Subaru recognizes Subaru Owners with the Badge of Ownership… that’s a mouthful

So I’m not sure how many of you know about this “Badge of Ownership” that Subaru has created but I think it’s a step in the right direction.

So you get to show off to all other Subaru owners on what you use your Subaru for. I haven’t seen one yet, but I just ordered mine. Here’s more information:

“Subaru owners are known for living life to its fullest and love to share their interests with others. Now you have a unique way to let other Subaru owners know what you enjoy most with your own Badge of Ownership.

The Badge of Ownership is our gift to you for being part of the Subaru family. Each unique Badge of Ownership reflects the number of Subaru vehicles you have owned. Whether this is your first Subaru or one that’s joining a long line of Subaru vehicles in your family, we want to recognize your loyalty.

You can personalize your Badge of Ownership with one or more lifestyle icons that reflect your personal interests or hobbies. Each Badge of Ownership has an adhesive backing so it can be affixed easily to any metal surface.”

I haven’t seen one yet but I hope to be the first one in my group of friends to have it. Want to order you Badge of Ownership? Check out: http://www.badgeofownership.com/

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Pit Walk at the Time Attack Series in the UK… Plenty of GC’s

Speedhunters has a network of photographers and contributors from around the world and they get coverage that we rarely see locally. Thanks to them I’ve been able to pick out a few nice photos from the recent Time Attack event in the UK at the famous Bands Hatch track.

Seems like the GC is still very popular in the UK for road racing. Unlike us in the states, they didn’t have to do turbo swaps etc.

I’ve gone to more Time Attacks than I can count and I have never seen such caliber of GC’s that I’ve seen in these pictures.

I can’t wait to see more from Speedhunters in the next couple of days. Feel free to swing by their blog to read more about this event! Click Here

Rumors: New Gen STi could go diesel

There have been many times that the diesel options have come up in other manufacturers and lately it’s been a really good alternative for people, especially in the advancements in technology. My own recollection on diesel is my dad’s Mercedes Benz diesel that smelled, idled rough, and sounded like a choked out VW.

The reasoning behind the whole diesel talk is because of tightening CO2 emission laws around the world have been getting stricter which puts many manufacturers in a position where they do have to find alternative fuel sources. One being diesel and the other is hybrid. From what Autocar reports is that there is a likely hood that the next Gen STi will have a diesel turbo option that will generate 200hp with 300 ft/lbs of torque. Seems like a step backwards but don’t forget that turbo diesels out there can generate gobs of torque with just a few bolt ons. This may be better for us performance junkies. For those who prefer the traditional fuel option, there is also rumored to be a gas model but will have reduced displacement.

Rumors are swarming and we’ll do our best to notify you all when things change!

Stephan Verdier: Subaru Pro Drifter to Compete at Xgames

This is why I think Stephan Verdier is probably one of the coolest Subaru Pro drivers out there. The guy loves his Subaru, plain and simple. He’s one of two drivers in the professional series, Formula Drift that actually drifts a Subaru. Not only that, he’s a privateer among multi-million dollar teams which means he’s really doing the series because he loves it.

He’s been in the Formula Drift series for a while and has come out to one of the events that I helped organize and did an impromptu drifting demo in the parking lot. He’s won a Formula Drift event, battled against one of the toughest grids in the country, and even lost parts of his car while driving! His past experience in Rally and other motorsports has really allowed him to hone his skills in the drifting circuit. The man is a machine with a huge heart that loves Subaru.

So it came to no surprise when I was on his website that I read that he was competing in X Games this year but what really surprised me is that he will be competing in his Formula Drift Subaru WRX! He is converting his rear wheel drive Subaru back to all wheel drive for the Super Rally at the X Games and is fully competing. This is what is missing in motorsports, especially in the pro-level. I’m very proud of what he’s doing and I’ll be one of thousands cheering him on at X Games this Summer.

Read more about Stephan’s involvement in the X Games by visiting his website!

Official Statement:

Stephan is one of 12 drivers invited to compete in the inaugural X Games SuperRally. Despite being best known for his drifting exploits, Stephan has a Rally background, having taken part in multiple national events, and twice winning the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in different rally classes.

With SuperRally, he has an opportunity to get back to his rally roots. Verdier explains; “I’m so excited to race in the SuperRally event. It’s a brand new sport inspired by European Rallycross, and let me tell you, it’s crazy! Door to door racing with 650 horsepower all wheel drive cars on dirt. X Games fans are going to go nuts!”

“I’m one of the few X Games athletes to participate in both summer and winter X Games. I competed in SkierCross, which is like SuperRally with skis. Now I have a roll cage to protect me, so everybody watch out!”

Stephan will be driving the 2006 Subaru STi that he normally pilots in Formula-D. However for SuperRally, the car will be converted back to all wheel drive, and will be sporting some additional upgrades. The transformation from drift machine to rally car will be undertaken by Crawford Performance and Costa Gialamas at GTI, immediately following the Seattle Formula Drift event held on July 9 – 10.

Crawford Performance will be in charge of swapping the engine for a new 2.7 liter unit, and the rear wheel drive drift gearbox will be replaced with a sequential all wheel drive transmission. Additionally, a Motec ECU and differential controller will be installed, as well as a rally spec suspension capable of coping with the 70 foot gap jump, which is a signature feature of the SuperRally course.

GTI will take care of fabricating skid plates, special reinforcements, and replacing the front and rear bumpers, as well as general preparation and event service.

Stephan concludes, “It has always been my intention to use the car in drift and rally events, so making the change from one to the other is not difficult. The X Games SuperRally is a fantastic chance to showcase the performance of the car, and gives me a head start to prepare for the European Rally Cross Series later this summer. I just want to thank all of my sponsors, and I hope to reward their loyal support with a win at the X Games!”

The event will take place at the Los Angeles Coliseum on July 31 and will air live on ESPN and ABC.

About Stephan Verdier Racing

Since his teenage years, Stephan Verdier has been racing. Beginning with go-karts in his native France, Stephan took part in the Bridgestone USA Driver Search in 1993, beating out 1200 other hopefuls. He then went on to compete in various Formula races before giving rallying a shot in 2001. He won the SCCA Western States Rally Championships in the PGT class in 2003 and 2004, as well as the Pikes Peak Hill Climb Rally class in 2005.

In 2006 Stephan made the jump to the Formula Drift series, quickly establishing himself as one of the top drivers in the nation. In 2009 he took his first overall win, at Round 6 in Sonoma, CA. He was also voted most improved driver for the second year in a row.

Stephan Verdier Racing is proudly supported for the SuperRally event by: Crawford Performance, Cooper Tires, Enkei Wheels, Tein, GTI, Apr, Seibon, Ignite racing fuel, NGK.

Other accomplishments:

-1986 Junior world speed skiing record holder.

-1988 French Downhill Ski Team

– 2001 Ranked 5th in the world for SkierCross

– 2002 Participated in the winter X Games- SkierCross

– Commercial helicopter pilot and private airplane twin engine licensed.

The 2011 STi Sedan teaser commercial

The 2011 STi sedan is getting a lot of steam for its release for next month. I’ve been finding  a lot of great info on this stylish sedan and another video is here!

A great looking commercial and we can’t see it in the flesh!

Freeze Frame: DC Shoes Subaru (Replica) at Modified Live

Spotted this DC Shoes Gum Ball 3000 replica WRX from the Modified Live event in Brands Hatch, UK. Not sure if it’s everyone’s cup o’ tea but it’s interesting that people are starting to replicate iconic Subarus. How long will it be until we see the Gymkhana STi being replicated?

Source: Fatlace

Another Amazing STi on the Track: GT Performance at Hyperfest

I love coming across well-built Subarus on the net. This video comes from GT Performance at the recent Hyperfest event. From what I can read on the Youtube description, it’s pretty well built. I love the fact that the driver is surrounded by higher dollar cars and he just walks all over them.

Dog Box, Check. Dry Sump, Check. 2.6 Stroker STi motor, Check. All the right stuff.

The 2010 VIP-Styled Legacy… The new kind of Subaru

I’m not sure how many of you actually saw this beauty but it’s been in couple of magazines and was at the 2009 SEMA show back in November. I was browsing through Speedhunters and I came across some nice photos of the 2010 Subaru Legacy GT in the “VIP” Style.

I can already hear the moans and groans of the purists out there saying that the wheels are too big, there’s staggered wheel fitment, and that it’s too low. To those of you, I say “Just open your minds!”. The VIP style isn’t for everyone but if you’re a car enthusiast you can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into this kind of build. Especially ones that are so unique.

I think that seats are purely awesome while retaining most of the factory interior features.

Wait, what’s that? Yes, more moan and groans. It’s a show car so I highly doubt that it drives around like this. If you want to see more of this Leggy, head on over to Speedhunters for this article!

A little History behind Travis Pastrana’s Rally Roots

I recently read an article on Jalopnik about Travis Pastrana and the history of him on how he actually became one of the stars in the Subaru Rally Team USA. It’s real nice to see how a 19 year old that has accomplished so much could be so humble in learning a new discipline. In the article, it explains how some of the Rally veterans were very apprehensive in letting a kid test for them but you can’t deny pure talent.

It’s very long article but if you’ve ever really wanted to know how Travis Pastrana’s first day on the job was like, read about it because you won’t believe how talented he really is. To read about this, I can’t help wondering if Travis knew how big he would be in Professional North American Rally?

So I’ll sit back and let you guys read about Travis in his first day. Check it out on Jalopnik’s Website!

Source: Jalopnik

Another video?!? Yep, and it’s about the ‘Ring’ and the new STi

I’m going to pump you guys full of videos today because there’s so much content out there. Especially on the 2011 STi and the WRX. Subaru finally made the right move by putting on the iconic flares back on the WRX models (yes, even the wagon gets it. The GD Impreza Wagon guys are jealous) and the WRX STi sedan is back in the bloodline again.

This video is brought to us by Subaru Global and it has that real cooperate feeling huh? It’s all good because it really shows that Subaru is very serious about making a street performance car. I think companies like Toyota, Honda, and Mazda has kind of fell away from the performance market seeking more of the ‘economical’ crowd. Fortunate for us, the new STi has been testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife course to get as much feedback as possible.