The Subaru WRX continues to rack up its long list of rally milestones with a debut win at the 2023 American Rally Association (ARA).
The next-gen Subaru WRX won its debut rally race
More specifically, the first-place victory at the penultimate 2023 Ojibwe Forests Rally marks the debut win of the next-generation WRX. Behind the wheel was driver Brandon Semenuk alongside his co-driver Keaton Williams. Subaru Motorsport USA and Vermont SportsCar took part in building and testing the car.
“Perfect debut for the next-gen rally car! First event with the new car, and a nice summer day to wrap up its first win. Thanks to the entire team for the mega effort this year,” said Semenuk.
The team started strong on Friday, staying on top of the leaderboard across the eight rally stages. It is said to be a “remarkable debut for an all-new platform.” What’s more impressive was that the car didn’t experience a single mechanical issue.
A strong weekend for the next-gen WRX
However, the remaining stages on Saturday saw a punctured tire near the end of the day. Regardless, the team still managed to finish first place overall with the next-gen WRX – which also secured Semenuk and Williams’ second straight ARA championship win.
The team will be returning for the final rally stage of the calendar at the Lake Superior Performance Rally in Michigan. It will be happening from October 13 to 14, 2023.
“This is a trick event to bring a new car to. The weekend has been all about the team; they’ve done an amazing job to develop a car like this, so hats off to them. It’s been a really good weekend,” said Williams.
The Subaru WRX is back where it belongs
While we cannot watch the rally action live in the US, Subaru Philippines is offering the next-gen WRX with a starting price of Php 2,608,000. It is also available in a wagon body style. Both come with a 271-horsepower 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer-four engine and the brand’s award-winning EyeSight technology.
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