Subaru shows racing versions of STI and BRZ
Fri, Jan 9 2015
First up, we have the car shown above, with the company's entry to the 2015 Nurburgring 24 Hour Race. Subaru is entering a WRX STI in the grueling endurance race, which runs from May 14 to May 17. The left-hand-drive racer has received a fair crop of upgrades for endurance duty, although Subaru didn't really bother to elaborate on them, unfortunately.
Next to the N24 car, Subaru introduced a striking version of its rear-drive BRZ, destined for the Japanese Super GT series. The team campaigning the BRZ will be led by Subaru's Hideharu Tatsumi, who will also be one of the drivers for the Nurburgring effort. Again, Subaru hasn't offered any info on technical changes for the BRZ GT300.
Scroll down for the brief press release, and then check out the galleries of both cars.
2015 SUBARU Motorsport Activities
Tokyo, January 9, 2015 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) - the maker of Subaru automobiles and Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI)* unveiled the new racing car developed from the WRX STI for 24 Hours Nurburgring endurance race in 2015 and announced an outline of Subaru Motorsport activities for 2015 at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2015 with NAPAC (Japan Car Parts and Aftermarket Promotion Association).
*: Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI; President Yoshio Hirakawa; located in Mitaka, Tokyo)
Nurburgring 24-Hour Race
STI will participate in the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race (from 14 to 17 May in Germany) for eight consecutive years, with a vehicle whose performance has been enhanced from its base car – the Subaru WRX STI.
The race car's performance such as aerodynamics, stability, body rigidity and engine output have been enhanced compared to the previous model. In addition, visibility for racing flags has also been improved by introducing a left-hand drive car.
Like last year, Hideharu Tatsumi will take the helm of team operations as team manager, in addition to the development of the car. The drivers are Sasaki (Japan), Lasee (Germany), van Dam (Netherlands) and Tim Schrick (Germany), the winner of 2014 VLN endurance racing championship who newly joins the team.
SUPER GT Series
Subaru, with the "SUBARU BRZ GT300" race car, will participate in the SUPER GT series this year as well, widely regarded as Japan's top motorsports category. The race car employs the same front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout as the production BRZ model.
The team manager will be Hideharu Tatsumi, the team will be operated in conjunction with "R&D SPORT" led by Director Shinji Motojima, and Takuto Iguchi and newly joined Hideki Yamauchi will be driving for the team. In addition, Dunlop tires which have been used in the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race will be employed for the "SUBARU BRZ GT300" race car.
Tokyo, January 9, 2015 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) - the maker of Subaru automobiles and Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI)* unveiled the new racing car developed from the WRX STI for 24 Hours Nurburgring endurance race in 2015 and announced an outline of Subaru Motorsport activities for 2015 at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2015 with NAPAC (Japan Car Parts and Aftermarket Promotion Association).
*: Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI; President Yoshio Hirakawa; located in Mitaka, Tokyo)
Nurburgring 24-Hour Race
STI will participate in the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race (from 14 to 17 May in Germany) for eight consecutive years, with a vehicle whose performance has been enhanced from its base car – the Subaru WRX STI.
The race car's performance such as aerodynamics, stability, body rigidity and engine output have been enhanced compared to the previous model. In addition, visibility for racing flags has also been improved by introducing a left-hand drive car.
Like last year, Hideharu Tatsumi will take the helm of team operations as team manager, in addition to the development of the car. The drivers are Sasaki (Japan), Lasee (Germany), van Dam (Netherlands) and Tim Schrick (Germany), the winner of 2014 VLN endurance racing championship who newly joins the team.
SUPER GT Series
Subaru, with the "SUBARU BRZ GT300" race car, will participate in the SUPER GT series this year as well, widely regarded as Japan's top motorsports category. The race car employs the same front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout as the production BRZ model.
The team manager will be Hideharu Tatsumi, the team will be operated in conjunction with "R&D SPORT" led by Director Shinji Motojima, and Takuto Iguchi and newly joined Hideki Yamauchi will be driving for the team. In addition, Dunlop tires which have been used in the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race will be employed for the "SUBARU BRZ GT300" race car.
By Brandon Turkus
See also: Subaru recalls 200k vehicles in snowy states to reapply anti-corrosion wax, Subaru XV Crosstrek gets special edition model, retina-searing paint, Forza Horizon G-Shock Car Pack brings Nissan IDx, Subaru Brat [w/video].