Speaking of goals, Crawford Performance set a course record at MMP last year of 1:37.54 with the 2004 (converted to 2006) Crawford Widebody WRX STI. One of this year’s objectives was to see how the new Orange 2008 WRX STI would compare to the Silver Widebody WRX STI’s times at MMP. Another objective was to see how the new 2008 WRX STI would fair in comparison to the veteran Time Attack cars. Thirdly, we thought it would be fun to take our relatively stock Blue 2008 WRX STI to Utah and give track rides to the general public. Overall the focus was on gathering information, spreading the word about the beauty of all wheel drive, having fun with the fans, and to help generate some exciting content for the folks at Octane TV.

Gathering and creating useful comparative information is always a challenge. The Skunkworks crew acknowledged firsthand that perhaps the comparisons wouldn’t be quite fair, the older Crawford 2006 widebody WRX STI having just over three years of R&D into it and the new 2008 WRX STI just having a tad under five months of time under her belt. In addition, the team also realized that many of the other contenders had anywhere from five years to over a decade of R&D in their respective platforms. All things considered, it would be very interesting to see how far off the pace Team Crawford and the Orange machine would be.

And interesting it certainly was. While the weather was a blistering 90+ degrees off track and an additional 20+ degrees on track, plenty of teams were having heating issues, including the Crawford 2008 WRX STI. With some creative engineering and last second tuning, team Crawford was able to make adjustments to run a 1:37.24. That time was fast enough to beat the old Crawford 2006 Widebody WRX STI’s track record and was only a mere .3 seconds off the this year’s first place position.

Such a performance not only excited the Skunkworks crew but also driver, Tarzan Yamada. He was ecstatic with the 2008 Subaru’s performance, “This Crawford car is amazing, there is no under steer, the car turns in very quick and the power and braking are superb… of course there are still several things to focus on. But it’s very impressive to see how far Crawford Performance has developed this 2008 STI in such a small span of time. I am even more excited to see and drive the car five months from now!”

Certainly Crawford Performance cannot take all the credit. The complete recipe consisted of fantastic driving from Tarzan, a combination of excellent motorsport accessories from our partners, engine management tuning, and the superb design of Subaru’s new 2008 chassis. All of which made it possible to create such a potent package.

Fortunately quite a few spectators were able to experience some of the new WRX STI’s performance too… in a minor fashion of course. While the Orange STI sat in the garage for data downloads, Tarzan hopped into the Blue 08 STI to give a few lucky fans and spectators rides. Rides were given all weekend long to as many people as we were able to accommodate. In the end, everyone was exhausted from the 14hr drive to Utah , the 115 degree heat on the track, and competing with some of the country’s best Time Attack vehicles. But seeing the smiles and laughter of the all passengers and talking with all the fans made the trip well worth the effort.

Thank you to all the Crawford Skunkworks Partners and Supporters. We eagerly look forward to the remainder of our Time Attack season. Be sure to catch us at Willow Springs on July 12^th for a Super Lap battle qualifier and for the Auto Club Speedway event in Fontana CA when we run a portion of the Nascar Oval.

Long live the Fraternity of STI !

Images: http://www.crawfordperformance.com/news/db_imgview.cgi?linkID=49

HD Video: http://www.crawfordperformance.com/videos/

Crawford Skunk Works Partners
Subaru of America, Inc.
Hankook Tire
TEIN USA
Torco Race Fuels
NGK Spark Plugs

Crawford Skunk Works Supporters
MOTUL
Garrett Turbos
RECARO
JE Pistons
The DriveShaft Shop

Contact:
Chris Escamilla – Crawford Performance
4168 Avenida De La Plata Ste. 116
Oceanside, CA 92056
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760.631.2927

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