AZE to contest Olympus Rally using Element Rallysport's Subaru Sti rallycar
It's already been 2 months since our last competitive outing in AZE001, and now it's almost time to pack for our next event of the season.
You remember that time we did 2 events in 2 weekends?
No? Read about it HERE.
Yes? Stay here and keep on reading, things are about to get interesting.
SnoDrift was wild. It was a lot of new stuff for us, and as I was preparing for it, it was clear it would be the highlight of our season due to the complexity and logistics. But now I'm writing this, and I have a feeling that this event we're about to do just raised the bar again to a new level.
Next week, I will board a flight toward Seattle, WA, to compete in ARA's Olympus rally. Competing in a new rally is always a joy. Doing it in a different country and on the opposite coast adds a bit to it too. Even so when we get to compete in somebody else's car!
Competing across two countries and two coasts brings it's load of complexity. One of the main factor being towing options, delays and costs. Our next stop in the Canadian championship being the Rocky Mountain Rally on the first weekend of June, towing the car across the continent two times in almost a month was not possible. Too expensive, too much time off of work etc.
For these reasons I elected to reach out to my friend Tony Torchia at Element Rallysport and inquire about his own rallycar and it's availlability. Based near Seattle, Element Rallysport specialised in rallycars builds, maintenance and race support, and Tony being a friend of mine for years the choice was obvious. After a couple discussions it was arranged and the preparation could begin.
Tony's car is a 2008 Subaru Sti. Being the same chassis as AZE001 means I won't be in unknown territory. While the car will allow us to compete in the same category as AZE001(Limited 4 wheel drive), it's where the similarities stops. Tony's car is equipped with R4 suspension components, upgraded differentials, dog engagement gearbox and runs on race fuel. Needless to say I will have my hands full with such machinery! No excuses this time, for once our car should match our competitor's.
On Wednesday the 19th the crew is flying into Seattle. Michael Szewczyk is back in the right seat and Benoit Drouin is tagging along as my lead tech once again. Element Rallysport will provide the rest of the support.
Follow along on all our social media accounts as we go on and compete in the Olympus Rally and tackle some of the last WRC stages to have taken place in North America!
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