Subaru Takes Home Class Victory in Nürburgring 24-Hour Race
- Heavy rain couldn’t put a damper on the Subaru WRX STI NBR Challenge 2018 car as it cruised to the class victory.
- The win at the 2018 Nürburgring 24-Hour Race in Germany marks the teams fifth SP-3T class victory at the famed endurance event.
(MISSISSAUGA, ONT.) — Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) is pleased to announce that its parent company’s motorsports subsidiary, Subaru Tecnica International (STI), finished first in its class at the 2018 Nürburgring 24-Hour Race in Germany.
Entering a car based on a mass-production WRX STI, dubbed the Subaru WRX STI NBR Challenge 2018, the team overcame a number of mechanical- and weather-related issues to complete 112 laps of the famed 25.3-kilometre track on its way to the SP-3T class win. The team ended the race 62nd overall in the field of more than 100 finishers.
Although the team began the race from the pole position earned in qualifying, the car experienced mechanical trouble in the early stage of the race and trailed competitors. However, the team of mechanics, including six chosen from Subaru dealers across Japan, addressed and solved the problem promptly and the car returned to the race.
With the car back in action, the team’s four drivers, including Carlo van Dam (Netherlands), Tim Schrick (Germany), Hideki Yamauchi (Japan) and Takuto Iguchi (Japan), closed the gap and regained the top spot in the SP-3T class around the 10-hour mark in the race.
With weather conditions putting a literal damper on the race — the race was suspended for approximately two hours due to rain — the all-wheel drive Subaru WRX STI NBR Challenge 2018 was able to pass upper-class competitors as it extended its class lead. The car had to return to the pit area for engine trouble just an hour before the finish, but it returned to the course to claim the team’s fifth class victory.
“The victory is a testament that the Subaru WRX STI is capable of fully exerting its AWD sports performance on circuits such as the Nürburgring, also known as the ‘Green Hell,’ which is one of the most challenging and dangerous tracks in the world that is open to the public,” Subaru Corp. said in a statement.
Through its motorsports activities, Subaru and STI will continue to pursue engineering excellence to assure “Enjoyment and Peace of Mind” to customers worldwide. Tests such as the grueling endurance race at the Nürburgring also provides the chance to hone technologies like the SUBARU BOXER engine and our four-wheel independent suspension system. But there is more data to gather. More can be learned from racing than from any computer simulation or laboratory test, especially when the goal is the highest levels of safety and ultimate performance.
Since 1992, Subaru has used the Nürburgring itself, as well as the 24-hour race held there, to prove the engineering of its vehicles and to develop technology that inspires driver confidence under all possible conditions. Competing at high speeds for 24 consecutive hours has a way of revealing weakness in a car — just finishing the race is a significant accomplishment.