If you haven’t seen this yet, you have to see this

Safety is very strict in motorsports and for good reason. Jimmy Keeny was an unfortunate person who had to put the safety standards to the test. Autoblog had a quick triggered photographer that captured Jimmy’s flip at the recent Global Rally Cross. Luckily he walked away with no major injuries.

 

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A behind the scenes look at Stephan Verdier’s Rally Cross STi

Ahh yes, Stephan Verdier. He’s been a really cool guy with us, taking time to talk to us and showing us great photos of his car and sharing his stories with us. Our friends at MotoIQ had an exclusive look at Stephan’s Rally Cross STi that was a former drift car. This car has seen a lot of action in the past few years but it looks like it’s going to stay as a Rally Cross car and we can’t be more excited for him!

Here are some images of the build:

The front end is business. Well, most of the car is business but it’s got a Crawford Performance built motor and also the entire front end is built for crash protection. Hence the whole entire front end is pretty much a bar. Of course it will covered by a bumper but this is pretty nice looking.

According to MotoIQ, Stephan had the whole entire chassis acid dipped to remove excess gunk, insulation, and debris to have a clean chassis. This actually lightens the chassis and you can see how “new” the car looks!

Suspension is vital in Rally Cross. Hence, Stephan went with the WRC Spec Tein Suspension. This is no ordinary coilover system too.

So what is this? Looks like an air conditioning unit? Maybe a tumble dryer? Nope! It’s the rear mounted radiator so it keep it from harm like some love taps that the cars get when they’re door to door against each other.

Want to see a super expensive transmission? Here it is. Dog engagement / sequential shifter keeps Stephan going around the track.

The cage is different from a standard roll cage. It doesn’t utilize a main hoop but it’s more of a enclosed cage. It’s supposed to disperse crash loads. Interesting since rally cars do roll intensely during competition.

Read more about it on MotoIQ HERE!

10 Questions with Stephan Verdier and his Formula Drift Season and Rally!

Well, the Formula Drift season has now finished and our favorite Subie Driver in the Formula Drift field has called it a season. We contacted our friend, Stephan Verdier driver of the Crawford Performance STi. We got a chance to talk to him about his season in Formula Drift, Rally Cross, XGames Rally, and the future.

 

Q: Stephan, thanks for joining back with us at Subie-Life.com! The Formula Drift season just ended for you and it’s been quite a busy one for you. What were the highlights of the season for you?

A: Thank you for having me back. To answer your question, unfortunately I don’t have any highlights in drifting this season. I had my worst season in 5 years. I made a lot of driving errors and mechanical failures. I’m kind of glad that the season is over so I can regroup and get ready for next season.

Q: Your car debuted at Long Beach Round 1 as an Iron Man 2 car, then made a few changes to a multi-color rally car, then back to a drift car. What was that experience like, having to change your Subaru so many times this season?

A: Yes, I was fortunate to get a sponsorship with Royal Purple for the movie Iron Man 2. It only was a deal for the first 2 races (in Formula Drift). Then I got invited to compete at the X-games in the Rallycross event. Since my deal with Iron Man2 was finished I decided to redo the scheme on my car, and keep it for the rest of the FD season. It was really fun to transform the car back and forth between drifting and rally. It’s much easier than people think, I only changed the suspension, transmission, turbo and brakes. The rest of the car was the same as drifting. Here’s a breakdown on what I did:

• The suspension we went from Stance to Tein because Tein has been in rally for a long time and has a fantastic rally gravel suspension, then went back to the Stance for drifting
• Gear box, Crawford performance landed me a  AWD Kaps sequential gearbox for the x-games. Sequential is a must in rally cross. I normally use a stock Sti box in drifting
• Turbo, Garrett gave me a twin scroll that with the help of Crawford we install to replace the Garrett GT30 that use in drifting.
• Brake, because we use 15 inch tire for gravel, I need smaller brake than the stock STI to fit the wheel, I used with the help of Subaru of Ontario stock wrx brakes.
• To finish Crawford did a remap of the stock Ecu for the new turbo and GTI made some bumper and skid plates.

Q: I think everyone (including myself) was cheering for you to win at XGames in the Super Rally. What was that experience like for you to compete against factory supported vehicles? How did it feel to be door to door in a Rally Cross setting?

A: X-Games was my highlight of the season. It was unbelievable!!!. It was a surprise that we were that competitive. I knew driving wise I was as fast as the factory driver. Where I was the most worried, was about my car. Like I said that car was made for drifting and I had no experience in Rallycross. All the Euro-rally cross cars  made around 650hp on a 2L engine with a 45mm restrictor. I was using a 2.5L engine with a 45mm restrictor and was hopping to be around 500hp. I was confident with Crawford being involve since they’ve been making massive power on there 2.7L with the Time attack car however they never played with a restrictor, so I was a bit nervous. Crawford was able to make over 500 hp and be reliable.I was still under power over the other rallycross cars but because of the 10 inches tire rule, I knew that the Ford or Factory Suby wouldn’t be able to use their full power on gravel.

Everybody had anti-lag and launch control but I didn’t since I was still on my stock ecu. I knew the event was going to be tough.

It was a huge surprise when we qualified 2nd overall. The only guy that beat me was Travis (Pastrana) which has a purposely build Subaru XGames car.

Racing door to door in a stadium with cars screaming was amazing, I’m hooked on rallycross.

Q: What was the highlight for XGames for you?

A: The whole XGames was the highlight! Qualifying 2nd, winning my heat against (Ken) Block and (Dave) Mirra, bouncing off (Brian) Deagan on my first lap, and Catching Tanner (Foust) in our heat! Everything.

Q: As one of the few privateers in Formula Drift, how hard (or easy) is it for you to have to try and conserve funds for each event?

A: It’s really hard to compete in FD (Formula Drift) as a privateer, if you want to be competitive. Fortunately with the sponsorship of Subaru and Royal Purple I was able to do it, but it still cost me a lot of money. That’s the problem with FD now, it’s too expensive to have a competitive car and impossible to do it as a privateer. You might be able to get 1 decent result in the season but won’t be able to be competitive at every event. Cars now are really light and really powerful. The top cars are around 2500 pounds with 650 hp. Only a couple years back you just needed 400hp with a 2700 pounds car to win.

Q: In Vegas you experienced a pretty intense crash but we saw your car again recently at Sonoma and then Irwindale and it looks fine! How were you able to pull that off?

A: Las Vegas was an expensive weekend. I made a big mistake and destroyed the rear end of my car. I was able to buy a rear clip for $500 and take it to my body shops M.O.B.S in Anaheim, CA. They cut my car in half and welded the rear clip on. The car was fixed a week after the crash. 

Q: What new things did you learn from this Season of Formula Drift?

A: That I need a v8 and a light car. The level of driving is way higher than in 2009, same for the cars. I can’t do it as a privateer again. I will need to be part of a team to make it.

Q: Everyone wants to know, will you keep your current STi or go with the new Sedan?

A: In drifting I really doubt that I’ll be in a Subaru for next season. It’s not really the right type of racing for Subaru, as their “thing” is AWD. So, I don’t think I’ll be able to get any support from them (for next season). Also the Subaru platform is not ideal for drifting. You need a real RWD car to be competitive or spend a fortune to make the Suby work. I was able to get away with mine because the other cars were not as developed as they are now. But if Subaru want me to, I would love to do a new STI. I tried last year but couldn’t get the funding for it.

Q: Formula Drift for 2011? What about the new Rally Car series which is rumored to come around the West Coast next year?

A: 2011 Formula Drift, as right now, I don’t have any plan for it. I really want to be in it for 2011 but need to find a team. I can’t afford to do it as a privateer again. Rallycross, I want to be part of it too. My first plan is to drive for a team, I’m talking to 3 teams right now, hopefully I can make it happen. At worst I can use my car for selected West Coast Events. I think by SEMA will know the exact schedule and tv package. 

Q: Who would like to thank that helped you out?

A: There is lot of people that helped me this season: Subaru, Cooper Tires, Crawford Performance, Royal Purple, GTI, Stance, Tein, Garrett, RMR, Enkei, Ignite Fuel, Seibon, APR, I-Speed, and Subaru of Ontario.

Thank you Stephan for your time. Hopefully we can do a feature on your Subie!

 

Press Release: Stephan Verdier at XGames 16

Our Subie-Life.com friend, Stephan Verdier was simply amazing at XGames. Here’s a recap from his website.

Crawford Performance and Cooper tires are pleased to announce a spectacular final for X-Games 16 Rally Cross. Stephan Verdier and his Crawford Performance Powered Rally Cross Car / Drift Car / Gymkhana Car debutted for the first ever Rally Cross held by X-Games. Currently Verdier’s car competes not only in Formula D, but also a Gymkhana event in RWD format. When X-Games invited Stephan for the Rally Cross event, the car was converted to AWD format and a 45mm restrictor installed to restrict the power levels to equal the playing field for all competitors.

In order to convert the vehicle to make it a competitive vehicle for X-Games, against such teams as Ford Rally Team and Subaru Rally Team, the vehicle was brought to Crawford Performance for some serious work. The car received a sequential transmission, custom twin scroll Garrett turbo kit, ECU remappinhelped prepare the vehicle, including front and rear bumpers by GTI, top of the link rally suspension by Tein, including the engineer for setup and 15 inch rally wheels by Enkei. In order to install the new rally rims stock 4 pot Subaru rally brakes where provided by Ontario Subaru, and Motul providing the much need fluids for the sequential, differentials and engine, Clutch Masters with the twin plate clutch, Ignite racing fuel for the bio fuel,  NGK offering spark plugs and O2 sensors, while K&N offered multiple filters where definitely needed after Verdiers encounter with a cement wall. Cooper tires was also a big help with g via EcuTeK ECU all provided by Crawford Performance for 600hp and 550 ft/lbs. While many other sponsors there rallycross tires.

Friday Practice according to Stephan Verdier:
My second session on the track, X-Games staff watered it down heavily and I knew it was going to be slippery but not as bad as I thought. Into the first turn I began braking and there was no way to slow my speed down enough to make the corner. Bang the back of the car hit into the K-rail but luckily enough I didn’t lose my drift, but it happened to be bad enough to take the car to the frame shop that night to get it straight.

Saturday Qualifying according to Stephan Verdier:
I had a great qualifying round (Qualifying 2nd overall) and the car felt amazing, power everywhere and handle the best it had all weekend up to this point. Right after taking the checkered I was not able to stop in time before the cement barrier and the car crashed hard into the wall causing the engine to instantly shut off. The right front frame rail moved into the engine and broke the front timing pulley and locked the engine. Good thing we had 5 hours to fix it, but not a spare engine. The simple version of the story included a chain, a truck, and a little bit of luck in the hopes the engine may be salvageable. The team and many supporters dropped by to lend a hand to rebuild the beast, while the entire time we were hoping that the million to one shot would include no bent valves or damaged pistons. As lady luck may have it, we were that million to one shot, and when the engine pulleys were repaired, the timing belt reinstalled, the engine fired right up. The sigh of relief and the thrill form Verdier was ecstatic. We were back in the game!!! Now the remaining damage needed repair, a cracked rear left hub (no spare), front right A-Arm, front right bumper, front right chassis needed to be pulled back out, intercooler piping needed to be unbent, new K&N Air Filter, and numerous other small problems from the crash.

Semi-Finals according to Stephan Verdier:
This was my best run of the entire weekend. The car launched off the line and I had an instant lead on everyone else. The car was running perfectly, the run itself was great and the power was fantastic through the entire run. Every time I hit the straights the Crawford Performance Powered car would just pull cars lengths on the rest of the pack and by the time I had taken the checkered flag (and a 1st place) my heart was racing a mile a minute. Here is a video a local fan uploaded to YouTube of the first round.

Finals Round according to Stephan Verdier:
Due to qualifying second and Pastrana’s car not running, I was now the number 1 seed and had first pick at the gate for the finals. My launch was awful, because I was caught off guard due to a miscommunication between myself and the referee. So I started in last place (4th) for the finals, definitely not the way you want to start a race.
In the first corner I was able to power by and out braked Hubinette like he was standing still. Then into the corner under the bridge (X-Games ramp) where Tanner and Deagan went wide which allowed me to cut back on the inside of Deagan. This was a perfect opportunity to cut back in the inside and steal the corner from Deagan and then a drag race down the back of the stadium, passing him before the hill and arch. In that drag race we touched at least 4 times of if not more, definitely a ton of excitement already. The next 3 laps I was closing on Tanner, then I started to lose some power, I thought Deagan pushed me and bent my exhaust, but one of my intercooler pipes that got bent during my crash in the qualifying rounds cracked and started leaking. I took the ‘joker’ lap which included the big jump right behind Tanner and at that point it just let go and lost almost all my power. At this point Deagan was able to pass me and between the arch Samuel tried to pass me on the outside but I was able to friendly block him. But alas going down to the finish the car wouldn’t go and Samuel passed me about 100 feet from the finish. I couldn’t help but be mad, but after what had happened over the past couple days’ competing in the X-Games for the first time and taking home 4th overall at X-Games 16 was awesome!

Next, we are off to Formula D Las Vegas, only two weeks away and the car needs to be prepped for RWD and more power.

Thanks to all my sponsors, Cooper Tires (awesome rallycross tire), Crawford Performance, GTI, Tein, Clutch Masters, Enkei, Ignite Racing Fuel, Subaru of Ontario,Turbo by Garrett, Sparco, APT, Von Zipper, Motul, K&N, Seibon…

And yes we did complete 5 laps.

Speedhunters review on the XGames Super Rally

I always love the photography that the guys from Speedhunters showcase. Their recaps are straight to the point as well as informative.

Here’s our boy, Stephan Verdier doing his jump during the first round of the Super Rally. He dominated the first round by winning well over 6 car lengths! I think you can see me (barely) in the background. haha

I love this shot. The dirt being kicked up in the air… and an EVO in the far back. I kid I kid!

One of my personal highlights of the night was seeing this GC go against the big budget teams. I have a soft spot for privateers.

Our old friend Ken Block was there as well in his Ford but it didn’t last long. I accidentally yelled out “Should have drove  a Subaru!”. I was joking of course but we do miss Mr. Block and what he had done for Subaru!

Here is the finals featuring the lone Subaru of Stephan Verdier!

Stephan didn’t quite finish the event, he was battered, and bruised but he did fight valiantly for the Subaru name and we were all very proud of him. Check out more coverage of the XGames Super Rally with Speedhunters!

Press Release: Subaru of America’s new 2011 STi Rally Cars released!

As the clock ticks down to the XGames (Don’t forget that we have our very own meet / caravan to the XGames) we get more and more juicy intel about the 2011 STi’s! Now these STi’s aren’t your typical showroom examples.

Of course the whole care has been race prepped with a spec cage and fuel cell. The most surprising element of this car is that it is running an EJ20 (per the rules… WRC Possibly?) instead of the factory EJ25 that we all love here stateside. Heck, I even run an EJ25 in my WRX! But it’s been able to push out an amazing 500hp and 560 ft/lbs of torque! That’s right! Out of a EJ20 with a restrictor plate! Enough fan-boy blabbering from me, check out the press release:

“Subaru Rally Team USA Debuts New 2011 Rally Cars at Speed with X Games Stars Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra
— Cars will compete this Saturday at X Games 16 —
— Drivers Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra and Sverre Isachsen pilot new 500-plus HP Subaru STI Rally Cars –

CHERRY HILL, N.J., July 29 — Subaru Rally Team USA unveiled its new 2011 Impreza WRX STI rally cars to journalists in dramatic fashion at the Pala Raceway in Pala, California. The team provided full speed ride-alongs to journalists during practice for the ESPN Summer X Games 16. Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra and new teammate, European Rallycross Champion Sverre Isachsen, demonstrated that they were ready for the SuperRally X Game competitions, being held at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Saturday, July 31st.

“The team has worked very hard to get these vehicles ready for the X Games,” said Pastrana. “The competition is going to be tough but I am confident that our STIs will be the cars to beat.”

The team’s technical partner, Vermont SportsCar, first began with a stock 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI right off the showroom floor. The car’s interior was then stripped bare and the shell lightened then fully seam welded for added strength. A multipoint roll cage, manufactured from T45 steel, was then welded into place.

Major differences from the stock STI include the addition of a competition fuel cell — which keeps race fuel contained within a flexible Kevlar bag tank — and lightweight carbon/Kevlar RECARO SPA ProRacer competition seats (w/HANS- Head and Neck Restraint System). Other interior additions include a custom STI dashboard, carbon fiber door panels, a Coralba C-Giant Rally Odometer, and an onboard Fire Suppression System.

The stock dampers are swapped out for heavy-duty rally dampers made by EXE-TC competition suspension. The rally dampers are fully adjustable and are built to take the abuse that off-road gravel rallying entails. Under the hood sits a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled STI engine running VP Racing fuel and producing in excess of 500 horsepower and 560 lb/ft of torque (running with 45mm restrictor for X Games). The clutch is a high performance-racing clutch provided by EXedy. Launch control, a turbo anti-lag system and a hydraulic handbrake are just a few of the features at the driver’s disposal.

A 5-speed, close-ratio dog-engagement gearbox is used, which allows Subaru Rally Team USA drivers to shift without depressing the clutch. The DCCD (Driver Controlled Center Differential) is similar to the system in a stock STI street car, but with a competition ECU for the differential, which allows for greater control of the torque delivery between all four wheels.

The exterior of the car remains close to stock, with the simple addition of mud flaps and a 1/4-inch aluminum skid plate. A roof-mounted carbon fiber air scoop aids in cooling the cockpit and the stock rear wing is replaced with a larger vertically slotted wing, which greatly improves down force to the rear of the car, even as it slides sideways. Lastly, auxiliary HID driving lights, made by Vision-X and housed in carbon fiber light pod, are fitted for night rallying.

“Learning a new car can be a challenge,” Isachsen said, “but having seen the result of the Subaru team’s preparations and practiced in my STI, I am very much looking forward to driving in the X Games SuperRally. Though the ERC (European Rally Championship) is somewhat different from SuperRally, I think my experience will place me in a competitive position for this event.”

The SRT USA will again compete in the Rally Car competition, which they have won 9 out of the 13 possible medals in the past 4 years. The event features two rally cars at a time running on a stadium based parallel course. New for this year X Games will debut SuperRally, which is based on the European Rallycross. SuperRally features direct head-to-head competition with four cars at a time on a tight dirt course within the massive LA Coliseum, in downtown Los Angeles. The new format should prove especially exciting for America fans as the rally cars will bump, jump and slide together in a furious sprint of just a few short laps.

Subaru.com/Rally will post daily updates on the progress of Subaru Rally Team USA throughout X Games weekend.”

Everyone from Subie-life.com would like to wish the whole Subaru Rally Team America the best of luck and we’ll be cheering you on in the stands!

Mystery Subaru Rally Team America Driver / Car spotted!

Not sure who this is or why this Subaru has a “Tron” theme to it but it’s a pretty cool looking Subie!

Seems like a lot of the sponsors on the car are shared with the other Subaru Rally Team America cars. Anyone have more info on this car?

XGames 16 Cruise with Subie-Life.com and Subaru of America featuring NX Energy Drink!

We just got word that NX Energy Drink will be at our caravan / meet this Saturday in Torrance, CA for the X Games Meet at K1 Speed! NX Energy Drink will be handed out to every single person in attendance! Thanks to our friends at NX Energy Drink for their support!

Press Release: Live Phone Conference with Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra for X Games!

I just got word from our sources at Subaru of America about this really cool feature that Subaru has created. You now have a chance to talk with Travis Pastrana and Dave Mirra LIVE on the phone during a teleconference that will be taking place on July 26th! Amazing right?

This will give you a chance to talk to both Subaru Rally Team USA Drivers right before they take center stage for the X Games! How does this work? Follow the link HERE to register and just stand by on the phone! Hope to see you all at the X Games if you are in LA. We are currently working on a caravan to go to the X Games this year and you will have a chance to get some free stuff from Subie-Life.com!

X Games Subaru Drivers list is available!

I touched upon Stephan Verdier competing in the X Games with his Formula Drift STi (converted to All Wheel Drive, of course) but I came upon the full list. Less than a Month Away, the dirt flies in an all new venue.

You can see the full roster on ESPN’s website HERE. I see familiar names such as Tanner Foust, Andrew Comrie-Picard, Samuel Hubinette, but they’re no longer Subaru Drivers. However, we’ll be in the stands cheering on Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra, and Stephan Verdier to the podium! We’re hoping for a repeat of the 2008 X Games with a Full Subaru podium!

X Games will feature a new track in the Super Rally so it should be exciting for us in So. Cal. It starts on July 29th!