross in Fort Worth, Texas. While SUBARU PUMA RallyCross Team USA was kept off the podium, they were front and center for much of the drama throughout the day's racing.
In the first heat, Sverre Isachsen led the pack off the line and drove his #11 Subaru WRX STI with vigor to secure a spot in the Main event with a second place finish in his heat. SUBARU PUMA RallyCross Team USA's Bucky Lasek finished fourth in the same heat and was seated in one of the two Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ). Dave Mirra in the #40 WRX STI was also placed in an LCQ, where he put up a tough fight and finished in second position, just a few seconds short of advancing to the final.
Bucky Lasek provided the greatest spectacle of the heat races, and possibly the event, during the running of the LCQ B. After a tight start, Lasek was chasing Liam Doran whose ailing car was leaking fluids and slowing. After Lasek chased Doran through the chicane, Doran ducked to the left as though he was pulling off, Lasek went for the pass only to have Doran pull back in during the lead-up to the narrow steel jump. Having braked hard to avoid the car in front him, Lasek felt he had scrubbed too much speed to clear the jump and made the split decision to abort the jump and drive off the side of it. In an amazing maneuver more suited to a skateboard than his #80 Subaru WRX STI, Lasek rode the water barrier beside the jump on two wheels and stuck the landing!
Sverre Isachsen entered the 10-car Main event with the podium in his sights. Starting in the 2nd row, the Viking Warrior muscled his way forward through the pack off the start and got alongside Marcus Grönholm. The two collided when Grönholm tried to duck into the Shortcut through Isachsen. The impact forced Isachsen unwillingly into the Shortcut and then sent him sideways into the grass, but he stayed on the throttle and continued, losing several positions in the process. Things really got tricky on the next lap when Isachsen was slowed by another competitor as they approached the jump. "We were heading towards the big jump, when the car in front of me suddenly braked. I had two choices; I could hit him and crash both cars, or I could brake! I braked and stopped just before the end of the jump as I would not have cleared the gap,” explained Isachsen. The race was red flagged and Global RallyCross Officials would restart the Main but denied Isachsen the opportunity to continue in the event due to stopping on the jump. Isachsen pleaded with the Officials to no avail. Sverre remained confident in his decision and his future campaign in the #11 Subaru WRX STI as he stated, "I don’t understand why I wasn’t allowed to start again. All I did was try to avoid a big crash. But on the positive side the car was awesome today, and I’m really looking forward to the next race which is a part of X Games."
X Games 18 kicks off in Los Angeles on June 28 and runs through July 1. Similar to last year, the RallyCross course will run on the streets of downtown L.A. in the vicinity of the Staples Center. Summer X Games broadcast information can be found here.
Images of the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team can be found here.
Media Contacts: Sean Maynard, Subaru Press Information Sean.maynard@subiepr.com, Office: 248.805.1656
Dominick Infante, Subaru of America, Inc. dinfante@subaru.com, Office: 856.488.8615
About Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team USA
Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team USA is proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT), PUMA, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO, Motul, Exedy, and Vermont SportsCar. For more information on the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries, visit subaru.com/rally. For the latest news follow the team on Twitter: twitter.com/srtusa.
About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.
Right now, we're in the middle of the motorsports year for Subaru. Subaru Road Racing Team ran in the two-and-a-half-hour GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course south of Mansfield, Ohio, on Saturday, June 9. Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team (SPRXT) took on the competition in Round 2 of the Global Rallycross Championship at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on the same day.
Another event for Subaru enthusiasts that took place the same weekend was Wicked Big Meet, held at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. The Drive Performance WRX was there.
Drive Performance staff members traveled to each of these events.
The full June weekend followed SPRXT's debut in Round 1 of the Global RallyCross Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, two weekends ago on May 26. Subaru entered three cars -- for Dave Mirra, Bucky Lasek, and Sverre Isachsen. Here is the team's report on the Subaru rally site, and here is another report on the Vermont SportsCar site. Find videos on both, which give you a good idea of the explosive nature of rallycross -- elimination heats on a short course that demand tremendous power and precise control.
The first weekend of June, Subaru Rally Team USA fought a furious battle at Susquehannock Trail Rally (Wellsboro, Pennsylvania) to overcome mechanical difficulties and place 2nd. Read about it on the Vermont SportsCar site here and on the Subaru rally site here. Ride along with driver/co-driver David Higgins/Craig Drew on YouTube.
Notes from Charlotte
Attending Round 1 of the Global RallyCross Championship in Charlotte was my first visit to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. My first reaction was surprise at the activity: two NASCAR races (Nationwide and Sprint Cup), a World of Outlaws sprint car race, and rallycross. There were thousands of RVs, campers, and tents.
Plus, there were was food. Vendors were everywhere, as were people who had been camping out for days.
But what I felt early in the morning of the rallycross was the energy around the speedway. Campers were cooking or grilling by 7:00 a.m. -- sending small columns of smoke and smells into the air. From a distance, it was like the encampment pictures from the Civil War. The number of campers and RVs is staggering. They're packed into the infield and in surrounding sites.
Racer transports were lined up side by side, as they are at most tracks. Generator engines hummed and moaned, and racing engines sparked to life sporadically, even hours before track activities. I sat in a bowl formed by multicolored seats -- some in patterns and some demarking specific sections.
Life has been quiet since driving south to the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood at the end of February, but it's starting to liven up again. The last few days have involved a few milestones.
Milestone #1: Returning the Drive Performance WRX to Subaru
Next week, I leave Milwaukee to meet Subaru Road Racing Team at Barber Motorsports Park near Leeds, Alabama. I'll drive the DP WRX through the weekend, then meet with other Drive Performance staff members who will swap cars with me. They'll take the DP WRX, and I'll have a pre-production BRZ for approximately 48 hours for a test drive. I don't plan on getting much sleep.
We've already shipped to Subaru all the original parts that we took off the DP WRX -- exhaust pipe and mufflers, rear deck lid, rear interior shelf, shift knob, nuts, bolts, and various other items.
From our publishing base in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, we've been all over the country with the car -- Maine, Florida, Alabama, Michigan, Utah, and everywhere in between. It will have almost 40,000 miles on the odometer -- not too bad for having been driven on only 18 major trips and being stored most of the time.
I'll turn over both sets of keys somewhere near Roanoke, Virginia.
We'll let you know where it's going as soon as we know!
Milestone #2: Production Begins on the BRZ
Last week, the first production BRZ models came off the assembly line at the Subaru Gunma Main Plant, Ota-city, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.
Keep them moving!
Milestone #3: Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA) Celebrates 25th Birthday
On March 17, SIA kicked off a year of events commemorating its 25th anniversary of incorporation. SIA, the home of North American Subaru production, assembles Legacy, Outback, and Tribeca models.
For more about SIA's 25th, including an open house in July, click here.
Milestone #4: STI Prepares Subaru BRZ GT300 for SUPER GT
The first round of Japan's SUPER GT season takes place March 31-April 1 at Okayama International Circuit, Mimasaka city, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. In preparation for the season, the Subaru BRZ GT300 race car participated in testing two weeks earlier. For more, click here.
Purpose: To follow Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) and other Subaru teams at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood around Salem, Missouri, February 24-25, 2011
Start/Finish: Drive Performance headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Distance: 1,516.4 miles round trip
Distance:
According to mapping services -- 1,016 miles point to point
Actual (with drives to Parc Expose, service, and spectator stages both rally days) -- 1,516.4 miles
Major routes to Rally in the 100 Acre Woods:
Wisconsin: State Trunk Highway 83, Interstate 43, Interstate 90
Illinois: Interstates 90, 39, 55
Missouri: Interstates 55, 44
Fuel consumption: 59.8 gallons
Mileage: 25.4 mpg
I've attended this rally four years in a row. Weather has always been a factor in the form of rain or snow.
For 2012, we contended with clear skies and breezy conditions. The stars appeared unusually bright along with the sliver of a moon in the clear sky Friday night. Only the cold hampered spectator comfort. (It figures that the thermometer hit the 70s the day before the rally and the 60s the day after. Temperatures were in the 40s on rally days.)
SRT USA driver/co-driver David Higgins/Craig Drew battled Ken Block/Alex Gelsomino all weekend, finally finishing 2nd only 29 seconds off the pace and almost 9 minutes ahead of the 3rd-place car. Find details and complete results at the Rally America site and video coverage on YouTube. For videos, photographs, and articles about SRT USA at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, go to the Subaru rally website.
SRT USA Performance in the 2012 Rally America National Championship
Round/Date
Event/ Location
Driver
Finishing Position
Driver Standings
Round 1 – January 27-28
Sno*Drift Rally
Atlanta, Michigan
David Higgins
1
1
Round 2 – February 24-25
Rally in the 100 Acre Wood
Salem, Missouri
David Higgins
2
1
After two rounds in the Rally America National Championship, open-class driver Higgins leads the Drivers' Championship over 2nd-place Subaru racer Travis Hansen (competing in the Super Production class) by 15 points.
There are four rounds to go, with the next one in Portland, Oregon, May 4-6.
Travel in the Drive Performance (DP) WRX
This was one of the last trips that we'll have in the DP WRX. The first third of our trip south from Milwaukee took us through a rainstorm that would eventually dump 7 inches of snow back in Milwaukee. The rest of the trip took place on dry roads of various surfaces -- from paved interstate to one-lane gravel. The winter tires pulled the car through the water and gravel with ease, and I was happy to have them on the car.
However, southeastern Missouri has some great fun-to-drive roads that don't stop twisting, turning, climbing, and descending. Travel to the different stages throughout the weekend routed us onto some of these roads. I suspect you could drive that part of Missouri for weeks before taking on all of them. They made me yearn for the summer tires sitting in the closet back at headquarters.
Taking to the road in the DP WRX also reunited me with the sound of a subwoofer while playing music in the car. I've missed the bass notes provided by the Genuine Subaru Accessories® 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer in the car's trunk. Many of the miles traveled during the trip were spent listening to my favorite travel music.
High wind played a large role in the weekend's travel -- especially for the return trip to Milwaukee on Sunday. Most of the day, the wind was behind the car. As a result, it achieved more than 28 miles per gallon at interstate highway speeds. (According to the car's computer display, it was more than 31 miles per gallon for most of the ride through Illinois.)
I didn't want to park the WRX in its storage space on Monday. Part of my reluctance was the familiarity with the car and enjoying how it drives. Another part had to do with weather; a winter storm was predicted, and I like how the Bridgestone Blizzak™ tires handle in the snow. The car has carried me more than 35,000 miles, and I have become emotionally attached ...
Side Trip to Ha Ha Tonka State Park
In some extra touring before the rally started on Friday, I drove northwest of Rolla to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. It's worth a visit if only for its name!
The park features a number of trails, waterfalls, natural stone formations, and the stone walls of a burned-out mansion. Built in the first decade of the 20th century, the mansion was eventually leased as a hotel. It burned in 1942.
Like the roads encountered following the rally stages, the ones leading to Ha Ha Tonka are also worth the drive.
Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) and Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) both have made promising starts to their 2012 racing seasons -- SRT USA in the Sno*Drift Rally in Michigan and SRRT at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
SRT USA
Driver David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew have returned to defend their Rally America National Championship in stage rally. The team's first event took place the last weekend in January, when Higgins/Drew began the season with a dominating win.
Read about SRT USA at Sno*Drift here, where you can link to the team's video about the event!
The next round of the Rally America National Championship takes place in Missouri February 24-25, 2012. We'll be attending in one of the last trips in the Drive Performance WRX.
SRT USA Performance in the 2012 Rally America National Championship
Round/Date
Event/ Location
Driver
Finishing Position
Driver Standings
Round 1 – January 27-28
Sno*Drift Rally
Atlanta, Michigan
David Higgins
1
1
SRRT
As part of a 40-car starting field at Daytona International Speedway, SRRT placed well in practice and on the starting grid. Starting 7th, drivers Bret Spaude and Andrew Aquilante took the #35 WRX STI as high as 3rd. The race ended with an on-track incident on the last lap that knocked the team to 28th.
The next round for SRRT in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will take place at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, March 30-31, 2012. We'll be attending that race in the Drive Performance WRX's final round trip out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the magazine. Watch for us!
SRRT Performance in the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport Class
Round/Date
Event/Track
Location
Drivers
Qualifying/ Finishing Positions
Team Standings
Round 1 – January 26-27
BMW Performance 200 at Daytona
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
Andrew Aquilante/ Bret Spaude
7/28 (DNF1)
28
1 Accident
SRRT Driver/Team Member/Consultant Don Knowles Receives RRDC's 2011 Bob Akin Award
Veteran driver Don Knowles has been recognized by the Road Racing Drivers Club with its top motorsports award as a driver who best exemplifies the qualities and characteristics that the late legendary sports car driver Bob Akin represented. These include "... a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing." (From the RRDC press release of January 26, 2012.)
Read more about Don Knowles in the RRDC press release here.
Purpose: To join the 48HRS of Tristate multiday cruise in support of The American Cancer Society January 13-15, 2012 (starting in Vineland, New Jersey)
Start/Finish: Drive Performance headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Distance: 2,960 miles round trip
Major routes to and from New Jersey:
Wisconsin, Illinois: Interstates 94, 294, 80
Indiana: Interstate 80
Ohio: Interstate 80, 76
Pennsylvania: Interstate 76 (to New Jersey), 80 (return)
New Jersey: Interstate 80, Route 55 Freeway
Fuel consumption: 117.6 gallons
Mileage: 25.2 mpg
I haven't taken a long-distance drive in the DP WRX for a long time -- since August! Although I've taken it on short trips and it has been transported to Michigan for the Iceman Cometh Challenge 27-mile mountain bike race in Michigan in November, I haven't been very far with the car. I missed it.
Service at Sommers Subaru in Mequon, Wisconsin, included its 30,000-maintenance and the replacement of the summer performance tires with the Blizzak winter tires that we bought for the car last winter. So all I needed for this trip in January was to check air pressure, load up, and go. I had been anticipating ice and snow all winter, but we still didn't have anything major. Going to other states held greater promise for bad weather.
I left the Milwaukee area early the morning of January 12 with the goal of reaching Vineland, New Jersey by 11:00 p.m. eastern time that night. The Interstates and toll roads were clear, and I was at the registration table for the drive by 8:15.
Where routes and resting places are delineated on the 48HRS of Tristate website, there are five parts of the trip that I'd like to highlight.
Breakfast at New Jersey Motorsports Park
We met at the Officer's Club at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville (NJMP), with most of the group driving the few miles between Vineland and there in a convoy.
At breakfast, Subaru of America, Inc. Chief Marketing Officer Dean Evans presented the group a donation of $7,500.00 to The American Cancer Society -- the drive's charity. Subaru also arranged a special display of Subaru vehicles in one of the track garages.
These included:
Subaru Road Racing Team #35 WRX STI – Andrew Aquilante was there to talk about the car
Subaru Performance Tuning WRX STI Sedan that had been displayed at last November’s SEMA Show
New Jersey Motorsports Park Subaru WRX pace car
The 1986 Subaru XT Coupe featured in Summer 2011 Drive and follow-up postings on www.drive.subaru.com – its restorer Hank Reynolds was on hand to talk about the car (The XT Coupe and SVX owners in the group were especially interested.)
The drive then began. Before leaving NJMP, we all took to the Thunderbolt Course for three laps, led by the WRX pace cars. All we needed was a green flag!
Escorts into the Chesapeake Bay
Our route took us to the Richmond, Virginia, area via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and Norfolk. The bridge and tunnel were the second high point of the day. Gathering at a rest area immediately north of the bridge, our 44 vehicles were met by state police officers who escorted us as a group to one of the islands before the tunnel. There we stopped, parked along the sea wall facing the bay, and took photos.
Mountain Roads and Snow (Finally!)
On the second day, we traveled into the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, leaving behind four-lane highways for two-lane roads through the forests. We finally encountered snow, which was gorgeous on the trees and in the valleys. Finally, the snow tires paid off!
Celebration Dinner
We ended the winter's drive with the group dinner in Winchester, Virginia, where we celebrated the donations that we were able to accumulate. Sponsor donations were raffled -- everything from bushings to calendars. For every $10 that we donated, we had a raffle ticket. The bottom line for the group -- the donations were heartfelt and important to all, because we've all been touched by cancer in some way.
Tuner Visit
We headed for Metuchen, New Jersey, for our final dinner. While the route from Winchester to Metuchen was fairly direct, we had one stop along the way -- Mach V Motorsports in Sterling, Virginia. Mach V owner Dan Hurwitz gave us tours of his shop and garage area.
Find out more about 48HRS of Tristate and its 11 annual treks on its website.
Notes from the Trip
I've missed this car!
Its appearance, the rumble of its exhaust, the feel of its acceleration, and the vibration of the subwoofer are a few of the parts that I've missed.
We only have three more journeys scheduled for the DP WRX, so I spent most of the travel time to and from New Jersey just enjoying how good it feels to drive. The trip had dry roads at first, but then ample amounts of heavy rain and snow. The car never winced; we kept on going and were never delayed.
Besides being fun to drive, it's trustworthy and competent. It's an all-weather vehicle with a high degree of accessible performance.
Purpose: To attend the Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., (SIA) Subaru Challenge, August 20, 2011
Start/Finish: Drive Performance headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Distance:
According to mapping services -- 470 miles round trip
Actual (with side trips) -- 528.7 miles
Major routes to and from SIA:
Wisconsin, Illinois: Interstates 94, 294
Indiana: Interstate 65
I anticipate this trip every year, because I enjoy reacquainting myself with the people at SIA. They’ve always made my wife Penny and me feel welcomed. Plus, the participants in the Subaru Challenge are among those owners who are involved with their vehicles and the events that make good use of them. I’m buoyed by their enthusiasm.
For these owners, a car is more than an appliance. It’s part of a lifestyle – in the case of this autocross, most of the owners present tended to have performance-oriented lifestyles.
As a photographer at the event, I was required to have an escort when I went to certain parts of the track. Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) member Chris Carson and I wandered to the far end of the course for a while, and we spent most of the time talking. Carson and I have run into each other before – the first time at Watkins Glen, if I’m accurate. He works with the television crews at select races, and he saw me trudging from the end of the track farthest from the paddock and offered me a ride on his cart. He had seen my Subaru cap and shirt, which inspired our conversation.
Since then, I’ve encountered Carson at least once a year. It was good talking about the drivers on course, automobiles in general, the SCCA, and Subaru. Penny was thankful for Chris Carson and me spending time together, too, because she thought that meant she didn’t have to listen to me talking about those topics all the way home.
I talked about them anyway ...
Car Star
This was one of the few events that we’ve attended where the Drive Performance WRX (DP WRX) was a star of the event (or at least a focal point). We parked it beside a tent where we handed out magazines and information about the Subaru Badge of Ownership and Subaru Gear. I was surprised by the number of people who needed no explanation about the DP WRX. They have followed all the changes that we’ve made to it in Drive Performance magazine or this companion website. Now they had a chance to hear the Genuine Subaru Accessories 10-Inch Powered Subwoofer in person.
Penny handled most of the owner contact at the tent – something she loves to do. It gives her a chance to see what I do when I’m on the road as well as have first-hand contact with the owners with whom I share so much fun with Subaru vehicles. For us, these events are bonding experiences.
Notes from the Trip
Penny has a high sensitivity to noise, so I was concerned that 500 miles in the DP WRX with its performance exhaust might be too much for her. Before we left home, I glossed over it with a comment like, “You’ll get used to the exhaust sound. The first few miles will seem louder than the trip home.” That had been my experience with the car’s exhaust note, but I didn’t know how my wife would react.
Getting used to the performance rumble worked out for Penny as it had for me. You have to give it time. She also agrees with me about the subwoofer: The longer you listen to the audio system, the better it sounds. After a while, the subwoofer sound becomes a natural part of the music.
Purpose: To join Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) for the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park (Millville)
Start/Finish: Drive Performance headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Distance:
According to mapping services -- 1,878.3 miles
Actual (with commutes to/from hotels) -- 1,968.3
Major routes:
Wisconsin: Interstate 94
Illinois: Interstates 94, 294
Indiana: Interstates 94, 80
Ohio: Interstates 80, 76
Pennsylvania: Interstates 76, 676
New Jersey: New Jersey State Highway 55
Fuel consumption: 77.0 gallons
Mileage: 25.6 mpg
Almost anywhere in the United States that you might have been during the fourth weekend in July was suffering from heat. Crossing from the Midwest and into Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the Drive Performance WRX, heat held the high hand.
I stopped in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, to meet with other members of the editorial staff at Subaru of America, Inc. headquarters. Then I checked in with the rebuilding the engine of the 1986 Subaru XT Coupe under restoration (reported in Summer 2011 Drive magazine). Afterward, I took a quick ride to Autobody Enterprises to find Hank Reynolds sanding the Coupe's body as another part of the restoration. Watch the Drive website for more images of this work in progress.
GRAND-AM doesn't wait at the track, so I headed southeast to Millville to catch up with Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT), which was preparing for practice at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The Subaru-sponsored facility has two road courses -- Thunderbolt and Lightning -- that were laid out next door to the Millville airport. Known as America's First Defense Airport, it played a key role in training pilots in Thunderbolt fighters during World War II. The land on which the tracks were built has a bunker that had been used to align the sights of aircraft at that time. A fighter plane was on display there throughout the weekend.
Everyone at the track -- drivers, crew, officials, fans, photographers -- all had to deal with the same conditions. Temperatures ranged from the high 90s into triple digits, so water and sports drinks were sought out by everyone. SRRT put a white roof on the black #35 WRX STI to help hold down the temperature inside the car.
SRRT's practice times were credible -- always within striking distance of the fastest cars. Driver Bret Spaude had the third-fastest time in qualifying, but a minor rule infraction involving the turbocharger put #35 in the back of the Grand Sport Class field for the beginning of the race. Both drivers -- Spaude and Andrew Aquilante -- moved #35 up through the field. From trackside, it was easy to watch the progress until the GS Class cars began lapping ST Class cars.
Pit stops for SRRT and the leaders were out of sequence, and #35 moved up to as high as 4th.
With approximately an hour of the two-and-a-half hours to go, I was on the far side of the track. I thought I saw smoke coming from the back of the car. A couple laps later, I was almost certain that I had seen flames from underneath the car. Then #35 didn't come around again. So I started the long trek back to the paddock.
An oil fire put #35 out of the race.
So much for Round 9 of the 10 races to be run in the Continental Tire series for 2011. The remaining round is to take place at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course the weekend of September 16-18.
Notes from the Trip
Throughout the round trip to New Jersey, the Drive Performance WRX never missed a beat. It never seemed bothered by the heat as far as performance was concerned. But I think the heat affected mileage -- as did the 70-mile-per-hour speed limits on most of the highways that I traveled and the mountains through Pennsylvania.
Mileage ranged from 22.5 mpg to 27.0 mpg for the seven fill-ups. I'm reasonably sure the 22.5 tank included the three laps that I drove on the Thunderbolt course along with other Subaru owners. I'll post a video of that within the next couple of weeks.
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.
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.
