http://blog.caranddriver.com/the-su...e-behind-it-focus-shifts-to-endurance-racing/ In its glory days, Subaru bagged World Rally Championships in ’95, ’96, and ’97 and eventually held eight Rally America titles. More recently, though, Subaru’s motorsports division—led by Toshiya Azuma, from Subaru Tecnica International—has focused on endurance road racing, specifically the 24 Hours Nürburgring. The all-wheel-drive WRX STI won the ’Ring’s SP3T class in both 2011 and 2012 and last year was runner-up to an Audi TT. Subaru will challenge the ’Ring again this year in a new STI racer that is allegedly more closely related to the new street car, although it initially tipped the scales at only 2690 pounds and produced 340 horsepower. At the track, in fact, scrutineers will subject the car to a chassis dyno to ensure it makes no more than 340 horses—them’s the rules. “Which is fine with us,” says Azuma, “because reliability is what’s key.” The car sports a center-mounted manual shifter for its sequential gearbox and makes use of an automatic rev-matching system. Some thought was given to deploying that system on the street-going STI, but the engineers were afraid that hardcore Subaristas would spit nails. Subaru’s budget for this undertaking is so slim that Azuma could afford only one race car—built in Japan, not at David Richard’s Prodrive in England. If one of the four drivers somehow totals this lone example—say, during the four-hour test prior to the Nürburgring enduro—well, Azuma drags a finger across his throat and mutters, “Season end.” Azuma aches to return to the WRC, “but right now,” he observes, “we have no car small enough. The WRC cars must be the size of VW Polos and Ford Fiestas. Our BRZ would be a good fit, but it does not have all-wheel drive, and the FIA won’t let us add it.” Which sounds like an argument for a street-going Symmetrical AWD BRZ. It’s telling that one of Azuma’s development drivers is ex-rally maestro Tommi Mäkinen.
I would certainly take a 2700 lb sti with 340hp and semi-automatic sequential gearbox...what hardcore subie enthusiast wouldn't love that?? They should have made the sequential gearbox an option for the sti like the cvt is an option for the wrx.
So they allow Ford to add AWD to the Fiesta, but not Subaru to the BRZ?? I'd love to hear the reasoning behind that!
Why do you knuckledraggers keep asking for AWD BRZs? Take the training wheels off. It's a well balanced car without all that added weight and complexity.
I have no idea of the real reason but it seems like they would have to change a whole lot to make the BRZ awd. The engine is kind of far back and was not designed for a transaxle. The Fiesta already has the transaxle and just needs a prop shaft, center diff, and a rear differential which I would think is easier to tack on without changing anything else. Edit: after thinking about it more, it still doesn't make any sense.
It would not be cool in it. The engine is set low and aft in the engine bay compared to the AWD platforms that Subaru makes. To make it AWD, you would raise the center of gravity, and also shift it forward in the car. You would completely lose the low profile of the car and it would end up with a bulky, brick-like body and high hood and roof line to accommodate the transaxle and engine position required to run the AWD system. It would completely ruin the BRZ entirely. Not to mention, it would make it push/understeer-happy like the AWD platforms tend to be. Thus ruining any of the sportscar dynamic that it had.
I for one am glad our BRZ is not AWD, that car is cornering perfection as it sits, and does not need AWD.
I'm pretty sure the Fiesta can get in because of the transverse engine layout. The rule was made to kick Subaru out after years of success. Similar rules threw Audi out of various motorsports in the past.
I remember hearing something about this as well. The new rules required an inline transverse 4, and Subaru essentially said "no, we're not doing that."
Exactly! The only way to make a car like the brz with AWD without ruining the spirit of the car is to do like the 911 Turbo or the GTR. Both have a rear transaxle (weight balance) and a heavy rear torque bias (to keep it from plowing and understeering like most awd). Front engine with front transaxle pretty much always takes on some bad fwd handling characteristics.
No. You know what's cool with AWD? Old honda civic wagons. Old Toyota tercels. Quirky weird ****, not a lightweight car that focuses on handling and barely puts any power to the wheels as is.
I guess what I meant by "cool" was interesting. Didn't mean to cause a ***t storm but oh well. I would still be interested to see how it would work.
Lol several people explained how it would work. I'll put it simply for people still wondering LIKE S H I T.
Yeah, it doesn't make much sense. A ford Fiesta R5 rally car requires the entire rear of the car to be cut, reforged/pressed/welded into order to make it AWD. There are significant changes to the actual body and chassis of the Fiesta, which also allows Ford (and citroen, Hyundai, etc) to make some "slightly advantageous" adjustments to benefit them that Subaru will never be able to make (in reference to the already AWD Impreza). The driver/co-driver in the fiesta also sit in the exact middle of the car for better weight distribution (and then the dash and everything else is also moved back), and the engine/transmission package is moved back slightly to where the dash normally would be in the road car. By the time you end up with a Fiesta Rally R5 rally car, it is a step below a purpose built race car (ie a tube framed car like GRC's lites class).... On another note, I understand the sentiment about how the Impreza is too large for WRC... A fully stripped and built Impreza Rally car is THREE HUNDRED pounds heavier than the next heaviest, the VW Golf R WRC. Yet another tangent that I just remembered, Volkswagen has chosen the code name of their new car that will compete in the World RallyCross Competition as "WRX!" The bastards!
