Many people never thought that the day would arrive, but after a ten year hiatus, Subaru has decided to return to their rallying roots. At the moment, this is only happening in the Australian Rally Championship to be held later this year. However, many people are wondering if this could be the start of something bigger, perhaps even a return to the WRC. When looking at a Subaru WRX for sale, Perth drivers may be excited to know that it has a real rallying connection again. For now, here are all the details that we know so far about this exciting racing development.
The Car
The car being used for this rallying series is a turbocharged All-Wheel Drive Subaru WRX STI NR4. The regulations are quite loose, but Subaru has chosen to use a stock Group N production car. This will highlight the philosophy of a Subaru car that can be raced at the weekend and used during the week. This will provide a disadvantage for the Subaru team as many of their competitors are using highly modified cars. For this reason, Subaru is remaining realistic about their chances, as they have been out of the ARC competition for just over a decade. To offset this disadvantage, the car will be set up by the world renowned Les Walkden Rallying based in Tasmania.
The Driver
Subaru has chosen the top ranked female rallying driver in the world for their comeback. Molly Taylor is a 27 year old Australian driver. She finished 2nd overall in the Australian Rally Championship last year. Recently Molly also won the Peter Brock Medal, which is awarded to drivers that epitomise that legendary drivers ability, sportsmanship and willingness to promote motorsport. Molly has rallying built right into her DNA as her mother Coral was an ARC co-driver four times, and her father ran a rallying school for many years. Subaru Australia Managing Director Nick Senior had this to say, “It’s fantastic” for the company to be able to secure Molly Taylor as “our driver and Subaru Ambassador”.
The Rallying
It was 2005 when Subaru made the decision to leave the ARC. They then went on to pull out of the WRC in 2008. Subaru has a remarkable record in rallying in the ARC winning eight out of their last ten championships. Out of those wins, an amazing six titles were won in a row. Throughout their rallying in the WRC from the 1990’s until 2008 Subaru won three championships. Could this return to the ARC herald the beginning of a new age of rallying for Subaru? Only time will tell, but it will be fantastic seeing a “Rex” tearing through the countryside again.
If they would like to know more about the Subaru WRX for sale, Perth drivers should contact us. Here at City Subaru, we have a wide selection of new and used cars for sale, including the WRX and the WRX STI. We welcome you to join us for a test drive at your earliest convenience. Get in touch with us today and our sales team can advise you on the latest Subaru WRX STI 2016 price. They will also be happy to answer any further questions that you may have about any of the cars in our range.
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