Green Motorsports: Subaru Hits the Track To Improve the Breed

EVs To Be Added for 2022 Series

Since the launch of the Nitro RallyCross racing series in 2018, Subaru Motorsports USA has been the only auto manufacturer continuously sponsoring a race team. The racing is rough, taking place on custom-designed dirt tracks with plenty of sharp turns, berms, the traditional Joker Lap pass and 100-foot gap jumps, all at speeds of more than 100 mph. The conditions are punishing by any measure, but through it all, Subaru’s teams have dominated the series.

While all other Nitro RallyCross series Supercars feature inline-6 engines, Subaru Motorsports brings its 2-liter boxer-6 engine to the track for each of its entries. The 600-horsepower turbocharged all-wheel drive Supercars showed the other teams what podium finishes look like throughout the 2021 season.

That will shift next season as Subaru will introduce an electric Nitro Rallycross Supercar based on a compact SUV chassis. Its prototype FC1-X was shown at Glen Helen. With 1,000 horsepower in the all-electric power plant, it is expected to launch from 0-60 in 1.5 seconds, which is faster off the line than Formula One race cars. Other OEMs are expected to join in and create their own fully-electric Nitro RallyCross Supercars for the series, but details are not available yet.

Brand Enhancement

Clean Fleet Report caught up with the Subaru Motorsports Nitro RallyCross race team at its California stop on the 2021 schedule at Glen Helen Raceway, where series mastermind and current race leader Travis Pastrana piloted one of three Subaru entries, along with NASCAR and Formula One veteran Scott Speed and European Rallycross champion driver Norwegian Andreas Bakkerud.

Subaru Motorsports USA’s Motorsports Manager William Stokes told us that Subaru has supported the series since inception and through expansion from one motorsports course to this year’s stops at five courses in Utah, Minnesota, Arizona, California and Florida. 

Involvement as a motorsports team sponsor has the effect of raising the brand’s profile with existing and potential customers. Even though the track cars are 500 pounds lighter than their WRX STI brethren and have customized race spec brakes, suspension and gear boxes, Stokes emphasizes that the brand reaps benefits by showing race fans what the cars are capable of.

The durability of the Subaru-built Nitro RallyCross race cars is demonstrated at each stop on the schedule by their ability to withstand dirt track unpredictability, wind, heat and landings, but the takeaway for the everyday driver is that Subaru’s all-wheel drive system presents a superior driving experience in any conditions. The company prides itself on the fact that every vehicle it produces is all-wheel drive, meant to handle any and all limited grip situations, according to Stokes, with the goal being “stability and security.” (Ed. note: the exception to the AWD-all-the-time is Subaru’s BRX, which is a platform shared with Toyota)

Reaching Beyond the Track

The outreach from Subaru’s involvement in Nitro RallyCross extends beyond spectators at the tracks.

Racing and performance enthusiasts will take a look at an Outback, Legacy, Crosstrek and Forester as daily commuter vehicles, Stokes said. Local dealerships had a representative who met with local customers at each stop on the 2021 tour and gave away swag, and the Nitro RallyCross race cars are brought out to Subaru enthusiast events like Subiefest and to dealer grand openings. In addition, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation Subaru race car drivers make young race fans’ wishes to meet a race car driver a reality.

Stokes said that Subaru’s goal is to convey to the existing and potential customer that it is “more than a car company“ because it cares about performance, safety and the community. Racing allows Subaru to get the message out not only to Nitro RallyCross spectators at the track, but also to a global TV audience via NBC broadcasts, and to live streamers through NBC affiliate Peacock and its web series Launch Control. A full eight hours of streaming time were dedicated to Nitro RallyCross race weekends on Peacock this season, plus one hour of post-race highlights coverage on NBC.

For Subaru, its presence in dirt track motorsports has the effect of cementing its branding as a manufacturer of safe and capable vehicles. 

Next Year’s RallyCross Series

In addition to adding electric cars to the grid, in 2022 the Nitro RallyCross racing series is expanding to 10 stops, including one in Canada, to put Subaru Motorsports’ Supercars and its competitors’ to the test in ice and snow. Also in 2022, EV Supercars will compete in their own class in the series.

In the meantime, Subaru continues to show what it stands for as a car company through its participation and success in the Nitro RallyCross dirt racing series.

Story by Michele Spencer. Photos by Michele & Subaru

Michele’s Bio: A fixture in Southern California car culture, Michele got her start in automotive journalism as a radio personality co-hosting three hours of car talk once a week. She now writes test drive reviews and human interest stories about all things automotive, from product launches to industry trends and racing.

Subaru track action (short video)