Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team Ready to Launch at X Games Barcelona

CHERRY HILL, N.J., May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team will kick off its 2013 season with a three-car effort this Sunday at X Games Barcelona. Returning to race the trio of 600 hp Subaru PUMA WRX STI RallyCross cars, will be three-time European RallyCross Champ Sverre Isachsen, BMX icon and seasoned RallyCross driver Dave Mirra and Skate legend Bucky Lasek, in his sophomore year competing in RallyCross. 

The team, managed by Vermont SportsCar, has been extremely busy in the off-season updating and evolving its Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive powered Subaru PUMA WRX STI RallyCross cars, and is eager to test their mettle against the World's best again in 2013. The RallyCross event at X Games Barcelona will take place on specially constructed dirt and tarmac course within the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, the stadium that hosted the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

The 2012 Global RallyCross season was a learning year for the new Subaru PUMA team.  The Subaru PUMA WRX STI RallyCross cars were freshly built and in constant development throughout the year as they battled the well developed RallyCross cars of established European teams.  At the conclusion of 2012 the team began an intense re-development program with the cars, stripping them down completely and re-building and re-engineering them based on the knowledge learned in 2012.

"The car is completely rebuilt and went through major changes," explains Bucky Lasek, driver of the #81 Subaru PUMA WRX STI. "It feels very different, in a great way, along with being stronger and more reliable."

"I had a very good test with the car last month and it immediately feels better than last year's car," commented Sverre Isachsen the driver of the #11 Subaru PUMA WRX STI. "The team has done a fantastic job this winter, and the car is better in every area."

A majority of the X Games Barcelona track will be dirt, which is a departure from the nearly all-tarmac courses the GRC featured in 2012. "I'm really excited about the amount of dirt," said Dave Mirra.  "I've done four years of stage rally so that could be an advantage for me going into my first race of the season. The only downside is the possibility of dust."

The Global RallyCross Championship has expanded in 2013 to include International events as well as USA based rounds. The International rounds include competition at Global X Games events in Barcelona, Spain and Munich, Germany.  The series returns to the USA for six state-side rounds this summer including a round at the Los Angeles X Games as well as rounds at legendary NASCAR tracks such as New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

Engage all season long on Twitter and Instagram with #SubaruRally.

About the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team
The Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team is managed by Vermont SportsCar and proudly supported by Subaru of America, Inc., PUMA, Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Method Race Wheels, BFGoodrich Tires, RECARO and Race Proven. For more information on the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team, as well as exclusive photo and video galleries, visit subaru.com/rally and follow the team on Twitter: @srtusa.

About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States.  All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit media.subaru.com.

Dominick Infante
Subaru of America, Inc.
856-488-8615
[email protected]

Michael McHale
Subaru of America, Inc.
856-488-3326
[email protected]

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.