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Subaru enters the Dakar 2010 Rally with a Forester

Put the words "Subaru" and "rally" together, and you'll inevitably be flooded with visions of the Impreza WRX STI campaigning in the WRC. This isn't one of those times.

Details are a bit on the scarce side, but what we do know is that Barattero Motorsport and YPF Elaion have teamed up (with a little help from Subaru, we're sure) to compete in the January running of the 2010 Dakar Rally. Their chosen chariot for the epic journey? None other than the recently redesigned Subaru Forester. But it's a Forester in name alone.

Packing a tuned 2.0-liter (JDM-spec) STI boxer four putting out 300 hp and 570Nm of torque, the Elaion is a tube-framed, carbon fiber and kevlar-bodied beast that's been outfitted with dual shocks featuring nine inches of suspension travel, vented, cross-drilled brakes sized 295mm and all the assorted kit to run in the world's most arduous off-road race. Yoshiu Ikemachi and Gabriel Pozzo kicked off their journey in the Dakar Forester on January 1st.

Unfortunately, both Forester teams had to retire in the third stage (of fourteen) in the race, but the cars showed great potential and it is hoped they will be back for 2011!

Subaru Looking to Strike Back at Bathurst

Wilson Brothers Racing is looking to transform sprint race success in the Australian Manufacturers Championship into a Bathurst 12 Hour triumph, with their Subaru WRX Sti a genuine dark horse for outright honours in production car racing's jewel in the crown.

Following on from a character building three-car campaign at Mount Panorama 12 months ago, the team bounced back superbly in the regular season, with lead driver Lee Castle taking his overall victory tally for the past two seasons to eight, more than other driver in the championship.

For next weekend's event, Castle will be joined by familiar faces within the Wilson Brothers Racing stable, Kurt Wimmer and David Wood. The team however are under no illusions that they are facing a staunch battle against a first class field.

"I'm quietly confident we can give the Mitsubishis a run for their money," said Wilson Brothers Racing team principal Cameron Wilson. "We have put a massive amount of time and effort into the car since we purchased it for the 2007 Bathurst 12 Hour, and we have probably reached the absolute limit of development with it."

"Last year we had a very strong run in the Manufacturers Championship with four straight race wins in the middle of the year, we even led the final race of the year at Sandown with only a few laps to go, so we know we can beat anyone on our day. We probably won't be in a position to qualify for pole, but I think our handling package, our pit work and our very capable driver line up will be our competitive advantage."

"Pit strategy and fuel efficiency will be vital, and being a 12 hour long race for production based cars, mechanical sympathy is all important."

While Castle and Wood back up for their second successive tilt at the 12 Hour, Wimmer will be making his debut in the race, although he has previously won on the Mountain for Wilson Brothers Racing in V8 Utes.

"Over the years we have collected a lot of good data from Bathurst working with people like Craig Baird and James Winslow, so we have some very good base lines for the drivers to work off," said Wilson.

In a change of tradition for the team, the Subaru WRX Sti will sport race number two instead of the familiar 25 for the event, as well as a new paint scheme and sponsor line up.

Wilson Brothers Racing would like to acknowledge the continued support of Gold Coast Indoor Hire Karts, Castrol, Racing Logic, Mercury Motorsport, EcuTek, Ingear Industries, Elan Mens Salons, L'Oreal Paris Men Expert, RLS Data & Electrical, Gametraders Townsville, John Muller Tyres Plus, Contacting Public Relations, Racer Industries and Subaru Sti Australia for their assistance in team's 12 hour efforts.

Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour Weekend Timetable

Friday 12 February

9:05am - 10:05am Practice 1

1:50pm - 2:50pm Practice 2

Saturday 13 February

7:30am - 8:10am Practice 3

1:30pm - 2:00pm Qualifying Bottom 50%

2:05pm - 2:35pm Qualifying Top 50%

Sunday 14 February

6:30am - 6:30pm Bathurst 12 Hour

Speculation is rife that Mitsubishi is about to create a car without peer or precendent in the Evo XI due in 2013. What started as rumours in late 2009 are gaining more and more momentum in 2010 - the new Evo XI will become a hybrid! The good news is that it will be anything but your standard hybrid.

According to MotorTrend who broke the news in October last year, the the new Evo will be built on the same platform as the PX-MiEV plug-in hybrid crossover concept from October’s Tokyo Motor Show and will combine the 2.0-litre MIVEC petrol engine from the Japanese Galant with a new lithium-ion plug-in arrangement.

It is believed the electric motor will be a more powerful version of the 47kW unit currently used by the i-MiEV city car, while the petrol powerhouse is expected to put out as much as 239kW. When working in tandem, outputs could rise to 260kW or more. Given that the electric motor will deliver full torque from zero rpm, and given that it will have no turbocharger, turbo lag should be a thing of the past for the Evo XI

Apparently Mitsubishi engineers are working toward a target 0-100kph time of 4.5 seconds. "The new electric motor will effectively work like a turbo, only smoother, so there's no need to worry about power delivery" said a source inside Mitsubishi.

In a nod to the environment, the Evo XI will behave more like EV than a gasoline-powered cars, and will give drivers the option to drive in electric-only mode for short distances, significantly increasing fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.

The car also will get a new package of driver assistance systems, notably Active Steering and Suspension Roll Control that was originally developed for the current Evo X but was not completed in time for production car. The Evo XI will also feature a new electronically-controlled active yaw control system (E-AYC) that regulates torque distribution between the rear wheels.

Only time will tell whether or not Mitsubishi will take this bold step and deliver a radically new Evo in 2013. If they can keep the car's weight reigned in, get Active Steering, Suspension Roll Control incorporated into S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control), deliver E-AYC and the target 4.5 second time for the 0-100kph sprint, then the new Evo XI will be a force to be reckoned with.

Stay tuned!

Liberty is a best seller

Subaru sales of 3260 vehicles in January were up 7.8 per cent on the same month last year, according to official VFACTS figures released this month.

New generation Liberty and Outback are proving a huge success for the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive brand – Liberty sales of 654 were up 37.1 per cent on January 2009, making it the best-selling imported medium car for the month.

Outback sold 435, up a massive 76.8 per cent, while Forester sales of 1205 maintained its best-selling SUV Compact status.

Impreza sales of 873 and Tribeca, 93, rounded out the Subaru result. Subaru’s January market share was 4.4 per cent.

Among the standout regional results, Subaru achieved a 9.1 per cent market share in Tasmania and 6.6 per cent in the ACT.