well, I just spent all day this last sunday at an open lapping/AutoX event. had a ton of fun, learned a lot, and had a professional driver drive my car for a few laps. The guy who wrote this is an instructor with the Northstar BMW club, which regularly puts on major events at Brainerd International Raceway. He also won the last AutoX I was at in an STi (Corvette club event, also pics and vids of that in the Real car section).
"So I'll start with my favorite, its Black, its looks like it enjoys playing in the mud, and climbs hills and sounds a lot like Big Foot from the Monster Truck derby. I guess my mentallity when testing out a car is simple, find the most speed while maximizing the most traction. And in the case of Chux's Wagon, let’s just say it was a lot of fun trying to accomplish that goal. First thing you'll notice about this car is its ride height; she sits much higher than most Subaru's I'm familiar with. She's got some nice long legs on her, she's not much to look at, but she's got experience. The old girl really knows how to work the Subaru AWD system, going thru the fast sweeping corners you can literally feel all four just clawing around constantly searching for traction. She didn't complain much diving into the fast chachains, rotated quite well even with the body roll as if she just tiptoed around the tight corners.
The understeer is noticeable; but with the right amount of braking you can easily get her to rotate just fine, just have to be a little patient and wait for it. The power from the NA boxer engine felt like a great combination for this setup as the suspension felt soft which I think this car is intended for offroad ventures. So I am surprised how well she did on our little tight course.
I felt comfortable using the brake on this car, but than again I don't usually use the brakes very often. LOL Okay I kid, but I think this car was one who had the least issues with wheel hoping while braking when transitioning coming into the fast chachain where there was uneven pavement from two different compounds.
Something’s worth mentions, perhaps stiffening the shift with some bushings to help the driver quickly figure out the gears, a little more brake bite would make it even more fun coming into the corners and simple 4 point harness to help keep the driver in place. Overall I think it’s a fun car to drive around no matter where you take it just the way it is.
Did I mention I really like rumpping on the throttle, the exhaust nodes is what really reminded me of the Monster Trucks.
Many Thanks,
-Cheech"
pictures:
video....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y92IaEWGG2s