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2019.03.10
"Subarists" Swarm to Fuji! SUBARU/STI Hold First "STI MOTORSPORT DAY" Fan Event

"Subarists" Swarm to Fuji! SUBARU/STI Hold First "STI MOTORSPORT DAY" Fan Eventの画像

On March 10 at Fuji Speedway, SUBARU and STI held a fan event titled “STI MOTORSPORT DAY.” Subaru Tecnica International Inc. (STI) is the company that handles Subaru Corporation’s motorsport activities, and this fan event was held to celebrate STI’s 30th anniversary. On display at the event venue, were the SUBARU BRZ GT300 (No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT) that will compete in this year’s SUPER GT series, the car that competes in the 24 Hours Nürburgring endurance race and the machines that compete in the All Japan Rally championship and the 86/BZR race events. The bad weather that was feared never materialized, so the large group of “Subarists” who gathered were able to enjoy and exciting event day.
 

 

Fan Expectations Rise with the SUPER GT Talk Show and Test Run Results
On the temporary stage set up on the paddock, the opening featured a full gathering of the Subaru race drivers and a report on the team programs for the 2019 season. Earlier, at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2019 on January 11 and then on February 13, respective announcements were about Subaru’s SUPER GT participation and the driver lineup, but his time the 2019 programs were announced again directly to the fans. Again this year, the SUBARU BRZ car No. 61 will be driven by Takuto Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi, both of whom were on hand for this event and were greeted with a big round of applause.
 



Next came the SUPER GT Talk Show, which focused on the fine results of the morning’s test runs and the team’s ambitions for this season. Team Manager Makoto Shibuya said that although the team got one win last season, he greatly regretted the fact that there had been three races when they failed to finish. He went on to say that they have found a lot of new things they want to try this season and that they are no working on the issues one by one.
 



When the two drivers were asked about the feeling of this year’s BZR, Iguchi said with apparent confidence that the car feels very good going into the coming official tests to be held at Okayama, while Yamauchi commented that the tests are proceeding at a quicker pace than last year. About this first holding of a SUBARU/STI fan event, Iguchi commented that since this was the first time he worried that that not many fans would turn up, but he was now very happy to see that so many fans did. As for Yamauchi, he talked about how passionate the Subaru fans are and how thrilled he was to actually be able to hear the cheering of the fans at the race they won last season and when Iguchi won 2nd place in the qualifying at Round 2 at Fuji.
 



New Fan Viewing Areas at the Pit and the Signaling Area. Rides with the Drivers on the Track, Too
For this event, two areas were opened up for free access by the fans in a part of the pit area and in the signaling area to allow the fans to get a closer look at the SUBARU/ST race cars. This gave many fans the opportunity to take close-up pictures of the drivers getting in and out of the cars and the team mechanics at work.




 


When the test runs were staged in front of the fans, a number of fans selected by lottery at the event stage were able to get a ride in the race cars beside the drivers as well. These selected fans couldn’t hide their great excitement at being able to ride in the All Japan Rally competition car and the 86/BZR race car on the track and experience a rendezvous run with the No. 61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT.
 

 


A Parade Run with all the Subaru cars and then the Finale
The final event was a parade run by all the Subaru cars. After the Parade Run, all of the cars drove through the pit road to the paddock. Then they gathered to park in front of the event stage to the surprise of the fans there and the drivers got out and mounted the stage for the day’s finale.

 


In fact, Yamauchi had been saying since a few years ago how good it would be to have a fan event like this, so he was naturally thrilled to see how many “Subarist” fans had turned out despite the cold weather. He promised to work hard to get good results this season so that events like this could be held again in the years to come. As for Iguchi, he said that many had probably been worried when they saw the morning weather report predicting rain, but since the rain never came, he considered it another proof of the power of the Subaru race supporters. Then he expressed his gratitude to the fans for their support and promised to use it as motivation to work together with everyone in the season ahead.
 



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