Gymkhana GRID

Most of you have seen those three amazing gymkhana videos where Ken Block slides, spins and does more mind-blowing things with his Monster Energy Drink Subaru Impreza STI and Ford Fiesta.

With over 70 million views, these viral videos have been one of the greatest motorsports videos on the Net. If you are one of the few who haven't seen them, here they are. If you have already seen them, it never hurts to see these amazing videos one more time:

Gymkhana Practice -

Gymkhana 2, the Infomercial -

Gymkhana 3, Ultimate Playground -

Well it so happens that the king of the gymkhana felt a little bit alone in his motorsport and decided to launch Gymkhana GRID, in December 2010.

Gymkhana GRID was founded by Christopher Willard (the co-founder of the Redline Time Attack Series) and with Ken Block in to design the track, the rules and regulations and promote the sport, we can expect nothing less than a new motorsport discipline that is planned to grow the way Formula Drift has.

Gymkhana GRID is open to all types of RWD and AWD cars, and for the launch event, the Gymkhana GRID Ken Block Invitational that took place on December 3rd and 4th 2010, some of the greatest motorsports drivers were invited to compete against Ken Block himself, such as rally drivers like Dave Mira and pro drifters like Vaughn Grittin Jr, Daijiro Yoshihara and Tanner Foust.

To promote the Gymkhana GRID Ken Block Invitational, a rather fun video was released on the net, giving a first view of what's to expect, along with featured drivers (excluding Travis Pastrana because he moved to NASCAR, as teased about in the video).

The concept of Gymkhana GRID is Close to Formula Drift as it sees competitors running in duo around a "small size" course. The limitation in size of the course is practical as spectators can see most, if not all, of the action from any place around the track. The competitors are pitted against each other in two rounds, once again like Formula Drift. But that's where the similarities stop. In Gymkhana GRID, the drivers compete against the clock and are not sharing the same track, but are competing on "mirror" courses that not only require driving skills, but also a lot of mental work on the drivers as they must compete both in precision but also in speed.

The layout, designed by Ken Block, includes a high speed start, figure eights, boxed donuts, and a lot of power sliding.

The Gymkhana GRID Ken Block Invitational's final round saw Ken Block and Tanner Foust going head-to-head in similar 600+hp, AWD Ford Fiesta, and even though Ken Block blazed around the course, Tanner Foust showed superior car control skills and won both rounds to claim the first ever Gymkhana GRID trophy.

Here's the final round of AWD Gymkhana GRID pitting Ken Block and Tanner Foust -

Who said Ken Block, the founder of this motorsport, would have an easy win?

Test Drives: Subaru Forester 2.5XT, Impreza 2.0 & Impreza WRX STI A-Line

On the day of the Subaru’s hunt for a female stunt driver I got the opportunity to test-drive three cars: The Forester 2.5XT, Impreza 2.0 & Impreza WRX STI A-Line.

The Forester has grown a reputation mainly thanks to its mod friendliness, and its STI version. Picture this: an “ugly” space wagon on the outside that doesn’t attract unwanted attention, but that is hiding a 2.5 litre turbo’ed flat four on a sports chassis. Yes, it is sporting a bit more weight than an Impreza, but in STI trim, this bulldog will boil quite a few unsuspecting contenders out of the water with a melodious grunt of the boxer engine.

Better still, the Forester is one of the few cars with which you can drive to the track with a change of racing rubber in the boot and extra space in the back. Wicked? I think so!

The latest generation of the Forester is actually much better looking than its predecessors, and the high sitting position was rather enjoyable. The car feels sturdy and the torquish boxer responds well, too bad the exhaust doesn’t let it sing like a flat four should do. Unfortunately, the testing grounds were too small for the turbo to spool, but I was nicely surprised at how the bulky Forester handled in the sharp turns, with much less body roll than I expected.

Surely a tad lower and stiffer suspension would give more confidence to tackle the twisties, but as it is, it does more than its job in its target market as a family car.

Following the Forester came the Impreza 2.0R. When Subaru first launched the latest Impreza, that came only as a hatch, the market’s response was mitigated, and many people declared war on the brand that killed the traditional sedan Impreza. Personally, after the initial surprise, I grew to like it. The hatch has a better weight distribution and looks quicker too. Only recently did Subaru release the sedan version, and honestly, I believe they should have kept this version out of production. As much as the hatch still looks decent in basic stock trim, the sedan looks plain and unattractive.

Last but definitely not least, the WRX STI A-Line.

Looking very similar to its manual counterpart (other than the 17 inch rims and the absence of Brembo brakes, they are identical from the outside), the STI A-Line is the gentleman version of the manual transmission warrior due to its automatic box.

Yes, you read it properly: if one day Ken Block looses a leg, he’ll still be able to amaze us with his gymkhana thanks to the A-Line. Well almost…

It actually is a gentleman’s car in more than just the transmission: the comfy seats front and back and the gradual power delivery make this Subaru an option for families with kids. Seating at the wheel, you will be greeted by half bucket seats that will make long drives more enjoyable all the while still keeping hold of you in the twisties. The steering feels much heavier than the regular Impreza, but this gives you a much better feel as to where the car is on the road.

For those who are used to the regular STI’s kick-in-the-butt acceleration, the gradual power delivery of this model will leave you wanting for more. Sure, you can feel the turbo spooling and kicking in at around 4,500 RPM, but it won’t slam you in your seat; it comes in smoothly and once again, you’ll notice how comfortable of a ride the A-line gives. I’m not saying it’s not a quick car, for when needed it can zoom through traffic, but it’s just not as nervous as STIs usually are. A good point for some, a bad point for others.

Gear-wise, the automatic semi-manual “Sportshift” 5 speed transmission does its job smoothly, giving you the option to shift either in fully automatic mode, on the stick with a +/- selector, or at the wheel with paddle shifts mounted on the steering column. As I don’t like the car to decide for me which gear to drive in, I had some fun with the paddles, which give you quasi-instant, precise shifts with auto-rev match on downshifts. A good alternative for those who can’t bare the heavy clutch pedal of the manual WRX STI.

The 2.5l turbocharged boxer engine on this model has the same 296bhp as the manual version, but its torque has been lowered to 350Nm compared to 407Nm for the regular WRX STI, in order to preserve the auto gearbox.

Another feature that was downgraded from the manual version is the Brembo brakes, that have disappeared from behind the rims. Not to worry though, the A-Line still provides a safe and efficient braking which proved to be more than enough for street use.

Overall, the Subaru STI A-Line is a fun, powerful yet comfortable perfect for family guys (or girls) with or without kids, who want to look fast without breaking their backs on hard springs. It still delivers some fun at the wheel and the STI badge at the rear will make sure people know what they’re dealing with without telling them you’re only driving with one leg.

Note: single people can also drive it if they don’t know how to use a clutch…

Subaru's Hunt for a Female Stunt Driver

Yep you heard it, Subaru has been looking for a female stunt driver to accompany the Guinness record holder Russ Swift on his shows in Asia. The ladies that applied for the challenge were not professional drivers, just normal ladies from different walk of lives such as an air stewardess, a manager, a home maker, etc.

 Out of ten applicants only six didn’t give up to pressure and ended up making their way on the asphalt. For the event, the parking lot in front of the F1 Pit Building was divided in two: one area was made for the ladies’ gymkhana and other car control tests to take place and the second one to test drive the Forester 2.5XT and the Impreza 2.0R. The ladies were put in the hands of a stunt driver from MotorImage and started the tests. I have to admit, the event lost some interest as the gymkhana were long and slow. In the end, one lady came out domineering the event with clearly more skills than the others…

Let’s hope she agrees to go further down the path of stunt driving, it would be nice to see some local colors standing next to Russ Swift!