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What it’s like to blast up the Goodwood rally stage in a Subaru rally car

Chichester, U.K. — “YouÂ’re not supposed to drive at the marshal,” quipped a young woman dressed head-to-toe in the official Goodwood Festival of Speed white marshalÂ’s uniform. She smiled wryly at 17-year-old Oliver Solberg in the driverÂ’s seat, only half-joking about his rather enthusiastic approach to the starting line. I sat pinned into the Subaru WRX STIÂ’s Recaro bucket seat on my side, mentally preparing myself for the madness that was to come. Solberg waits for the go ahead to launch, then he begins stabbing the accelerator pedal aggressively. Brap, brap, brap – the acrid smell of burning rubber fills the cabin as the Subaru zings to the first corner. The car leans as Solberg flicks it in — itÂ’s tricky as the pavement transitions to gravel mid-corner, so grip is hard to come by here. The abused hay bales on the outside of the corner attest to that. Before we started off, Solberg told me the tires were too warm from previous runs. “I wonÂ’t be able to push,” Solberg said matter of fact-like. Taking it easy isnÂ’t a Solberg trait, though, and I learned that quickly. Perhaps the Goodwood Forest Rally Stage isnÂ’t what you think of when someone mentions the British motoring event. Instead, you picture hay bales lining a picturesque driveway with fancy people in hats drinking champagne and cheering at the jaw-dropping, ear-piercing metal racing by them. The rally stage is not this. In fact, IÂ’d wager to say itÂ’s the complete opposite of the traditional hill climb. Dirt and dust fill the air and lungs. ThereÂ’s a fair bit of hiking on uneven ground involved for spectators. Drivers lose control of their vintage rally cars and smash them into things. Hell, thereÂ’s even a jump. Subaru brought us here specifically for us to experience what going up the rally stage in its new STI rally car felt like with a proper racing driver behind the wheel, and boy are we glad to have done it. The 17-year-old son of rally legend Petter Solberg may not seem like the pro driver youÂ’d expect, but racing drivers seem to be getting younger and younger these days. Just look at the success that Max Verstappen has enjoyed in Formula 1 since he began. His father was a Formula 1 racing driver before him, and Oliver is similarly pursuing the same career as his father. “I always dreamed of driving rally cars,” Oliver Solberg said while gathered among media at Goodwood. He certainly enjoys racing up the rally stage, too. “ItÂ’s very, very technical.

Subaru previews rally-ready WRX STI for Global RallyCross

Subaru's long and distinguished history in the world of rallying is about to get another chapter, as it's set to field a team in the Global RallyCross Championship. The car? The all-new WRX STI.
Yes, Subaru will be fielding a GRC challenger, with drivers Bucky Lasek and Sverre Isachsen at the helm. This particular car was teased earlier this week, and is a preview of the eventual GRC model which will launch this fall. The race-ready STI boasts a custom widebody kit with a carbon-fiber rear wing. The roof scoop and the mirrors are also made of carbon fiber, while the wheels are provided by Method. As with all GRC contenders this year, the WRX STI is shod in Yokohama spec rubber. It's not clear what sort of engine sits under the scooped hood, although we imagine we'll find out before the season kicks off in a few months.
Perhaps even more exciting is word that Subaru will also prepare a version of the WRX STI for stage rallies, with Travis Pastrana and David Higgins fielding the new car in the Rally America Championship. That car should arrive later this year.

Subaru limited-edition WRX STI Type RA and BRZ tS pricing revealed

Back in June, Subaru announced that it was going to produce a limited edition of 500 higher-performance WRX STIs and BRZs. Now we know what they'll cost. Let's take the WRX STI Type RA first. That's going to set you back $49,855, including destination and delivery. (As a frame of reference, a plain old STI lists for $36,995.) The BRZ tS, on the other hand, will cost $34,355. (A base BRZ sells for $26,315.) So the premiums for the limited-edition cars are $12,860 and $8,040, respectively. What you get for the WRX STI Type RA's higher price, aside from more letters, is a roster of handling and enhancements and weight reduction measures (how much less, Subaru didn't say): Carbon fiber wing. Carbon fiber roof panel. Spare tire delete. Lightweight 19-inch alloy wheels. Revised third-gear ratio and shorter throw on the six-speed manual. Upgraded suspension with special Bilstein dampers. Modified vehicle dynamics control (VDC). All WRX STIs for 2018 get upgraded brakes, and the Type RA shares in that, getting stronger Brembo monoblock six-piston calipers in front. Two-piston calipers are in the rear, and it gets larger, cross-drilled rotors at all four corners. Brake pads have more surface area. The one difference in the Type RA: The calipers are painted an "exclusive" silver finish. All STIs also get a new all-electronically controlled limited-slip center differential AWD system. Horsepower gets a nudge to 310, from the regular STI's 305. Doesn't look like much on paper, but Subaru says the car will get a new cold-air intake, high-flow exhaust, retuned ECU and stronger pistons. Inside, it gets special Recaro seats, an Ultrasuede steering wheel, and each car will be individually numbered, with a plaque in the cabin. Finally, the Type RA gets "Cherry Blossom Red" accenting, RA badging, a front underspoiler and paint choices of blue, black and white. In case you're wondering about the naming/numbering, the "RA" in WRX STI Type RA stands for "record attempt." In July, a WRX STI Type RA NBR Special — a specially built 600-horsepower racecar that is a far cry from the car going on sale — finished a lap of the Nurburgring in a blazing 6:57.5. That's just half a second behind the Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar. The BRZ tS, meanwhile, gets: STI-tuned front and rear Sachs dampers and coil springs, and other steps to stiffen the suspension. Lightweight 18-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sports. Four-piston Brembos up front, twofers in the back.