Boxers @ Baxter is a BIG success!

The 2nd annual dealership-sponsored "Boxers @ Baxter" kicked off at 6pm on July 9th.  With well over 200 Subarus and over 300 attendees, the event marks the largest Subaru meetup held in Nebraska.  This event was hosted by Baxter Subaru in Omaha, NE in cooperation with Subaru of America and Vermont Sportscar.  Fans gathered with their Subies to check out the Subaru Rally Team USA display and rally car, got free food and giveaways, and enjoyed the company of their fellow owners on a sunny Saturday evening lining the lot with their cars.  From brand-new WRXs to 70s classics, there was a wide range of models present for people to check out.

Below is a full archive of photos from the event plus a short video walk through of the meet!

Season 4 of Launch Control Begins!

Subaru and Formula Photographic have teamed up again for a 4th Season of their "Launch Control" series that follows their motorsports programs.  Earlier this year the film team was spotted in the snow with David Higgins just before the RallyAmerica National Championship kicked off at the Sno*Drift Rally in Altanta, MI.  After the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, they mentioned that Season 4 would return in late spring.  Today the wait is over!

While it might be July today... the series starts in mid-March as Higgins and Pastrana battle it out at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood (which I was at) in Missouri!

As usual, if you follow Subaru Motorsports already, you know what the outcome of each race will be.  However, Launch Control has been a sought-after series to follow for enthusiasts because of the stories that emerge from each event that don't show up in the results at the end.  They deliver once again with their 4th season kicking off today, so fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks as the series continues.

RS and STI Rallycross (Video)

I have been working on my 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS Coupe since September of 2013.  As I have repaired it, I have also been building it up for use in our local NRSCCA Rallycross events and it has been a fantastic car for the job!  I've shared the wheel dozens of times... but never really quite like this last weekend.  Usually I have a co-driver tag along with me and we'll take turns driving my coupe through the dirt course, but on June 26th things were a little different!

A bit of a perfect storm allowed me to have a little more fun at this event.  I had two friends who wanted to drive the RS with me, and I couldn't really say no to either of them.  Having a 3-Driver car would be a bit hectic.  However, this time around I was the Event Master (EVM) so I decided I'd have a little fun of my own.  While both my friends competed with my RS coupe, I decided to get my other car a little dirty. 

I competed with my 2016 WRX STI Series.HyperBlue at this event!  As Event Master, I didn't really technically have to "compete" to gain top points for this event... so it was the perfect opportunity to just have FUN with this weapon of grass destruction and take it easy as needed.  A few rougher portions of the track could've wreaked havoc on my front bumper with the longer approach angle the 4th Generation WRX STI has if I had been pushing like I usually do.  That didn't stop me from getting sideways rockin the number "75" of my rallying hero David Higgins.

I had long thought that the WRX STI had become more of a street machine than a out-of-the-box rally car like they used to be.  However, the dinosaur EJ25 under the hood and incredible AWD system reminded me this car still has rallying pedigree in it's 5W-30 blood.  This Hyper Blue head-turner was absolutely amazing to drive... even with all-season tires on it!  The steering and suspension and power worked great together as I slid and sped through turns!

Both cars were fantastic for this event!  The driver and co-driver in my RS clawed to 1st and 3rd in their class and even a 3rd-place overall finish.  My "Higgins Blue" STI managed to complete the event in 4th overall.  I imagine with some decent rallycross tires and a will of iron would've even yielded stronger results, as the car was only 3 seconds off of my rallycross-prepared RS.

Enjoy the GoPro footage of both of these cars running through the course below!