The Subaru WRX STI to Participate in Nürburgring 24-Hour Race

Tokyo, May 25, 2017 – Subaru Corporation is pleased to announce that its motorsports subsidiary, Subaru Tecnica International (STI), will participate in the 45th Nürburgring 24-Hour Race to be held at the Nürburgring in the Eifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on May 25 to 28, 2017, entering a vehicle based on the facelifted Subaru WRX STI. This is a landmark year for Subaru - its 10th year entering the event since 2008.

The WRX STI will run in the SP3T class for turbocharged vehicles up to 2.0 liters, a class many leading European manufacturers will again enter this year. Subaru is aiming for its third consecutive win and fifth overall in the class.

This year, Subaru will enter a facelifted version of the WRX STI, launched in Japan on May 24, 2017. To improve acceleration and maximum speed, the race vehicle has increased engine output, adopted paddle shifters, and enhanced transmission performance. In addition, the car has optimized chassis geometry, improved stiffness balance, reduced body weight, lowered the moment of inertia, and increased front downforce, among other improvements, maximizing the base WRX STI’s inherent speed and responsiveness.

Shigeo Sugaya of STI will manage the team, as he did last year. The drivers will be Carlo van Dam (Netherlands), Marcel Lasée (Germany), Tim Schrick (Germany), and Hideki Yamauchi (Japan), who were all involved in the victories of the past two years.

In addition, six mechanics carefully selected from Subaru dealers around Japan will again join the team to support the race effort. Subaru has had dealer mechanics participate in overseas auto races since 1990, a unique initiative aimed at delivering the “Enjoyment and Peace of Mind” of Subaru cars to customers by improving the technical skills of its mechanics. Through the end of 2016, 351 Subaru mechanics had taken part in Safari Rallies, World Rally Championships, and the Nürburgring 24-Hour Races.

Race Vehicle “SUBARU WRX STI NBR CHALLENGE 2017”

< Subaru Motorsport Magazine NBR CHALLENGE 2017 Special Site >
https://www.subaru-msm.com/2017/nbr/

<Team Manager >

Shigeo Sugaya

<Drivers >
Carlo van Dam	Marcel Lasée	Tim Schrick	Hideki Yamauchi

<Mechanics >
Yohei Yokoi Subaru Hokkaido	Ryota Hara Subaru Fukushima	Issei Sasaki Subaru Shizuoka	Bun Naito Subaru Gifu

Takanori Murai Subaru Osaka	Masaki Utsunomiya Subaru Kyoto

< Race Vehicle Specifications >

Race Vehicle “SUBARU WRX STI NBR CHALLENGE 2017”

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