Subaru USA's wunderkind Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edström finished 10th in class at their second international showing in Argentina. Not as good as their 5th place finish (15th overall) in Mexico (see photo), but still a decent performance for such a young team. However, this is still the Production Class, and the team is sponsored by a American arm of a Japanese company that already has an international team (albeit a shadow of its former self). They still have a ways to go if they're going to get anywhere near the likes of French Superstar Sébastien Loeb and the Citroën Team in the real WRC, and since seven of the eight top finishers are non-english speakers driving cars that are not even available in the States, there's not a lot of hope for US marketing potential here.
Meanwhile, Suzuki is coming up from the Juniors to play with the big boys in a modified SX4. Testing continues in the south of France. Can we expect a turbocharged version of this toadstool-looking car on the showroom floor? Sure, it wouldn't have the power of the Evo or WRX, but with a much lower price and curb weight, it could make a splash in the market. Especially with $3+ gas prices. Just no stupid wing please.I'm just talking out of my ass, anyway. I'll stick with my little old Impreza coupe until I have enough cash for another wagon. All this new stuff does for me is push down the prices of the late models so that I might be able to afford one some day.
Finally, in the big racing news, the Jim Stewart 400 Nextel Cup got rained out on Saturday. Need I say more?
No comments:
Post a Comment