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Subaru of America isn’t done setting records in the Subaru WRX STI. This weekend Travis Pastrana set a new record of 5 minutes, 28.67 seconds at the 2021 Mt. Washington Auto Road. He drove the new Gymkhana Subaru WRX STI that pumps out 862 horsepower, and broke the record by more than sixteen seconds.
Pastrana said, “This car is the perfect machine to do it. Coming off a second-place finish at Goodwood, I wanted to set a new record here to show what the car could do in the right environment. Luckily we had good weather this year, and I knew if I could get a clean run in, I’d have a great shot at the 5:44 time. So much fun, and I can’t wait to do it again next time!”
The previous record on the 7.6-mile Mt. Washington Auto Road was held by Pastrana in the 600 horsepower Subaru WRX STI performance car set in 2017. Subaru says the highly developed aero package on the Airslayer STI provided a significant downforce advantage against the 600 horsepower WRX STI performance car used in 2017.
The 862-horsepower WRX STI made its competition debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb Shootout July 8-11, where Pastrana took second place in the climb up the 1.16-mile Goodwood hill.
This could be the last Subaru WRX STI with a gas engine to set a record on the mountain. Subaru used a specially-built 2.3-liter turbocharged Boxer engine in the STI. Subaru says they started with a production Subaru WRX STI shell, and then the performance car was fully caged and lightened to just 2,623 pounds. That’s over 800 pounds lighter than a stock STI, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 3.0 lb/hp.
Pastrana called the 7.6 mile Mt. Washington Auto Road “the toughest road to drive flat-out in the world.”
The next Subaru WRX STI that sets the record could be a next-generation all-electric or hybrid STI with more power and torque than the 862 horsepower gas model. Subaru won’t stop challenging the mountain, and records are meant to be broken. Stay tuned.
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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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