Subaru Smashes Isle of Man Lap Record With Standard WRX STI

[Matra et Alpine]

From http://subaru.co.uk/news/subaru-smashes-isle-of-man-lap-record-with-standard-wrx-sti

Subaru Smashes Isle of Man Lap Record With Standard WRX STI

Thursday 9th June 2011

http://subaru.co.uk/show_image/1307636776/300.jpg
The long-standing road-car lap record for the Isle of Man TT circuit has been comprehensively smashed in a production-spec Subaru WRX STI saloon. In his very first run around the challenging 37.8-mile course, former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins posted a blistering lap time of 19 minutes and 56.7 seconds, translating to an average speed of 113mph. The peak speed achieved during the lap was 162mph.
Higgins’ time is more than two minutes faster than the previous record, set by the late Tony Pond 21 years ago to the day (on 6 June 1990), at the wheel of an Rover 827 Vitesse. Pond was the first to break the average 100mph barrier in a road car, and his lap record has stood ever since.
The TT event organisers gave Higgins just one lap to conduct his record attempt in the car, and there was no opportunity to carry out high speed practice runs.
The WRX STI used for the record breaking run was a standard Subaru production car, equipped with a 300PS Horizontally-Opposed Boxer engine, unmodified brake callipers and with road-legal Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tyres. Springs and dampers were adjusted to minimise any potential damage when the car encountering the various bumps and jumps at high speed along the course.
In recognition of the speeds involved, and the fact that there are little or no crash barriers around most of the TT road circuit, the WRX STI was fitted with some essential safety enhancements. These included an MSA-specification T45 integrated roll cage, TRS race harnesses and a Lifeline extinguisher system. To help forewarn spectators of the presence of the oncoming car, the Subaru team also fitted the WRX STI with a high-decibel exhaust.
“Setting the record was both the most exhilarating and the most frightening thing I have ever done,” explains Higgins, whose career as a driver in the British and World Rally Championships hasn’t exactly been short of excitement. “The rules allow for a flying start, so I crossed the line at 125mph. I then went down through the Bray Hill junction – normally taken at around 20mph – at over 150mph. Once that tricky section was out of the way I settled into the lap and quickly got used to the balance and sheer pace of the car.
“In the end the lap was simply fantastic, and the WRX STI behaved impeccably,” explains Higgins. “That we managed to set such an impressive time at our first attempt is a great tribute to the Subaru, especially given that so few modifications have been made. The engine pulled incredibly strongly throughout and the cornering capability proved crucial on such a twisty, unforgiving course.”
The TT crowds got fully behind the record attempt, reports Higgins. “The atmosphere out on the circuit was incredible, especially once the spectators heard over the PA system that we were in the process of setting a new record. I could hear the cheers in the car and it really added to the experience.”
The WRX STI is currently available from all Subaru dealers with free satellite navigation and a free power upgrade, taking the power output to a blistering 320PS – more than enough, no doubt, to break the Isle of Man record yet again.
The outright lap record on the TT course was set in 2009 by John McGuinness on a Honda CBR1000RR ‘Fireblade’ motorcycle. McGuinness posted a time of 17 minutes and 12.3 seconds, equivalent to an average speed of 131mph.



DAMN, wish I'd been there this year :(

[RacingManiac]

Isle of Man, the new Ring for the car OEMs?

Not to down play how fast the bikes are, but I'd imagine a face road car can get close to the bike time?

[f6fhellcat13]

Ohio plates?

[250gto boy]

Isle of Man, the new Ring for the car OEMs?

Not to down play how fast the bikes are, but I'd imagine a face road car can get close to the bike time?

Maybe it is the new Ring and maybe it isn't, I'm sure it's just as challenging and that it takes mad skills to not fly into the ocean.

[thebrochureman]

Wow, you have to give the Subaru WRX STI saloon and the driver some respect for smashing the record.

[250gto boy]

Wow, you have to give the Subaru WRX STI saloon and the driver some respect for smashing the record.

Definitely giving him respect because I would expect something like a 911 or GT-R to break the record but I didn't know that a WRX STI could even think about hitting 163.

[Matra et Alpine]

First it's 2 minutes 45 seconds SLOWER than the bikes.

Second, it can't be a replacement for te 'Ring as it is a USED public road.
WHilst closed for thE TT the island pretty much comes to a standstill.

Finally, the "record" has lived on longer than a crappy Rover deserved.
Cars dont get to run the TT circuit and Subaru must have twisted a lot of arms to get permission

[TVR IS KING]

Finally, the "record" has lived on longer than a crappy Rover deserved.
That's just it. It's a record that only stood because no one challenged it. The Rover didn't stand a chance against a modern, powerful, AWD car.

[250gto boy]

That's just it. It's a record that only stood because no one challenged it. The Rover didn't stand a chance against a modern, powerful, AWD car.

But the real question is does the record stand up to your amazing 1990 300ZX.:rolleyes:

[Matra et Alpine]

That's just it. It's a record that only stood because no one challenged it. The Rover didn't stand a chance against a modern, powerful, AWD car.
to be honest, the Rover never really "stood a chance" against most of the cars available at the time.
It was anexcellent piece of marketing by Rover using Tony Pond's influence to get permissions :)

[csl177]

Surely Suburu will use it the same way? BTW, that vid you posted showed a good reason cars DON'T run the TT course.
A crash would be catastrophic in some places... nobody wants a car tumbling through their sitting room.

[Matra et Alpine]

Yeha the "safety barriers" barely work for a light bike and rider :)
( For those who've not looked closely yet then you will spot ONE straw bale tied around lamp posts, sigposts and the edge of garden walls !!! )

SOME parts of the TT have been used in the past (and still do) in the Manx International Rally, so some of those sitting rooms have been at risk :)

[Badsight]

a roll cage can add over 50 kg in weight

the subie is a fantastic handeling car - this has opened up a can of worms as we have no other modern sports car time to compare it

the bike times cant be compared either - far too much practice for them compared to almost zero practice for the subie driver

at the ring bikes get thrashed by cars - as they will do any time that downforce can give a benefit

bikes ought to thrash cars on most non-straight roads tho - argue all you want , most bike riders will probablly agree with you & disagree with me

when ive asked good bike riders if they can push a car harder than a bike - they have mainly agreed. im the opposite

[Matra et Alpine]

As a bike rider and car racer and TT rider and marshal here's my tuppence ...

bikes will beat cars SOMETIMES and on twisty roads most of the time.
BUt when high speed or braking is needed then the car gets most of it back.

The can they push a car question the real asnwer is most of the time on a decent road.
You cant' get past the low weight and faster acceleration of a bike.

Bring PRICE in to the equation and it's a real no-brainer :)
BUT, take each to it's capable limits and the car will win most of the time.

re practice, for sure for the last 30 seconds of differnence and that's clear to see when looking at comparative bike times in competition. BUT, it's a road 99.99% of the year and so driers/riders cant rely on it being identical and it's not smooth so odd bumps just 1" away from the line last taken makes big differences. it's a race riders have to ride with instinct and why all the "great" circuit riders wont even come NEAR the TT circuit :)

For a car, it's not too difficult to know with only a handful of corners where it's not obvious what is there and how to take it. Mark is a born Manxman and has driven these roads since he was a kid ... and while MOST Of it had the no-speed-limit now restricted to just the mountain section :)

NOT to take away from the "event", but it's not a one-off driver getting a one-off chance :) It's planned for success and if you think his experience down Bray Hill looked "bad" then check out what happens in a bike when you get that wobble there ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiKmPFo6xNA

[Matra et Alpine]

or when it's wet :(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXogcDsir-s

[NSXType-R]

First it's 2 minutes 45 seconds SLOWER than the bikes.

Second, it can't be a replacement for te 'Ring as it is a USED public road.
WHilst closed for thE TT the island pretty much comes to a standstill.

Finally, the "record" has lived on longer than a crappy Rover deserved.
Cars dont get to run the TT circuit and Subaru must have twisted a lot of arms to get permission

Yup, that's the thing- I would imagine nearly any modern car driven well at the limit would have broken that record the Rover had set.

[RacingManiac]

Cut and paste from Autosport's paid section...mod delete this if not appropriate....



Mark Higgins on facing a wall at 150mph

Mark Higgins became a YouTube sensation after enduring 'the biggest moment of my life' on the Isle of Man last week. He also lapped the TT course at a record 113mph, and spoke to David Evans about his achievement

By David Evans
AUTOSPORT rallies editor



Triple British Rally Champion Mark Higgins set a new record for the highest average speed around the Isle of Man TT course last week.

In the process, he endured the biggest moment of his life at 150mph on the streets close to where he grew up.

That moment – along with the record – have turned the Manxman into motorsport's latest YouTube sensation as more than half a million people have now watched his moment.

AUTOSPORT caught up with the former Ford WRC driver to find out what he thought of powering over the mountain and breaking Tony Pond's record that had stood for 21 years.

Q: How did this project come off?

Mark Higgins: It's something I've been trying to do for 10 years or more now, but I'd never been able to put it together. Then Subaru America started pushing and wanted to do it. My brother David is obviously committed to Subaru USA, but he was so busy over there that he just didn't have the time. That's where I came in. I had a gap in my schedule and was really pleased to be able to do it. In fairness, it was a great call to take. The only downside was that, because I was busy in the lead up to the week, I had very little preparation time.

Q: How prepared were you?

MH: It was okay. Obviously, the car and everything was great - that was all fine - but what I wanted was time on the track. I'm not necessarily talking about driving the circuit quickly or anything like that, just being out there, looking at the road and looking at the lines I want to take. Don't forget, we were going to be coming past the grandstand at 120mph and, obviously, that's not something I'd ever done before. There were a lot of questions about how the car would react, which was the optimal line to go into Bray Hill, things like that. When Tony Pond did it in 1990, he'd been around the track something like 20 times, but there wasn't anything like the time for me to try and do that. I ended up going out at four and five in the morning to drive around.


Higgins is a Manx rally idol © LAT
Q: How much of an inspiration was Tony Pond's long-standing record?

MH: A massive one. What with rallies and other stuff, I hadn't actually been on the island for TT week since Pondy's record in 1990, so I remember it well. And it was only when you really start working on this record attempt that you realise just what an achievement it was for Tony to do what he did in the car. I watched the video from Tony's run so many times and I really think his achievement was underrated. You know, for every 1mph we wanted to beat his average speed by, we had to be 20s faster around the whole lap. To do what we did, we had to go 2m30s quicker than he had.

Q: He was in a standard Rover 827 Vitesse, was your car standard?

MH: It was. It was prepared by TEG Sport. We had a standard car with some slightly different dampers, some better fuel, a roll cage and a couple of seats. The brakes were standard, but we did have a straight-through pipe on the exhaust, which made the car sound fantastic. But it was a standard car.

Q: And the tyres?

MH: Pondy was on slicks, but we were on track day tyres which were road legal. They worked brilliantly.

Q: What was that first run like?

MH: Well, it really was the first run I did. I hadn't been around the course in the car flat-out at all until the first of three runs. It wasn't the best of starts for me, either. The [TT motorcycle] race [that had been running before Higgins' attempt] had been red-flagged after an accident in which a rider was killed, but once I got in the car, everything was fine. I was able to focus and just drive. I was on my own for that run and it went well. We got to 113mph, which was amazing. My heart rate must have been up around 200bpm for lot of the lap. I'd been given this great car - a really quick car - essentially, a 37-mile stage to drive as fast as I could. It was unbelievable. As you can imagine, coming from the Isle of Man, I've driven those roads a lot of times, but this was just something else.

Q: And then there was the second run – and that moment. Tell us about that.

MH: On my way through Bray Hill the first time, I'd gone flat through there and there had been a bit of a bump, but nothing too bad, so I set off to do the same again. Second time through, I had a journalist in the car with me – he was an American doing a big story for a magazine out there. To go with him, there were 10 cameras and quite a lot of kit in the car. We think this is what might have caused the problem. We were on the same line and at the same speed, but the extra weight in the car caused it to react differently in the compression.


Higgins didn't hold back one iota
Q: Did you have time to think?

MH: You kind of go into self-preservation mode. The car started to slide one way, then the other. Mid-way through the last slide, I thought: 'If I don't collect it this time, the next option is where do we lock the car up and spin it down the road?' If we'd gone off, it would have been a big one. Everything slows down in moments like that, but it was absolutely the ride of my life. The data shows we were at 150mph when it happened – that was quick enough. I have to say though, I wouldn't like to play poker with the guy co-driving for me: he was told not to move during the lap and I'm really not sure what he was thinking, but he didn't move a muscle – amazing!

Q: What was the rest of that lap like?

MH: We weren't as quick. Obviously, that wasn't the best of starts, but we had a bit of an overheating problem later in the lap which sent the car into a 'safe' mode for a while, costing us a bit of time. We did an average of 111mph, but I was still sure we could beat the 113 mark.

Q; And you got one more chance?

MH: I did. I was on my own again for the final run and we did it, we got to 115mph, which was fantastic. The buzz I got from this whole thing was just incredible. I've been fortunate enough to do a lot of rallies and win a few and a few titles, but I really think this achievement is right up there and probably even above anything else I've done in my life. The spectators at the side of the road, the guys on the bikes, everything, it was just an amazing week.

Q: Could you believe the speeds you could do?

MH: Not really. That was kind of the point. I had no idea what sort of speeds we could carry through the corners. You drive a car at 120mph and you really think you're travelling, but everything is different again when you get up above 160mph.

Q: What was the fastest you went in the car?

MH: We were clocked on the radar at 162mph on Sulby Straight, but I'd say we touched 165 into Greeba Castle.


Subaru USA backed, thus explained the Ohio plate and LHD car...

[Matra et Alpine]

Had posted this elsewhere but worth reminding that on the TT circuit "great(er) saves" are made daily and they dont make a big hullaballo about it :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxKo684bH2E

[csl177]

^^^ Right on. And for them, the consequences of not collecting it are far more harrowing.

[Matra et Alpine]

Mates tell me that next lap round he actually waved to the folks standing there and the camera :)

[f6fhellcat13]

Presumably with his throttle hand so he wouldn't even be tempted to use it. :P

[Matra et Alpine]

rule of bike racing ... NEVER take the hand off the throttle :)

[DesmoRob]

My god do those boys build speed!! Thanks for sharing that, Peter. Nice to see they were unscathed. The one Joe Cool came to a real smooth sliding halt and jumped right back on his feet like nothing happened lol.

[Sledgehammer]

It looked like he slid on his armored back plate for a bit which would have absorbed alot of damage.

[Matra et Alpine]

"Jo Cool" :) == Keith Amor.

Local guy !!!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/29919_403803942652_554942652_4828302_3900642_n.jpg

Really happy to talk about bikes all day long ... surprisingly in this shot so was John ! Given that both team mates bikes had failed at the same spot .... something to do with the beers that magically appeared from the pub for them :) Gotta love Isle of Man law !!

[Matra et Alpine]

Found Tony's effort in the Rover :) 21 YEARS ago !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6noOET7Eik

[Matra et Alpine]

Subaru USA released a new video.

Good production and fantastic - so much better than all the Ken Block cr@p :)


Check out "the moment" from 4.00 and great overhead shot of his "moment" at 5.10

DEFINATELY watch it in full 1080 HD :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFlSG9_Ue4A

So it turns out "the moment" was all down to having a lardy american reporter on board :)

[RacingManiac]

Great video....love the Subaru Boxer soundtrack....

[Matra et Alpine]

yep, kudos to Subaru USA for making the music QUIETER than the boxer :)

[clutch-monkey]

great vid, still don't want to buy one though :p
looks like great scenery to race through as well.