Subaru Club Racing Team on a Roll
-- Subaru Scores Its Second 1-2 Finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway --
CHERRY HILL, N.J., Jan. 18 -- Following a successful race week at the Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, the Subaru Club Racing Team posted a second consecutive 1-2 finish at the Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend. The Subaru Club Racing Team is sponsored by Subaru of America, Inc.
Team Subaru drivers Dave Rosenblum and Kristian Skavnes finished first and second after dicing with strong competition in the form of BMW M3s and Dodge SRT-4s. Fresh from their 1st and 2nd place finishes in Sebring the week before, the Subaru Club Racing Team headed into Homestead-Miami Speedway wary of an all-new infield configuration for the race. The team started with a blank slate, as none of the SCCA Club Racing competitors knew what to expect in terms of lap times and car setup.
Teams and drivers with prior track knowledge needed to adjust their approaches and speeds to measure tire and suspension wear due to the unique stresses from the steep banking between the last and first turns. Touring 2 drivers competing against the Subaru Team showed up in cars such as the BMW M3, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and Dodge SRT-4, among others.
Saturday's Qualifying Session occurred in sunny, dry weather but under very windy conditions which tended to disrupt car balance at high speed and more so on the banking. Although qualifying times were undisclosed due to technical timing difficulties experienced by the SCCA, the team's independent timing confirmed the competitiveness of the BMW M3 and Dodge SRT-4. The subsequent Qualifying Session for the Touring 2 group began early on a dry Sunday with temperatures in the low 50s. Under less windy conditions, team drivers Skavnes and Rosenblum qualified in 2nd and 4th, respectively, for the race later that day.
At the start of the 21-lap race, Skavnes made short work of the BMW M3 which had started in pole position, moving past on lap 2 and leading the T2 field for most of the race. Rosenblum began his race mired in a sea of slower T1 cars and found himself four-wide down the front stretch traveling into Turn 1. After some skillful braking maneuvers and determined driving, Rosenblum eventually overtook the SRT-4 and the M3 to slot into 2nd place behind teammate Skavnes. Rosenblum went on to earn the race victory with Skavnes finishing in 2nd. By finishing 1-2 at Homestead, the Subaru Club Racing Team impressively duplicated its Sebring results to earn maximum points and establish a successful road racing debut of the 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.
Next Race: SCCA Club Racing Nationals on February 18-19 at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC.
About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of nearly 600 dealers across the United States. Subaru makes the best-selling All-Wheel Drive car sold in America based on R.L. Polk & Co. new vehicle retail registration statistics calendar year-end 2004. For additional information visit http://www.subaru.com/.