Subaru's Rally History

    23 APR 2024 - Jeff Willis

    The heritage behind the Subaru Impreza rewinds back for decades, and there is a reason why there is so much notoriety behind this all-wheel-drive super sedan.

     

    Dating all the way back to the early 1970s, Subaru did compete in a little FWD model known as the FF-1 that featured Subaru’s boxer engine. This was during a time where motorsports had been flourishing and arresting the attention of fans with Formula-One, Can-Am, Le-Mans, NASCAR, drag racing, and now, rally racing. A racing enthusiast by the name of Noriyuki Koseki who worked for Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries Inc, built the Subaru FF-1 and landed a sponsorship with a dealership based out of California. It competed in some of the most arduous desert races that included the likes of the Baja 500 where there were no cell phones, no advanced tech, just you versus the land.

    Koseki continued to campaign Subaru in the 70’s where he also worked with Subaru to further develop the Subaru Rally Team Japan and would race the Subaru GL Coupe after the FF-1 retired from the Baja 500 in 1973. Koseki continued to race throughout the 70’s, where other Subaru drivers entered the program by other drivers such as Chad DiMarco who would later have an impact by further establishing Subaru’s presence in rally racing.

     

    GROUP B

    Known for being the most brutal eras of racing, Group B was a time where a special kind of driver needed to navigate and fight through many stages of nature’s unforgiving landscape. This was a time where manufacturers, as well as race privateers threw everything that they could at their homologized rally cars to make them unlimited in power to more so, survive these races rather than win them. Group B really put rally racing on the map as drivers battled arduous terrain whether it be dirt, mud, snow, and dangerously massive roadside crowds to navigate to checkpoints, and eventually the staged podiums.

     

    One of the most feared and decorated drivers Michele Mouton, known as The Black Volcano, piloted the Audi Quattro Group B Rally machine and relentlessly had skilled drivers such as Walter Rohrl in her crosshairs as she battled female prejudice, lack of financial funding, and mechanical failures. However, these obstacles further fueled her strife to drive harder, and to be on the podium. The Audi Quattro with its distinct 5-cylinder turbocharged engine sounded unlike anything else competitively and spent a third of it time airborne as it flew through narrow streets.

     

     

    Because Audi and Lancia dominated the Group B Rally circuit making between 500-600 AWHP, Subaru could only bring a stick to a gunfight with their Brat model. Underpowered, and outclassed, at least Group B was able to give Subaru an idea of what it took to be competitive. Subaru entered their Brat model, which is still to this day, is one of the quirkiest-looking vehicles with a small profile designed to allow you to bring your fishing rod and tackle box with you on the weekends. The boxer engine was no match for much more powerful competitors that put their turbocharged engines and all-wheel-drive systems through the ultimate abuse throughout each event.

     

    THE END OF GROUP B

    Group B Rally had a run from 1982 to 1986, and it would later be banned from motorsports after many fiery crashes that fatally injured drivers, as well as fans. 1986 was the final straw after two fatal crashes involving both drivers and fans finally put a stop to the madness at the time. Fans on a worldwide scale would make the pilgrimage to Group B Rally events as they all packed the sides of the roads as drivers passed them with just inches between the cars and people, while traveling at 100+ MPH on dirt. The end of Group B was stopping further disasters, but more importantly for future of rally racing, measures had to be taken to save lives. This was a time before signing any safety waivers were required. It was come at your own risk, as fans got a rush by standing in the middle of the road narrowly dodging these vehicles just to be a part of the action.

    Now Subaru continued to finish out the 80s driving in sanctioned events that were much safer, but considered fair weathered when compared to Group B. And in 1990, a stronger approach with their RX rally car that entered their first World Rally Championship in Kenya and ended finishing in 9th place. Although it wasn’t a win, it was a win for Subaru as they further gathered data, seat time, and more ideas on how to survive.

     

    For 1993, Subaru would make a breakthrough. Subaru built the infamous State Express number 555 blue and yellow Impreza piloted by the late legend, Colin McRea and entered the World Rally Championship for that year. After 8 events, McRea finally finished a race in first place, establishing a seat as one of Subaru’s head drivers for the 90s.

     

    SUBARU INCREASING THEIR EFFORTS IN RALLY

    More importantly from 1993-1995, McRae, and other drivers that represented or campaigned for Subaru showed that these cars were quick, and competitive while leading many stages throughout worldwide rally events.

    For 1996, Colin McRae lead the Subaru Rally program with the 555 Impreza with the #1 car number, as it was joined by Kenneth Eriksson in the #2 car, alongside other drivers racing their Subaru machines. From Sweden to the Safari Rally, Rally Indonesia, the Acropolis Rally, and concluding a race in Finland, all the efforts of Subaru, their drivers, and co-drivers had successfully defended their Constructor’s Championship.  But Colin McRae had lost the Driver’s Champion title to Tommi Makinen.

    For the season of 1997 and 1998, McRae would continue to lead Subaru into the WRC alongside Piero Liatti, Oliver Burri, Kenneth Eriksson and with their respective co-drivers. They would maintain their leading position in the Constructor’s Championship, winning 8 victories out of the 14 entries. Tommy Makinen would once again defend his title for the Drivers’ Championship by just one point over McRae. At the end of the 1998 season, McRae would leave Subaru team to join Ford to campaign their new Focus WRC machine.

     

     

     

    SUBARU PUTTING RALLY RACING ON THE MAP

    Rally Racing had dominated the European, African, and Asian continents before way before North America. And in the Late 90’s we, aka older folks, knew about Colin McRae though popular but discontinued magazines such as Turbo Magazine, and Sport Compact Car. We also had dial-up AOL internet that took five minutes for a page to load, as the internet was in its teenage phases. For America, your standard 32 channels that displayed through a 400lb giant box included the likes of HBO, MTV, ESPN, Nickelodeon, and other in-between channels. However, the world was about to make a big technological leap with Digital Television. This meant satellites drilled onto our roofs replaced massive trampoline-sized plates that rich folk had perched in their back yards pointing to the moon. For those of us who were born in the 80s and were latchkey kids, this was the end of outside exploration, because now we had over 100 channels of sensory overload to set fire to our ADHD.

    For fans of grassroots racing, outside of magazines every once in a while, ESPN would televise the 12 Hours of Sebring or the 24 Hours of Daytona where Porsche battled Ferrari. And every now and then we would get to see Tim Allen from Home Improvement race Mustangs at the SCCA World Challenge. But now we had SpeedVision. SpeedVision brought us motorcycle racing, monster trucks, drag racing, but more importantly, Rally Racing. Watching Subaru Impreza Rally Cars, Mitsubishi Evolutions, and Peugeot 206 models rip through the snow or performing jumps in the middle of the desert while narrowly dodging wild horses was something absolutely wild at the time. And those sounds and flames was something we’ve never really heard but it was so fascinating. That distinct turbo fludder whistle with flames shooting out of the exhaust with quick cutaways into the cockpit with the driver as he shifts gears through this absurdly loud transmission they were using without a clutch. What is this witchcraft?

    Furthermore, Subaru struck when the iron was hot, and announced that they were releasing the Impreza WRX model for the US markets, which would greatly change the trajectory of the sport compact scene, as another turbocharged AWD option was available outside of the 1st and 2nd generation Diamond Star Mitsubishi models such as the Eclipse, Talon, 3000GT, etc. This also lit the aftermarket off and set companies such as COBB Tuning into motion by creating the Accessport, and Subaru’s overall influence by rally racing generated many aftermarket companies that still exist today.

     

    After the release of the WRX, Mitsubishi did a checkmate by releasing their Evolution for US markets for the following year. This was a huge win for enthusiasts as now, they had easy access to rally participation with the WRX, the Evo, and in 2004, the STI. On a professional level, Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson continued to thrash Subarus as they ran into roadblocks that included new guidelines by the WRC that did not allow for active differentials. They also had to fight with mechanical failures, team leadership changes, c—driver changes, and it was an arduous journey. But not without a fight.

    Between 2007-2008, Atkinson finished in fourth place at the Monte Carlo Rally. Solberg finished in second place at the 2007 Rally Portugal, then later grabbed a podium position at the 2007 Acropolis Rally. Solberg finished 5th place in Ireland at what he describes, as the most difficult rally he had driven in fighting several mechanical setbacks. And finished off the 2007 season in fourth place at the Wales Rally GB. For 2008, Solberg and Atkinson continued driving for Subaru where at the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally, Atkinson earned his first podium finish on tarmac while Solberg would finish 5th. Solberg would finish 4th and Atkinson finished 21st in Spain, following Atkinson finishing 2nd at the 2008 Rally Mexico as Solberg had to retire due to a broken axle.  In the 2008 Rally Argentina, both Solberg and Atkinson sat in the 2nd and 3rd position where Solberg had a suspension failure then later crashed, and Atkinson would finish in 2nd place.

     

    SUBARU WITHDRAWS FROM WRC 2008

    The economic crash of 2008 was one of the hardest financial crises the world had experienced in modern times, and Subaru decided to make the decision to no longer compete in WRC. The decision was finalized by Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries as they concluded that at the same time, Subaru had achieved it’s sporting and marketing objectives. And Subaru certainly did. Subaru’s efforts from 1993-2007 with the Impreza certainly inspired other racing legends to campaign their vehicles. Subaru however, showed the world that it has what it takes to compete in international motorsports, and can survive with other established manufacturers. Now to be clear, Subaru never claimed that this was the end of their participation in WRC, only a hiatus, a long one for now.

     

    KEN BLOCK

     

     

    For many of us enthusiasts, WRX or STI owners, grassroots racers, and weekend autocross participants, Ken Block did what we could only dream about. He had the talent, skill, and the balls it took to drive in Rally, but to also do it in a car that was attainable to all of us. When Gymkhana 1 debuted on YouTube over a decade ago, we witnessed how a 06 STI built by Crawford Performance, and piloted by Ken Block could dance in the most absurd was around what appeared to be an abandoned airport. The boxer rumble screams, the AWD burnouts, the donuts in tight areas, and the tire shredding into a smokey oblivion inspired many of us to modify our Subarus, and to drive them as they were intended to be on weekend track days, rally events, SCCA sanctioned autocrosses, and in drift events. It reinforced us what the Subaru all-wheel-drive system was meant to do within reason. Racing is a rich man’s sport, Ken Block as a privateer of DC Shoes, a lover of motorsports, showed other enthusiasts that you, can do it too. It takes work, sacrifice, and an unstoppable dedication to make it happen. Today, his daughter Lia closely follows his footsteps as she shows that dad raised another driver in the family.

     

    TRAVIS PASTRANA

     

    Our favorite Daredevil Travis Pastrana has also had some fun piloting a Subaru in sanctioned rally events in the USA and abroad. He has also broke records at the Mt. Washington Hill Climb and has battled it out at the X-Games competing against the late and legendary Colin McRea.

     

     

    Travis has been a champion of Rally Racing and especially for Subaru as he as jumped, rolled, set afire, and blasted his way to make it to many podium finishes as well as wins. And respectively, he has raced using various generations of the STI model from the GD, all the way to the latest VA model. From Motocross, jumping out of airplanes with no parachutes, Nitro Circus, and all of the fun shenanigans, Travis’s competitive spirit really locks in during rally racing, a form of motorsport where the odds of nature, mechanical failure, the layout of the land, and the unknown at times, are always against your odds. Today Travis remains as one of the key drivers for the most competitive rally events on a worldwide scale.