Subaru unveils WRX STI and BRZ race cars at Tokyo Auto Salon

Subaru announced racing versions of the WRX STI sedan and BRZ sports car at the 2015 Tokyo Auto Salon. The STI will participate in the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race. Using the WRX STI as a base car, the race car’s performance such as aerodynamics, stability, body rigidity and engine output have been enhanced compared to the previous model. In addition, visibility for racing flags has also been improved by introducing a left-hand drive car.
Like last year, Hideharu Tatsumi will take the helm of team operations as team manager, in addition to the development of the car. The drivers are Sasaki (Japan), Lasée (Germany), van Dam (Netherlands) [not that Van Damme] and Tim Schrick (Germany), the winner of 2014 VLN endurance racing championship who newly joins the team.

Subaru, with the BRZ GT300 race car, will participate in the SUPER GT series this year as well, widely regarded as Japan’s top motorsports category. The race car employs the same front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout as the production BRZ model.
The team manager will be Hideharu Tatsumi, the team will be operated in conjunction with “R&D SPORT” led by Director Shinji Motojima, and Takuto Iguchi and newly joined Hideki Yamauchi will be driving for the team. In addition, Dunlop tires which have been used in the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race will be employed for the BRZ GT300 race car.