Subaru announced today that they manage to smash a 21-year-old record - the lap record of the Isle of Man TT circuit. They did it in a standard Impreza WRX STI. British Rally Champion Mark Higgins ran the 37.8-mile course in a factory Subaru Impreza WRX STI and set the new record lap time of 19 minutes and 56.7 seconds. This means he managed to set an average speed of 113mph, with a top speed of 162mph.
The previous lap record on the Isle of Man TT circuit was set by Tony Pond, on 6 June 1990, while driving a Rover 827 Vitesse. He also the first driver to smash the 100mph average speed barrier.
Subaru says that the Impreza WRX STI used to set
the new record is a standard vehicle, powered by the horizontally-opposed Boxer engine, which develops 300 PS. Subaru also says they used standard brake callipers and road-legal Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tires. However, the springs and dampers of the WRX STI have been adjusted to minimize the effects of all the bumps and jumps along the circuit.
The Subaru Impreza WRX STI was fitted with several safety features, such as MSA-specification T45 integrated roll cage, TRS race harnesses and a Lifeline extinguisher system. For a dramatic 'soundtrack', Subaru also fitted the Impreza WRX STI with a high-decibel exhaust system.
