November 2, 2009 – Vista, CA – On the heels of Ken Block’s insane Gymkhana videos and the groundbreaking snowboarding/rally part to close out DC’s MTN.LAB 1.5 video, the DC Co-Founder and Rally Team Driver has joined with Subaru to make the world’s fastest cat track operation automobile for backcountry access for snowboarding. Dubbed the TRAX STI, a new teaser video from the test session for the highly-modified, snow-ready (to say the least) car is up on YouTube, and check out “0-60 Magazine’s” Web site for an interview with Block and photo gallery featuring the best photos from the session.

The TRAX STI is an experimental automobile that starts with Block’s competition-ready Subaru WRX STI before ditching the tires, adding snow cat tracks, and upgrading to some next-level suspension to create the ultimate backcountry shred car. Prepared by Vermont SportsCar, performance modifications include 400-hp and features Group N competition rally dampers made by EXE-TC and a KAPS 5-speed close-ratio dog-engagement gearbox. Under the hood sits a 2.5 liter, 4-cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled STI engine tuned with a MOTEC M800 ECU.

Completing the TRAX STI is a sleigh to be pulled behind the car, designed to hold four snowboarders, their snowboards, and all their gear. The sleigh’s body is 100 percent custom designed and constructed of hand-laid fiberglass-though the sleigh is not seen in this teaser video, look for it in future videos next year. Altogether, this is one car ready for backcountry access and snowboarding.

“The TRAX STI is a very fun project for me,” said Block. “It combines a two of my favorite things in life: driving a rally car in the snow and snowboarding in the powder in the backcountry. Having a house in Utah (the DC MTN.LAB), I get to enjoy lots of sliding around on the snow, but this project takes that to a whole new level as I can now hit up the backcountry in the fastest snow cat ever. It’s incredibly fun having the ability to push the high-power Subaru on the slopes and to backcountry spots that normal cars could never go!”

Though the project was top-secret, the TRAX STI got blown up online way before it was supposed to-it was first caught and posted on YouTube in April 2009 by a random fan with a low-quality video recorder. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0akfZWNp2E

But that was just the beginning. The new video posted this morning shows what went down in just one day of testing and driving the car. It shows the car in all it’s high definition glory, as Block puts it through its paces up snow-covered mountains, down them, and even around un-expecting snowmobilers filmed at the DC MTN.LAB and Guardsman Pass, both in Utah. Stay tuned for more video to emerge as the car gets used more and more.

“0-60 Magazine’s” interview has all the behind the scenes on the TRAX STI, including the exclusive photos of the car. It’s the place to learn more about the car, how it performs, and why Block had the darn thing built in the first place. View it here: http://www.0-60mag.com/online/?p=20459. The next issue of the magazine will have a two page spread featuring the car.

Coordinating with the launch of this new video, DC is releasing new items from Block’s TeamWorks Collection. Added to the already wide assortment of product inspired by Block and his rally racing endeavors, new items include a puffy jacket and a leather jacket. View the fresh goods now in the DC Online Store at store.dcshoes.com. http://store.dcshoes.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3631313.

This sexy machine belongs to one of our local customers who you might know as Ruthless617 on Nasioc. Rocking his brand new set of Enkei RPF-1’s, he is ready to mob the mean streets of Utah.

For those not looking to go for an agressive fitment, these RPF-1’s in 18×8 +45 with 235/40/18 tires are a perfect fit. No fender rolling is necessary! Look good and not rub, what more could you ask for?

This little neat video shows the manufacturing and assembly of Blouch’s newest bolt-on turbo line, the Dominator XTR. Blouch is known to make high quality turbos and this video shows just that.

RallySportDirect.com is proud to announce a collaboration with Invidia USA to sponsor the Raffle at The Subaru Invasion of Las Vegas during the SEMA 2009!

Come join us at the In-N-Out Burger on the evening of Thursday November 5th, starting at 7pm, for your chance to win some great prizes and to meet the enthusiasts and the manufactures who are part of this great industry!
Then come out to join us at Subaru of Las Vegas for the Saturday car show and meet, where you can show everyone why your Subaru deserves to be on top!

See you there and don’t forget to come by and say Hello!

ATI really took their sweet time on these 2 applications and you can tell just by looking at them. These babies almost look OEM when installed and will hold 3, 60mm gauges. Made from high quality ABS plastic, they will last a long while. If you’ve been waiting for a clean way to mount your gauges on the EVO X or 2008-2010 STi, than give us a call!

TOLL FREE 1-888-45-RALLY

LOCAL 801-748-4910

Also, please take advantage of our new business hours,

M-F 8am – Midnight (MST)

Sat 8am-2pm

“One of the most significant deals in rally history. That’s how news of Ken Block’s imminent move to the World Rally Championship is being touted in the motorsport press. And we couldn’t agree more.

Now don’t get us wrong. We enjoy watching Block’s famous antics behind the wheel of his purpose-built Gymkhana Subaru Impreza as much as the next guy. Probably more. But we can’t help but feel that the superstar’s otherworldly car control skills couldn’t be put to better use than pure showboating. And this deal could give him exactly that opportunity, graduating from the relatively low-visibility Rally America series to the top-tier WRC.

Since Subaru, for whom Block competes in the USA, pulled out of the WRC, Ken’s been hunting for another ride in the premier series, and reports now indicate that he – along with former Subaru driver Chris Atkinson – will be driving the 2009-spec Ford Focus WRC for the new Monster Energy Drink World Rally Team (which could, incidentally, go some way towards explaining what the two rally stars were doing behind the wheel of that old Ford Escort). Once the details are hammered out, both Block and Atkinson are expected to start next season in select rounds of the championship before challenging the full calendar the year after, presumably behind the wheel of the new rally-spec Fiesta.”

-Noah Joseph @ www.autoblog.com

PS – just in case you were wondering what video they are talking about…

LIC Motorsports 2004 Subaru STi @ SubieFest 2009 on 10.10.2009 at Willow Springs Raceway, Rosamond, CA. Running our modified class car in the unlimited Time Attack and clicking off a 1:22.591

We are just like our customers in more aspects then you might think.
When parts come in that we have never seen before, we are interested in what is included, how it looks, feels, and whats all involved with making it fit/work.

We here at RallySportDirect.com, are always thinking of new ideas of how we can pass along the information from what we see everyday to you our customers. Then the idea of “Whats in the Box?” came around.

The items are discussed in appearance, quality, fitment, and functionality. Allow you to get the best idea of what the item is, even before you have a chance to look at one in person. Some of the items will get followed up with a in-depth how to write up, so stay tuned for those. However our goal with this, is to allow you to get an idea of what the items are, why they are around, how they will benefit you and your needs.

Sit back enjoy several of the videos that we have done, and many-many more to come. So subscribe to our channel at www.youtube.com/rallysportdirect and follow us for new “Whats in the Box?”, exhaust , and track day videos!

“Subaru Drivers Ken Block and Travis Pastrana go head-to-head in driving challenge on this week’s in new episode of Nitro Circus

(October 14, 2009) Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Travis Pastrana and Ken Block will appear together on this week’s new episode of Nitro Circus on MTV (Thursday, October 15th at 10pm ET/PT). In the segment, the duo teamed up to film a fun game of H.O.R.S.E., but instead of basketball trick-shots, they performed driving moves behind the wheel of a fully-prepared Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car. Shot on location at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT, the segment features Pastrana and Block competing against each other in several wild stunts and technical driving challenges.

The Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car the pair utilized for the segment was prepared by Vermont SportsCar and features the same specifications as the cars both drivers compete with in the Rally America National Championship driving for Subaru Rally Team USA. Between filming his popular Nitro Circus TV show this year Travis Pastrana has secured his fourth consecutive Rally America National Championship, winning five of eight events run thus far in 2009. Parts of the Nitro Circus segment were filmed by Mad Media, the same production crew that has filmed Ken Block’s popular Gymkhana videos.

ABOUT NITRO CIRCUS: Nitro Circus is a television show centered around the world’s greatest freestyle motocross rider Travis Pastrana and his crew of top action sport athlete buddies.

There is a special chemistry with this group. Whether they are trying to double back-flip a motorcycle, jump out of a plane without a parachute, or flip a Big Wheel over a 70-foot gap, these guys are going hard 24/7 and there is no downtime–it’s just fast and faster.

The show follows Travis and the Nitro Circus Crew as they travel around the world setting up outrageous stunts and pushing the human body to the limit, constantly looking to innovate the world of action sports. Travis’ compound in Annapolis houses a full motocross course, foam pits and a home-made waterslide carved into a hill creating a self contained extreme sports circus.

Whether they are base jumping, sky diving, riding, driving or relaxing, this group of tight-knit, highly-skilled, adrenaline-fueled friends always take the action “to eleven” with the hammer down.”

-www.livesockets.com

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“The LEGACY B4 GT300 made its racing debut at Fuji Speedway a few weeks back in Round 7 of the 2009 SUPER GT series, marking a new direction for STi with their first fully-backed GT programme getting underway at the legendary circuit.

Subaru is, of course, no stranger to SUPER GT, having given factory support, in particular during the 2008 season, to the CUSCO-backed Impreza that had been campaigned for many years in Japan’s top motorsport category.

It hardly needs to be said, but Subaru is a brand that enjoys mythical status in Japan. The return of the make at the previous round in Suzuka was heralded as historic by many, and immediately brought a wave of fans out to see the car. That event didn’t go quite as planned however, the machine suffering a major component failure during qualifying, meaning it was unable to race.

It hardly needs to be said, but Subaru is a brand that enjoys mythical status in Japan. The return of the make at the previous round in Suzuka was heralded as historic by many, and immediately brought a wave of fans out to see the car. That event didn’t go quite as planned however, the machine suffering a major component failure during qualifying, meaning it was unable to race.

And while that’s disappointing to any die-hard fan, considering the car went from drawing board to Shakedown in under 14 weeks, the pace of development has been spectacularly quick.

Since Suzuka, there hasn’t been any additional testing (not allowed), though one respite was the fact that the car’s initial Shakedown had also been at Fuji – but just how much data can you get from a dozen or so laps? Therefore, the focus in the three intervening weeks (between Rds. 6 and 7) was of course on maximizing the strength of the component that had failed (gearbox) and making sure the car was ready to run the distance the second time out.

Well that it did.

Not only did LEGACY B4 make it through a sodden qualifying, the car ran the race distance (about 200 miles) with metronomic stability.

The silver SUBARU eventually crossed the line 18th in class.

Although a couple of laps down on the leaders, the wealth of data the team acquired was invaluable – and will be put to good use in their first ‘hard’ season, 2010 – for which this (and the two final rounds of this year’s competition) are a preparation.

As we’ve seen with so many other SUBARU forays, it’s only a matter of time before this effort is standing atop the centre step of the podium.”

-Len Clarke

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