! The new Impreza WRX STI !
 

Two days I will remember for some time to come.......

Ok, here's the story. Wen't to the Adria Raceway on wednesday to a presentation of the new WRX STI, actually the presentation of the new Impreza. But with that we also tried out all the other models. The Legacy and the Forester. One of the first things we did was ate some snacks and then we went to the pit lane get in the Legacy's and we each had 3 laps + one for cooling on the track. To get to know it.

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The we were told that a competition was going to take place. It was split in to three parts. The first part would be a night race with the new WRX STI's. :twisted: The second part would be sprint between the cones on a huge parking lot. This time with the WRX's. And the third part took place on the track again. This time with the corners changed a little. Tighter corners with the cones limiting the width of the corners. They did that to 3 corners and the put a shikane on two of the straights. Again with the WRX's.

The best drivers would score points and the winner would be announced when the whole Subaru presentation would be finished on the second day.


First a few pics of the track. It's a prettey closed track. Not one really fast corner but very entertaining to drive.

this first pic was taken from an observing tower.

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next three pics were taken from my room. The track has full hotel capabilities with a restaurant and stuff. It was prety cool sleeping in a room overlooking the pit lane and the track 8)

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the tower

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oops

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ooops again, hope it wasn't a ferrari

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from the tower again

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We raced with the imprezas in night time.

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During the training and the race ( against a clock, 5 cars on the track at the same time but with enough space between them ) we ate dinner and watched the other's from the tower to complete their 3 training laps.

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The track layout. 2,7 km's long

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My room. Some of thejournalist got much bigger rooms. I got this one, but spent very little time in there... Oh, and the TV had two promgams liked to two cameras. One showing the closed area with the cars and the other showing the track.

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this was the only car we got to drive out of the whole closed Adria Raceway facilities. 2.0 engine with 160 hp. It hides them very well, I must say.


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Before the 3 training laps with the STI's we had some technical education going on and then we wen't to test the Forester's "offroad" behaviour.

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As most of you allready know from TT's Ferrari shoot, the pit's lead in to this huuuge "hangar" like area.

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cars displayed there

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Took a few extra pics of the red WRX. :wink:

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Pic's of the STI's. The pics turned out much worse than I expected. I didn't have my usual camera with me, because it wasn't available. So I had to take a frien's Nikon. I couldn't make any good pics of the STI's whiole racing beacuse it was night time......but, the Subaru team had arranged a profesional camera guy and a photographer who did all the work and I'll be getting all the material sent to my office. So more pics to come and probably a vid in a while.

Oh, I also had a camera with me, and I'll try to go to a friend to make a compilation in a week or two.....

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I think the white STI was by far the best looking.

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The blue bunch. I was driving the car number four.

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The Subaru team showing uss the capabilities of their 4wd system.
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Oh, one more thing, Subaru hired a team of profesionals called Speed Control. The guys are former and current racing drivers. For instance one of them was driving the 360 cup and an italian version of the DTM and stuff. The other was an ex italian rally champ...... We all got a co driver to sit with us during the training and the race. And I was the "lucky" guy to get the raining Slovenian rally champ Andrej Jereb to sit next to me..........no presure at all. :? He gave me a few pointers and complimented my driving lines and braking points 8) That was huge for me, that being my first time driving on a real racing track and my second time in a STI.

back to the pics


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One of the Speed control guys showed us the capabilities of the 4wd system.

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the photographers I mentioned earlier

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I love this pic. The cones setup in the background...

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Every car was equiped with a camers. So we all got vhs tapes to pu in the recorder in the car so we could be videotaped while driving. 8)

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Me before the whole thing.

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Me standing on the right

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Getting ready

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Being ready

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Leaving the scene

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with on of the cars

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After the race, they didn't tell us the results, so we had to wait till the second day to do two more "races" and after that...........and lunch we got the results.

The second day.

The driving between the cones.

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and on a slightly changed track

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There were 26 journalists taking part. Slovenian and Croatian. Plus 4 subaru people from Slovenia.
I was the youngest by far. And with very little expirience compared to others. Some of them have raced before. Rally and stuff. Some for many years.

I was fourth fastest on the track with the STI's, which blew me away. Honnest to god, I was hoping not to be the last and make a joke out of my self. When I saw my name, I was like, this must be a mistake.

I was second fastest on the parking lot with the cones.

And I'm prettey sure I was near the top on the changed track with the WRX beacuse I came second overall at the end!!!!!!

The third, fourt and fifth got a satelite navigation system.

I got a dvd recorder and the winner got a TV.

Oh, and all the journalists got a portable dvd player waiting in their rooms as a gift from Subaru.

Plus we got to keep the gloves and the "what's it called in english"?
Well, see the pics!


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And an extra bonus. The Durango racing team was there trying out their Lancers. They brought four of them, compleetley stripped out.


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Cool pic imo, taken from my room. Look at the front wheel 8)

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Hope you enjoyed the report!

Especialy you Dingo 8)

wow, that must've been quite a fun day :D

I have to say, i really love the face-lift, especially in the traditional blue 8)

What a report, so damn exciting! Adria is a brillant place, the track, facilities, the sea so close.. I would like to go there once again soon!
Well done at the wheel too! Next time it will be the first prize, I am sure!!

Thanks for sharing!

totaly forgot to write something about the cars :oops:

The STI a dream to drive. The handling and the feel the steering wheel gives you are great. Once that turbo kicks in you're in for a world of smiles and fast gras moving along your window.

The gas pedal is very responsive and the shifts are damn near perfect.

The WRX is a VERY fine handling car also. But the difference is there. More body roll, less punch ofcorse, but the steering is also very direct.


The 2.0 Impreza is good to drive but to drive it after the other two, well....you know what I mean.... :wink:


In short, that's it 8)


one more thing

When I first saw the pics of the new Impreza, I hated the looks of the front end. But it looks very well in real life imo.


And if anyone wan't any pics in higher res, let me know. Ok, dingo? :wink: 8)

Re: ! The new Impreza WRX STI !
 

Who was fastest there (by almost a second)? 8)

Who was fastest there? 8)

Yes, I suck on 1st gear courses lined with cones ... Really suck. Major disaster ... :?

BTW Komotar: only day 2 results counted for the awards ...

Re: ! The new Impreza WRX STI !
 

LOL, I didn't know wether I should mention you or not.

Yes, you were the fastest on the first day 8) ....beat me for 1,2 sec, I think :wink:


I don't know who was the fastest on the track the second day. You again?!? You fast bastard :wink:

Damn, do you happen to know how I placed?!!? I left emediatley after the results....

Why didn't the first day count??

Thank you for your report and pics Kmotar :P Thats great that you was so quick, its for sure cause you are alot on JW - JW's side effect :D jk

Lovely pics - Well Done ! Thanks !

For this car i would sell my Merc.

Excellent pics and ecxellent report! Thanks!

Re: ! The new Impreza WRX STI !
 

Lucky guy - I can imagine how much fun you had. :D

I'm still not convinced on the look of the new WRX/STi, seen a few around the streets here and at the dealer but I still prefer the look of mine. :)

Congrats on your high placings in the comps, good job!

Thanks alot. :D

Thanks for the red beast, and yes I enjoyed it alot! :D

I have no idea why the first day results did not count - they just did ...
You were around 5th place on track 2nd day ... Do not remembe the results relly well ...

nice report komotar

the pics are great and the track looks good :D

too bad the weather was shitty and foggy :( but still the impreza SW pics turned out great...i think 8)

the forester as seen in pics is really agile :)

and the white STI is i agree the far most beautiful...and best looking..but the red one isnt bad 8)

thanks for the pics and this long(big) report

congratulation for second place on day one :lol:

Very nice report. There are two things i don`t like about new sti: rear lights and alloys. Maybe in reality i will change my mind. Hope to see it soon. And one more thing. Looking at the tyres, did they have any grip in the wet?

Awesome pics and awesome report :D . I have only ever seen the new subaru impreza'a on holiday in south france this year. I havent yet seen one in Scotland.

the alloys on the blue sti's are not the ones you will see on the standard car.

The one on the wet has the standard wheels. Those tires held pretey well.