Scott Speed and Subaru WRX: Project Midnight Set New Mount Washington Hillclimb Record

MT. WASHINGTON, N.H., Aug. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru Motorsports USA driver Scott Speed set a new overall record at the 2026 Paul Giblin Memorial Climb to the Clouds this weekend, taking victory in the Subaru WRX: Project Midnight with a time of 5:11.982 on the Mount Washington Auto Road.

The record adds another chapter to Subaru Motorsports USA's history on North America's oldest hillclimb, where Travis Pastrana set the previous overall benchmark of 5:28.67 in 2021 at the wheel of the 862-horsepower Airslayer STI. Where that run came on a mixed-surface version of the 7.6-mile course, the now fully-paved Mount Washington Auto Road presented a different challenge, one ideally suited to Project Midnight's focused tarmac-hillclimb design.

Speed and the Subaru Motorsports USA crew built toward the record throughout the weekend. Following two days of half-course runs on Friday and Saturday, competitors were set for two full runs up the mountain on Sunday – but as teams prepared for their first runs, a thick fog engulfed the upper mountain. Organizers made the call to shorten the first run and move the finish to mid-mountain, leaving the afternoon ascent as the field's sole opportunity to record a full-course time. When the opportunity came, Speed delivered, using Project Midnight's purpose-built combination of power, aerodynamics, and grip to claim the overall victory and lower the record by an incredible 16.688 seconds.

"After I saw the time, it feels awesome!" Speed said. "I'm glad to be able to throw down a time that was so much faster than any of us expected…This was a big mental challenge for me. It was so exciting. I pumped my fist at the finish line, and I don't normally do that."

"With us going last, you can wait until it looks clear at the top and it still might not matter, because it takes five minutes to get there," Speed added. "This was the only time I ran the full mountain this weekend, and a lot of things had to go right. Huge thanks to Subaru, everyone at Mount Washington for putting on this event, and obviously our partner Yokohama for bringing a special tire for us."

A key part of that effort came from Yokohama Tire, which developed bespoke tire options specifically for Project Midnight's Mount Washington record attempt. Speed selected the Yokohama ADVAN A005 slick for the event, which uses a compound built from the company's road-racing slick platform. The tires are designed to reach peak grip quickly and hold that performance over the short, intense climb. With wear less of a concern on the short 7.6-mile run, the focus was on immediate response, confidence, and maximum grip from launch to summit.

The result continued Project Midnight's streak as one of Subaru Motorsports USA's most specialized performance machines. Debuting at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Vermont SportsCar-built Subaru WRX was created as the quickest and fastest WRX race car ever built by Subaru Motorsports USA, pairing extreme weight reduction, advanced aerodynamics, and a highly developed SUBARU BOXER powertrain with Speed's experience from Formula One, rallycross, and time-attack competition.

With Speed's record-setting run, Subaru Motorsports USA continued a remarkable run at Climb to the Clouds, setting the overall record for the fifth time in five appearances, adding Project Midnight to the line of Subaru machines that have defined the modern era of Climb to the Clouds.

Don't miss out on the action, follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and on TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.

About Subaru Motorsports USA

Subaru Motorsports USA is directed by Subaru of America, Inc., managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by MOTUL, Yokohama Tires, R53 Suspension, Triple-R Lights, Antigravity, and Peplink. Follow the team online at www.subaru.com/motorsports.

Follow Subaru Motorsports USA on Facebook, on Instagram @subarumotorsportsusa, and on TikTok @subarumotorsportsusa.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of about 640 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants, including Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise ®, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $340 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged over 115,000 volunteer hours. Subaru is dedicated to being More Than a Car Company ® and to making the world a better place. For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

James Tate
Motorsports Marketing Manager
Subaru of America, Inc.
(856) 488-8622
[email protected]

Dominick Infante
Director, Corporate Communications
Subaru of America, Inc.
(856) 488-8615
[email protected]

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.