Subaru unveils new ST1 Impreza R4″ on YouTube

A walk over the new Impreza R4
thanks to OfficialiRally

Interview: We talk with Jeff Westphal about the GST Impreza, Possibly Rally Cross, and a chance to WIN A PRIZE!

Jeff Westphal has been one seriously busy dude. Between racing in different series, testing the world famous GST Motorsports Impreza, and doing his day to day thing, he still finds time to talk to us at Subie-Life.com!

Q: Hi Jeff! It’s been some time since we last spoke to you. What have you been up to? Any cool racing that you’ve been doing?

A: Hey. Since we’ve last spoke I’ve been racing with some clients of mine in an Endurance Race known as the 25 Hoursof Thunderhill, as well as with Insight Racing in their 328i Continental Tire Car.

Q: So on the vast universe known as the internet, we’ve been seeing a lot of images of the GST Impreza L under going a lot of changes. These changes seem significant. What things were done?

A: Wow, where to start.  Well, the car has basically been rebuilt minus the mounting points for the fuel cell.  Everything else has been modified or refreshed.  Some special attention was paid to aero profile, as was weight balance so not only did we shave considerable weight off the car, but it came off all the right places.  As many Subaru owners are aware, the cars polar moment of inertia is pretty far forward, which can be like trying to turn a shopping cart with all the goodies up front.  One of my requests was to get more of the vehicles mass over the rear of the car to engage the rear tire more since we never seem to hurt those.  We also added a proper pedal box setup with dual masters and a  bias bar.

Q: How much of your own input did they take into consideration when they modified the GST Impreza L from last season to this season?

A:  The direction to take the car has been a collaborative effort since day one, as 2 or 3 minds are better than one.  That said, one of the reasons GST called me to drive was for my professional input from other disciplines of motorsports that I’ve competed in, so when i ask for something to make the car better we all work pretty hard to get it done.

Q: Coming up next weekend is the Global Time Attack event at Willowsprings International Raceway and what I’ve heard is that this car will make an appearance. Is this true and if so, what can we expect?

A: Yes it is true we will be attending the GTA event next weekend.  The team and I have realistic expectations, we ran a 1.20.7 there in the early stages of development with the car last season and i think the car should be good for a high 19 in last years trim.  I’m hoping to challenge for the overall record that Billy Johnson has at a low 1.18.  We do need some time to iron out some logistical issues with the new platform we’ve created so I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket if you will.

Q: What other things are in the works for the GST Impreza and yourself this season? We’ve been hearing some rumors that you guys are actually going globally. Is this true?

A:  Yes, since it’s been officially released, we were afforded an invitation to the World Time Attack Finals in Eastern Creek, Australia so we will be going abroad to battle the best in the biz if you will.  This event I am really looking forward to.

Q: So, let’s get back to you. What have you been doing during the “off season”?

A:  I’ve been working on deals to bring with me in 2011, as well as enjoying some off season training.  Even though the weather isn’t the best, I love to cycle so i’ve racked up some mileage which feels great.

Q: I ran into you recently at Global Rally Cross a few weeks ago and we talked a bit about your feelings about the event? Can you share what your initial response was and will there be a possibility of you dabbling in Rally Cross?

A:  I loved the event, the AWD cars made me seriously consider how to become involved as they are very impressive.  I think if someone had an AWD car with high power and a sequential, it wouldn’t be too hard to prep it into a rally cross car…. “wink wink”

Q: You mentioned to me that you have picked up a new partner / sponsor and it’s Kicker Audio. Tell our readers more about this!

A:  I am fortunate to be working with such a company like Kicker.  We’ve actually been talking for a while, and finally it seems all of our goals were aligned so we are partnering in 2011.  I am one of their professional athletes, and I’ll be awarding Kicker Audio gear to fans of mine, motorsports ,and the Kicker brand all year.

Q: Jeff has been kind enough to give us an Kicker iPod docking unit! All our readers have to do is “like” Jeff Westphal Racing’s Facebook Page, “like” this article on our Subie-Life.com page and subscribe to Subie-Life.com’s email notification! If you do all three of these, you have a chance to win this awesome prize! Thanks Jeff for taking your time to talk to us and please take a moment to thank anyone that is helping you out this season!

A: Thanks to all the readers who continue to support this industry, without you guys we wouldn’t be here so this one is for you!  Like the pages and sign up, a Kicker Ipod Docking unit will be yours courtesy of Jeff Westphal Racing, Subie-Life.com, and Kicker Audio.

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Interview: Stephan Verdier talks to Subie-Life.com about his 3rd Place win at Global Rally Cross!

Our friend Stephan Verdier keeps impressing us with his driving skills, being the only Privateer to compete in the main event at Global Rally Cross in Irwindale, CA this past weekend. We had a chance to talk with Stephan as we always do after his performances and get more info on his win!

Q: Fresh off his 3rd place podium at the Global Rally Cross main event, we have Stephan Verdier! Thanks for joining us again at Subie-Life.com. So please tell us when you started converting your drifting / rally cross Subaru STi into a full dedicated Rally Cross vehicle and how that process went:

A: Always nice to talk to you Yukio. At the end of FD season I knew that needed a new car to be competitve in that sport, unfortunatly during the winter I wasn’t able to findd any money to build a new car and do the season of FD (at the same time). In the other hand my Subie was a great car to run in Rally Cross. Beginning of February I decided to strip the entire car and do some major modification to lose about 200 lbs. All the work was done at GTI in San Clemente. Crawford Performance supplied the engine, transmission and Motec ECU, Tein suspension, Cooper tires / the rallycross tires, Exedy clutch, Garrett Turbo, Ignite fuel with the E85 and Enkei Wheels. Converting the car back to awd was pretty simple, the car was pretty much stock in FD so I just needed to put the center diff and front diff in the gear box and voila!

Q: How did the build into a full Rally Cross Vehicle differ from the Drift Car Build this time around?

A: The build wasn’t that much different. We cut right in front of the shock tower and built a full tubular frame front end that can be change or remove really easily in case of damage. We took some weight off the A, B, and C pillar,  and I had GP Motorsport build me a full custom wiring harness but otherwise it’s the same car as last year.

Q: A couple of weeks leading up to the Global Rally Cross at Irwindale, how did you prepare yourself and your vehicle to compete? Did you have time to practice?

A: Because I don’t have much of a budget, all the work has to be done for free from my sponsors. They dedicated as much time as they could but they have to take care of there customers too. I had to work a lot during the last month so I couldn’t spend a lot of time on the car. We were way behind on the prepartion and we worked like mad men within the last 10days. We finished the car on Thursday at 2:00 am. I went into the first event with no practice and bunch of untested parts. We put a steering quickner but the pump is too slow. It was like driving without power steering. It was hard for me to get any feed back from the car with such a hard steering. We also added a pedal box but I we put the wrong size master in it,  so I had to push so hard on the brake pedal (to stop)! My right foot is still sore from it (pedals). We didn’t have time to set up the antilag and launch control and the center differential was stuck in open mode. We are fixing all this problems for the next race. It’s nobody’s fault, we just ran out of time to test the car. No big deal.

Q: Tell me how different Global Rally Cross from the Formula Drift events that you competed in for several years.

A: The main difference, there is no judge. You can’t argue with the clock. It makes easier to see how to improve, if your too slow you need to go faster, pretty simple. In drifting you have to adapt to a person (judge’s) view of what is perfect, and you have 3 people to please with different view of what is perfect, it’s kind of tricky!

Q: Let me set the record straight, do you like Rally Cross / Rally or Drifting more as a driver and competitor?

A: Rallycross/ Rally has always been my favorite. I love drifting too, it gave me so many new skills and made me a better driver.

Q: So day 1 of Global Rally Cross, you and the other competitors didn’t get much practice on the actual course so, how did you adjust to be competitive in a completely new course?

A: You’re right we didn’t get much practice but it was the same for everybody. The bank was the hardest to set up your car for and the most important part of the track. We were behind since I had to learn the car before I could make any changes. I wasn’t concern about the race on Friday, I took Friday event as a test day in preparation to Saturday.

Q: How did you feel about your first day of competition?

A: It was prettty good. The car was reliable and fast, but needed a lot of work on handeling. The big part was me too, I only had an average of 4hours sleep/day for the past week. We made a lot of changes to the set up and it worked, the car was 3 seconds faster on Sat.

Q: Day two must have been exciting for you. We saw you get very aggressive and we even saw a few competitors get very close to your doors / bumpers. Tell me how the first few rounds went for you.

A: First I came in with a good night sleep. We got a lot more practice on the track and found some good speed in the set up. The competion was really exicting. Racing next to Marcus (Gronholm), Rhys (Millen) and Tanner (Foust) was a lot of fun. During the regular heat I wanted to be agressive to show the other drivers that I’m not going to be push around but I didn’t want to hurt the car either. In the Main (event) I didn’t care.

Q: During the last main event we saw you follow Tanner Foust and Marcus Gronholm for the first few laps and then you did your joker lap over the jump. Was that your strategy to keep close to those guys or did you see an opportunity that most of the viewers didn’t get to see then took the opportunity? And that is why you jumped when you did?

A: The strategy is always take the joker last if you’re not held up by the car on front of you or if you’re in the lead. Something bad can happen really fast on the big jump, so you want to keep it for last. Marcus (Gronholm) and Tanner (Foust0 were not slowing me down at all, so I choose to stay behind and hoping they would make a mistake.

Q: How did you feel when you realized that you were locked in as a 3rd place winner in the main event when you went around the last dirt turn?

A: It was aweome, coming out of the jump I saw Tanner and knew I could give him a run for his money in the last corner, but I over cooked the braking  and went wide. I was pretty mad about that but then as soon as I crossed the line I realize that I got 3rd and it was fantastic.

Q: Finally, how can our readers find more information about you and would you like to thank anyone that has helped you?

A: There is a couple place they can find info, Facebook, www.stephanverdier.com. I want to thanks all my sponosrs and firends, Crawford Performance, GTI, Cooper tires, Ignite Fuel, TEIN, RMR, Sparco, Exedy, Enkei, Block DCB, GP motorsport.

Thank you Stephan for taking time to talk to us at Subie-Life.com! Good luck on the rest of the season and we hope to see you at more events!

Wrecked interviews Jason Cancio. Father of a drift GRB! This is so full of win.

Our friends at Wrecked featured one of the most unique drift machines. We don’t often see a GRB in a RWD fashion. They did an interview with the driver and owner of this amazing machine and here’s what Jason Cancio did to get it become a slide machine:

I spent almost $4K just to get this car sideways. <—- That was difficult. Haha. First of all, I told Ray at Garage Autohero what I wanted to do to my car. He told me I would need a center differential sleeve, and clutch type rear diff center. So, I did my research. That was a pretty difficult part because Watanabe Service were the ones who made the sleeve, and they didn’t make a sleeve for the 08 STI, the latest model they made it for was the 07 STI. So I took my chances and bought it anyway because I just wanted this car to be done. And thank god it worked! Front axles were taken apart so the stubs were left in the transmission to keep from leaking oil. And stubs were left in the knuckles too.

Secondly, another difficulty that was ran into was installed the rear diff center. I bought a Cusco 2 way LSD for the rear, there were no bearing in it yet, so we had to get some.

ALTHOUGH, the bearings were discontinued. I was definitely almost heartbroken when I heard this. But Ray worked his magic and came through for me! He had to find new bearings through the measurements of the old bearings. I was glad to hear this because he found that the old bearings were torn to pieces already, the new ones he found were much stronger. So, no wonder the old bearings were discontinued….. sad for 08 GR owners. 
Suspension was also a must, stock was much too soft and much too high for my tastes.

This interview goes into details about how the car handles and the future of the Subaru. Check out the article HERE!

Message from Yukio (our head blogger): Good Bye 2010! Huge Plans for Subie-Life.com for 2011!

2010, the birth of Subie-Life.com. From just an idea that sprouted at 2am in my head to a full out obsession to find the freshes news, great event coverage, and in depth interviews. 2010 has been a huge learning curve and I’ve learned a ton from it!

2011 will be a huge year for us at Subie-Life.com with some changes coming up! We have been blessed by the support of our readers and fans from the events that we attend to our personal friends that go out and spread the word about Subie-Life.com.

EVENTS: That’s right! Now, there’s two sides to Events in 2011. We will be at MANY events including: Redline Time Attack, SubieFest, Wicked Big Meet, SubieTech Cruises, and S3: Subaru Summer Solstice! We will be there promoting Subie-Life.com and all the cool stuff. Now, here’s the exciting part.

We are going to be putting together our very own: Subie Life Matsuri! Now I bet about 90% of you guys are asking what the heck is “Matsuri”? Simple, it’s the Japanese Word for “Festival” and since Subaru is a Japanese company, I figured that it would be a perfect name for our favorite Japanese vehicle brand! Not only will SubieLife Matsuri will be a great festival with vendors, contests, a car show, and entertainment, we will be incorporating a drag race with the “Traction: The AWD Battle“. We want to open this up to the Subaru vs. Mitsubishi crowd (STi vs EVO) AND we will allow other AWD vehicles to compete including GT-R’s, Audi A4, S4, etc., VW R32 etc. Competition will be open to street cars all the way to full race cars. We will include “Fun Runs” as well! We’ll keep you all informed on what happens at this event!

 

Format: When I first envisioned Subie-life.com, I just wanted to have a news source that everyone can go to and read about Subaru News. As things have evolved, I’ve been compelled to do interviews,  event coverage, and reviews however, I needed some original content. This will include fun articles, vehicle reviews, and Subie Features with photos taken by highly respected people within the industry!

Now as things are growing and so has my readership, again this is going to be taking a lot of funds and time. We have gone well over 6 months without having to have advertisements on this website, but we need to “keep the lights on”. You will start seeing SOME banners, links, and ads but we promise this won’t be packed full of useless links. No, you will see RELEVANT links and banners that have to do with YOU and YOUR Subie! So you won’t be bombarded with “growth” ads like “other” blogs.

Content: I touched a bit on the content when I talked about the format. Well, here’s a little more info on that. We want to do more original work like reviews. A lot of websites (well, almost all of the websites) that have done reviews on the new Subaru Models have been from people who are automotive experts, NOT Subaru experts. Luckily, I love Subarus but I can be very critical as well. That is why I am going to work with Subaru to get the hands-on approach on looking at these models and hopefully they’ll let me take them on a spin at a local track!

Additionally, I will have some original video pieces that will come along with those and some event coverage! I am looking into getting a decent camera that isn’t a point and shoot and will be using that to my advantage as I practice my picture shooting skills!

Lastly, I will be bringing on some guest bloggers that will be covering events for us from around the World! This will allow me to share as much Subie News as I can so that everything and anything will be covered onSubie-life.com!

Subie-Life.com Ambassadors: Now, spreading the word of Subie-Life.com has been pretty “grassroots” aka not-much-money-to-spend-on-advertisement. So, we have been doing what we can to link up with other groups like Subaru of Las Vegas, Apollo Performance, Apartment107.com, and various other sites but you’ll start seeing requests for people in other parts of the USA and the WORLD to help spread the word of Subie-Life.com. We need foot soldiers out there to let other Subie Fanatics know about Subie-life.com! We’ll be sending you a care package including your exclusive Subie-life.com shirt that ONLY ambassadors will have, fliers, goodies, and stickers. This will happen soon so please keep on the look out on our Facebook Fan page and this blog!

Subie-Cast: A few weeks ago, I asked on our Facebook Page (don’t forget to add us if you haven’t done so) if we made a postcast if you would all listen. Seems like it will be done! Now, what we’ll end up doing on this Podcast (SubieCast) is simple. We will review what we put up on the Blog and go more in depth with it. I am in the process of working on this but the format will be fun, informative, and we’ll also throw out some chances to win prizes (and we’ll talk about this later), have guests in studio (aka in my office), and have guests phone in! What kind of guests? Well, we’ll be talking directly to Subaru Race Car Drivers, Subaru of America representatives, Key People in the Subaru Community, and people that I know (because they’re so darn interesting!). Expect this to happen in the Spring of 2010!

Contests: The advantage of having a great group of supporters, sponsors, and advertisers is that they want to promote their products and services. What better way to promote their products and services through a campaign where we spread the word of their business and let YOU our readers, a chance to win their great stuff? Exactly! We’ll be giving away great prizes from multiple companies that will be through our blog and our facebook fan page! So if you haven’t had a chance to “like” our fan page, do so now so you have a chance to win!

Conclusion and a Message from Me: So this is pretty much sums up what will happen through 2011. Also, be on the look out for a newly designed blog and a slightly different format but not much will change as far as content. We really do want you all to come here as often as we post up and help spread the word. This has been done  as a passion and less as a way to “get rich” because I’ve been doing things like this for the Subaru Community for the past 4 years and it keeps me going strong. I love what I’m doing and I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving the Subaru Brand as long as they know that I’m letting people know how awesome Subaru really is!

I know people are always asking me for more content and I’ll do what I can to find the best content out there and keep you all entertained. The more you send me feedback the more I want to do keep doing this. I will do my best for you all as long as you keep coming here, spreading the word, and coming to the events that Subie-Life.com will be at! Again, I can stress this enough but you, the reader, have been my inspiration, my motivation, and have given me the strength to do this great blog. I don’t think I would be here writing this if I didn’t have people coming here often as I’ve seen. This has been an amazing trip through 2010 and I am looking forward to seeing what 2011 has in store for SUBIE-LIFE.COM!

Video: Zenkai Motorsports and Gymkhana

Here’s a great video from the Zenkai Motorsports / Subaru of Las Vegas group from their experience at Gymkhana Grid! Enjoy!

Interview: Thomas Smith from Subaru of Las Vegas / Zenkai Motorsports talks to us about Gymkhana, the STi, and Racing

From starting out as a weekend track day driver to now a fully sponsored pro-level driver, Thomas Smith is easily considered as one of the rising stars in the Time Attack / Gymkhana scene and with his 2009 Subaru WRX STi built by Subaru of Las Vegas and Zenkai Motorsports. Thomas Smith is now making a noticeable mark. Thomas was kind enough to take some time out and talk to Subie-Life.com about his recent event at Gymkhana and also about his recent Time Attack season. Whether or not you know Thomas Smith now, you will always remember him with his million dollar smile and his infamous backflips.

Q: We have Thomas Smith here, driver of the Zenkai Motorsports / Subaru of Las Vegas Subaru STi! Thomas, you just ended your ended your 2010 season but tell us about your history in racing.
A: I started out autocrossing in 2005 and still do today. I started doing open track days a few years after, and I participated in my first TA (Time Attack) at the 2008 Subiefest. Then I started racing RTA (Redline Time Attack) with my personal car this year and finshed out the year racing the Zenkai Motorsports STI. I have also participated in number of local karting races, including at couple endurance races. As of this pass weekend I participated in my first Gymkhana Grid competion.

Q: Your 2010 Season was pretty busy. Tell us a few of your accomplishments and high lights so far.

A: Begining this year I had a couple of good finishes and a podium in my personal litely modified STI in the RTA series. Shortly after the Zenkai Motorsports/Crawford Performance STI had finished being built. I placed 1st and set a class record at round 2 of the Super Lap Battle series, which was actually the first time the car had ever been on the track. I also placed 1st and set a class record at round 8 of RTA, after that event we ran Subiefest 2010 and again took home a 1st place and a class record. We also got invited to the Gymkhana Grid media/test event, had a awesome time and received an invite to the Gymkhana Grid/ Ken Block Invitational. I’m really proud of the team this year, honestly no one on the team thought that we would build a brand new car and do so well for the first season out.

Q: The Subaru STi you drive is pretty noticeable with its bright orange graphics and great styling. Tell us about the build and what’s done to the STi.

A: The Zenkai Motorsports powered by Crawford Performance STI is mostly bolt on idems. It is a 2008 STI, it has the Crawford Performance ultimate street car engine package. It is a 2.5L S3L block, with a GT35R turbo tuned on E85 with Motul fluids, C West aero kit, Racetech 4009 seats and Racetech 6 & 5 point harnesses, GTspec bracing, K&N air filter and GoPro cameras. It also fitted with a weld in 6 point roll cage. Graphics were all done by Grafik Impact. Paint work was all done by Pacific Custom Paint.

Q: As you were testing and tuning the STi, what was your impression on how your team built the car?

A: It was a great team effort to get the car done. Crawford Performance built, tuned and helped with the race prep & setup. With their knowledge of Subaru’s and experience from there race car we had a great platform to start with. Zenkai Motorsports performed the rest of the race prep and also installing the hydraulic e-brake for the Gymkhana Grid invitational thanks to Crew Chief Rob Wohlfeil.

Q: So here comes Gymkhana Grid and you had to prepare your car for the “Try out”. How did the first event of Gymkhana go?

A: At the first Gymkhana Grid media/test event we just took the car as it was. We didn’t really have time to install an e brake, so that made it a little difficult. LOL We made some suspension changes to help the car break out more, but mostly I just had to use a lot of weight transfering to slide the car.

Q: When time got close to the Gymkhana Grid invitational event, what kind of emotions and thoughts were going through your head?

A: As the event got closer I got more and more excited and to be honest a bit nervous. But as always once I’m behind the wheel and get started the nervousness goes away quickly.

Q: Of course this kind of event is different from what you were normally used to (road track) and it was done in front of an audience. Did you get nervous at all? What was going through your head?

A: I was alittle nervous, but not to much. I just wanted to do well for the team, because they all put in alot of hard work for us to be ready for that event. I was really excited and honored to be invited by ken block, and to drive with/against such skilled driver’s.

Q: After this great event, how do you feel about Gymkhana Grid and what do you think the future holds for you and this event series?

A: I had a great time participating, seeing and talking with all the great friends and fans. Well, the Gymkhana Grid is planning on having a series for next year that will run across the country. I would love to be a part of it again, I think for me and all the people that were there watching or watching online it was very exciting. I believe the series could have a great future ahead.

Q: Speaking of the future, what are you plans for 2011?

A: As of right now the only thing that is kinda on the schedule for next year is probably Gymkhana Grid and maybe some close TA events. As some people might of seen at Gymkhana Grid Invitational is that I was recently picked up by Monster Energy Drink. I am extremely happy to be part of the Monster family! So 2011 could hold some big things for me, So keep an eye out.

Q: Thank you very much for taking time to talk to Subie-Life, Thomas. Is there anyone you would like to thank for the 2010 season?

A: I would like to thank: Crawford Performance, Zenkai Motorsports, Everyone @ Subaru of Las Vegas, Tein, Carbonetic, C West, 5 Zigen, Motul, Racetech seats, GTspec, K&N air filters, GoPro, Racing brake, Pacific Custom Paint, Grafik Impact, Subaru performance tuning(SPT), Garage Uehara, DCB, Monster Energy, Falken Tire, Mike Garage, ALL of my friends for the endless support and motivation and My Family.

Interview: Stephan Verdier talks to us about his 3rd place win at Gymkhana Grid!

Q: We have Stephan Verdier again, 3rd place podium winner from Gymkhana Grid from this past weekend! Stephan, congratulations on the win. First off, let me ask you what your first impression was when you heard of Gymkhana Grid event and why you decided to do it.

A: It was a great event and thanks to Ken Block for making it happen. I heard of it at the X-games and wanted to do it right away. I never did a Gymkhana in a awd car plus my car was sitting in my driveway doing nothing. I had to do it.

Q: You did the 2010 Formula Drift season and this is the first Gymkhana Grid event you have done. What are the major differences between the two events? What were your feelings about Gymkhana Grid?

A: Well the 2 big difference for me is that I drive my car in RWD for FD and AWD for Gym. There really 2 different style of racing. FD is as much angle and smoke as you can and also a judge event when Gym is the least angle but still drifting and as fast as possible since you race the clock. They both take a lot of skill to master. I really like Gym format, the clock is the only judge and it’s clear cut. Gym Grid could be a really cool sport even at the grassroots level, anybody with a RWD or AWD car can do it without risking the crash the car in a wall, and it brings both world of drifting and road-racing/rally together.

Q: Your Subaru was rear wheel drive, then back to all wheel drive for dirt, then back to rear wheel drive, and now back to all wheel drive for Gymkhana. How much work is there in getting that set up?

A:It’s actually pretty easy. I use the stock gear box in RWD and same in AWD, so the only thing needed is put the front diff and axle in and change the welded center diff to a stock one. It’s around a day of work by myself.

Q: How comfortable were you in the All Wheel Drive Tarmac set up at Gymkhana Grid?

A: I felt pretty good on Friday, but during qualifying my clutch and center diff start giving up. My clutch has been in the car since X-games and I did 3 FD (Formula Drift) events, a day at the track road racing, and  a day of Gym testing. I’m amazed it lasted that long. The center diff came from a used gear box that had 40000 miles. I think the problem with the center diff is more electronic than anything else, it would engage and realase on it’s on event in lock mode. It was really hard to be close to the barrel in the 720, the center diff will engage and realase during the donuts.

Q: When you first came up to the Gymkhana track / course, what was your first impression?

A: The only thing that got me worry was the box, it seems really small, but after doing it a few time it was no problem. The track was really challenging witch made it really fun. Both side were really close in time, maybe 1 sec apart.

Q: During your elimination rounds were you aware of your opponent’s position or how well they were doing or were you just focused on your own run?

A:That the only issue with the mirror track, you can’t see the other driver, in a way it’s good because you have to go 100% the all time or if you have radio a spotter can tell what’s going on. The only time you could see where you were was coming into the last barrel for the 720. I think they should look at making both track next to each other like Race of the Champion so the driver can see each other and easier for the fan to see who’s head.

Q: When you final round was done and you found out that you were 3rd place, what were your feelings and thoughts?

A: It was awesome, first time in a Gymkhana and I got 3rd. I know I could be much faster if I work on the car and get the right differentials, gear box,  more power and a lighter car. The car was making around 470 whp weight 2870pds and I use a stock H pattern box. The Ford (Fiestas) are 650 whp, 2400 pds and have full sequential. I had to do 11 gear changes in 1 lap, just with a sequential I can be at least 1 second faster. It’s really encouraging if they do a Gymkhana series, I know I can beat the Ford. 🙂

Q: Your 2011 season is still up in the air for drifting and you are leaning towards more towards Rally Cross. Is Gymkhana Grid is something you see doing instead of drifting?

A:I would love to stay in drifting but I need a real RWD car to be competitive, so that mean building a new car, that’s at least $80k. I don’t have that kind of money. I’m trying to found a team to drive for but so far no luck. The positive thing is that I can use my car with some upgrade in Rallycross and Gymkhana and be competitive, so yes I’m leaning towards Rallycross and Gymkhana more.

Q: Stephan, thank you for your time and we hope to see you more in 2011! Happy Holidays.

A:Thanks for following me, it;s always a pleasure to talk to you. I want to thanks all my sponors to able me to race at the GymGrid: Crawford Performance, Falken tires, Subaru, GTI, RMR, Garrett Turbo, Ignite Fuel, Sparco, APR, Seibon, Stance, Clutch Masters and K&N.

Interview: Jeff Westphal aka G-Stig sits and talks with Subie-Life

So if you’re into Time Attack (or even if you’re not) you have heard of the “G-STIG” from GST Motorsports. If not, let me do a quick explanation. Throughout the Time Attack season, the G-STIG (much like the Top Gear’s STIG) drove the GST Motorsports Impreza L. Now, they kept the identity of this driver a mystery. At the end of the season, they would reveal the true identity of the G-STIG and we found out it was Jeff Westphal. Jeff was nice enough to talk to us!

Q: Hi Jeff! So the Redline Time Attack season was just completed and you topped it off by breaking a record! Congrats! So, tell us a little about yourself; your racing history, hobbies, and how you got hooked up with GST.

A: Well, I’m 24 and I live in San Carlos, Ca.  I was born in San Francisco and grew up on the peninsula.  As a kid I was very active, and that still holds true today.  I love anything physical, but especially enjoy snowboarding, cycling, running, soccer, and weight lifting.  That’s actually how I stay in shape to drive such ferocious cars like the “L”.

Training not only helps my endurance and mental acuity, but it also battles the genetic makeup of my Italian family and their affinity for food.  I love to eat, especially good food.  I haven’t touched a lick of fast food since 2004, but i more than make up for the caloric intake with other “healthier” forms of eats.  Aside from training and food, I really enjoy music and seeing live shows for which i am lucky as the bay area but specifically San Francisco has plenty of!

To keep my racing history brief, as there is a bio on my website www.jeffwestphalracing.com, but my career in racing started from a job in high school at an indoor kart track funny enough.  That led to a Redbull scholarship shootout months later, and then turned into 3 seasons of formula car racing.  One championship later, I sat in a Rolex car at the 24 Hours of Daytona for the past 2 years with the debut and development of the Pratt And Miller Dinan M6 in between.  It was the Daytona 24 this year in the M6 that led me to GST by way of a Speed channel reporter’s recommendation to Mike Warfield.

Q: Wow, such a great and young racing history you have so far! So going back to Redline Time Attack, how did GST and this whole G-STIG get started up? What did you think about their idea?

A: The G-Stig was an idea Mike came up with and  presented to me about a month before the first event.  I thought
about it for a few days, and realized that it would be a long term investment for me in the sport, but that it would be great for the fans of Redline Time Attack to have a mystery driver in the top tier of the competition.  So from that point it was a no brainer for me, i said “sign me up!”.

Q: Was it hard to keep your secret as the G-STIG? How many people actually knew?

A:  little did I know how hard it would actually be to keep my identity a secret.  It was more than just changing in and out of my  race suit 3-4 times a day in secret, and keeping the visor on the  helmet down.  Some things people don’t know, at one point in the  season we had David Empringham and the Sierra Sierra crew thought I was Tanner Foust and they held  their cherry picker hostage unless the GST guys told them who the G-STIG was.

At another event we had the Owlee tv guys positing cameras  up across from our trailer all weekend to try and figure me out.  After that I started changing in the AE Performance motor home as I’m also coaching Paul Walker, and then we started having fans coming up saying “how come Paul gets changed and walks out with his helmet on?” so it really was a dynamic thing all throughout the year.  I guess that means we kept everyone guessing….

Q: You drove the famous GST Impreza L this whole season, what were your impressions on this machine? 

A:  Coming from the limited experience I’d had in racing, I was  fortunate to sit in some pretty fast racecars.  The m6 was 500+hp and  did over 180 at daytona, the indy lights car was a 200mph+ car that  had about 450hp but weighed around 1700lbs, and the racing school my career started at which I now teach at uses me for testing their 300+  hp Lola formula 3 cars, and NONE of that prepared me for what the GST L had to dish out.

Even on low boost, the first time I went out I thought to myself “holy crap this thing goes!”.  As with anything you get used to it, however this car never feels slow, I just feel like it could be faster.  And to be honest, this whole
year I asked to change everything on the car except the power.  Chassis development has made the L much faster this season, some 4+  seconds at most tracks.

Q: We saw the GST Motorsports Impreza L change a lot this season. How much of your input was given to improve their GST Impreza L?

A: Part of my role in GST’s program this year was to develop the car they felt always had the grunt.  They were absolutely right, from me  requesting new settings or parts on all 3 diffs, wings, front end aero, track width, springs, shock valving and settings, alignment and sway bars, we’ve made this little 1996 L into a monster on the track.  It was a chance for me to call upon all the Grand Am Rolex, and Formula Car driving I have done in the past to help turn this street car into a racecar. 

I couldn’t have done it without the cooperation of the team  for all their hard work, and the sponsors for their continued support of their products and our program.  As you said, the car really has changed shape!

Q: You had an epic event at Infineon allowing you to clinch your championship and it was a wet and wild event. How were you able to drive so well in the rain? 

A: Ahh the rain!  I love the rain, its something that most drivers  fear, and I did in the beginning.  My view is if there is something I  am afraid of or not good at, I do it more.  As you might imagine, I am extremely competitive and hate being “beaten”, so I try not to let anything beat me.  What is most important about driving a racecar,  and especially hold true in the wet is to know your surroundings.  In the rain, the line I use is different. The track also changes every lap, so it’s up to the driver to  pay attention to everything that’s going on around them.

The commonly used areas of pavement get polished, so the water has no where to go in the pores of asphalt which in turn makes the normal line slippery like ice.  But I also pay attention to weather patterns, wind direction (yes it can affect aero!), puddle accumulation or dissipation, and grip  levels of surfaces.  In the rain, you are flirting with the edge at a  lower speed than you are used to, that’s why it’s so easy to over do it!

Q: What are you future plans? Are you returning to Redline Time Attack? 

A: At the moment I do plan to return to time attack with a revamped “L” as it embodies all that time attack is truly about, the quest for outright speed and creative ingenuity.  However there are some other plans in the works at the moment as well.

Q: Anyone you would like to thank that helped you in the Redline Time Attack series? 

A: Well first and foremost I’d like to thank Marshall, Mike and the GST guys (Keith, Tommy, Earl, Mert, and everyone else who helped out at the track) for making it possible for me to be involved in time attack.  I’d also like to say thanks to everyone involved in Redline Time Attack for making such a fun series to compete in.  And also our sponsors, with out them the “L” wouldn’t be able to break any records:

Hankook
Kognition design
Cosworth
Guard transmissions
JE pistons
Brian Crower
Wheeldude.com
Afi turbo

Some personal supporters of mine:

Alpinestars
Go Pro camera
The Draw portfolio
TNT demolition

And lastly, Mrs. Warfield for not killing her husband after all those late nights and extended weekends of racing related duties….. and killer sandwiches

Q: Thank you very much Jeff! Hope to see you around the track soon! 

A: Anytime, it was my pleasure.  See you soon!

SubieFest Video by Driving Sports TV!

Check this great video from SubieFest featuring our very own spokes model Michelle in the first seconds!

Click HERE to view the video!