Subiesport Magazine

Sideways at Prodrive UK

Just before Christmas I was running a series from my trip to Rally GB in 2007. I've dusted the files off and have one more from that series to share. This was the visit to the Prodrive test track in Warwickshire.

I had a chance to drive a Subaru Type UK 2007 STI and a Group-N WRC car on the high-speed course (my first time in a right-hand drive), plus I had a little fun on the ice simulator. Prodrive has one of only two such simulators in the UK.

Thanks to Subaru of America for hookup us up. Enjoy the video, just after the jump.

Turning Lemons into Lemonade Whiskey

Shortly after wrapping issue #21 of Subiesport Magazine the 2007 Legacy GT project car started to exhibit a sure sign of pending engine failure: white smoke pouring from the exhaust when started. After filling the chamber with air for the leakdown test, anyone could audibly hear hissing from the crankcase -- from as far as 5 feet away. That's a bad sign. Furthermore, it was only holding 75-lbs of pressure (the other three were at the more-appropriate 150-lbs each.)

So, what to do? Time to take Project Legacy GT to the next level, of course. Here is a sampling of the ingredients:

- Brand-New 2007 STI EJ257 Shortblock
- Cosworth Forged Pistons
- Deatschwerks 740cc Injectors
- AVO 420 Turbo
- Perrin Front-Mount Intercooler
- AVO fuel pump
- ACT Heavy Duty Organic Clutch (#SB5-HDMM) -- the stock clutch was fried
- ACT Streetlite 14.4-lbs Flywheel

This stiff concoction is being mixed by PDX Tuning in Portland, Ore. We'll of course have the process and the results in an upcoming issue of Subiesport, as Travis has been on the scene documenting it all -- with photos and video. Click the jump for a taste of the "action."

As for what caused the piston failure... have you seen me drive?

Before she went south, we were able to tune her with a Delta PnP computer, EcuTek and Cobb Accessport 2.0. The data from those sessions will be part of a future article. In the new issue of Subiesport she received a set of Coilovers from Endura-Tech, a Go Fast Bits BOV from Global Performance Parts (what can I say, I like a little 'bling) and a new nose courtesy of Mach V motorsports.

Upgrading a 2007 Legacy GT Turbo

For anyone looking to upgrade the turbo in their Subaru, this is a must-see video! Sean Sexton of Rallitek Performance shares some quick tips that could save you hours in the garage. Of course, swapping a turbo isn't the simplest of jobs, so be sure you have some skills with a wrench before undertaking a project like this: doing it wrong could easily destroy your engine.

We'll have a full step-by-step in a future issue of the magazine, but here's the sneak preview featuring Sexton doing the upgrade to our 2007 Project Legacy GT with an AVO 420 turbo. The new AVO unit is bigger and badder (in a good way) than the Blouch 18G we've been running for the past year. That turbo was great, but for our tastes bigger is better. Of course, to support this larger turbo we'll also be doing a lot more under the hood, that's for certain. More to come!

Gary Sheehan Passenger-Cam

Ever wonder what it's like to sit alongside a race car driver in ESX's World Challenge GT Subaru STI? Pro driver Gary Sheehan just uploaded a video (shot by victim, er, passenger Mike Makara) that features a lap from the passenger perspective. This was from an Aston Martin Track Day, recently held by ESX at California Speedway.

Click here to watch in the main viewer!

Upload Your Subaru & Rally Videos!

Have a great video of your last track day, event or just some footage of your car? You can now upload your video and share it with other readers here at Subiesport.com! Simply click here to use our single-screen uploader, then visit the video player to view the latest videos! It's fast, easy, fun, and your clip won't be lost among the millions of videos posted to YouTube. Plus, you'll be able to direct-link or even embed your video from other web pages.

Better yet, we'll feature our favorite clips on on the front page of Subiesport.com!

Pastrana get Frustrated at Rally GB

This was the first WRC Rally GB for two time US rally champion Travis Pastrana. His goal is to be competing (in a Subaru) at the highest level of WRC competition within a few years. For this event, Pastrana competed in the Production Class (PWRC) in a car built and supported by Vermont Sports Car. The same crew supported his US championship run over the past couple years. His Subaru Rally Team USA teammate Ken Block took part in other PWRC events earlier this year, but Block wasn't competing this time around.

So far, on his quest for WRC greatness, Pastrana's greatest challenge has been for him and his co-driver, Christian Edstrom, to "get up to speed" on the WRC notes. Notes are the course "shorthand" used by teams to manage high speeds in weather conditions like we had in Wales this year -- almost zero visibility. We have another video that we'll post later, where Christian describes how notes work.

In the meanwhile, let's check in with a visibly frustrated Travis at his first Service (or start at the beginning), after he spent a good part of the his earlier stages fixing flat tires on course. (Yes, in rally, teams have to fix their own cars on course.) Careful, kids, Travis drops an F-Bomb as he describes his "Austin Powers"-like driving skills, but continues to hope for the best.