Subaru and rallying have been synonymous for a while now. The blue rex, together with its huge rear wing, the 555 decals and Colin McRae (Tommi Makinen and others as well) in the cockpit did not help the competition and their confidence one bit. The success of the Subaru Rally Team over the years have brought much publicity to the Subaru cars, so much so that the WRX and STi models are now regarded as road going rally cars.
So it comes as a surprise that Subaru are considering venturing out of their forte onto non-rally based tarmac racing. The news is sparked by a forthcoming arrangement between the WRC and the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) that could see them adopting a common set of rules. The agreement could pave the way for Subaru to compete in the WTCC but Subaru’s current race machine, the WRX – is such a rally oriented machine that one can’t help but wonder if the Legacy will once again lead Subaru’s charge for the championship among more established, experienced racers like Mercedes, BMW, and SEAT (the legacy was Subaru’s first rally racer). Subaru does after all have a credible racing machine in the Legacy S402, so it won’t come as a surprise if they do take it racing.
But racing in the WTCC could just play into Subaru’s hands; providing them with the perfect ground for it to prove its mettle with its new diesel engines. Either way, execs from Fuji Heavy Industries and Subaru Tecnica International are expected to visit the Japanese round of the WTCC on October 24 to scope it out. We expect an announcement soon after.
Subaru Impreza WRC 2008
Subaru Legacy S402
Source: CarScoop
