Most people know about racing on the street. This is called street racing and it is very intense. They weave through traffic and avoiding cars, while trying to avoid getting caught by the cop. Many people love to do this because it is a way to increase their adrenaline and they just have that love for speed, but this is not the most dangerous kind of racing. One of the most dangerous kinds of racing is rally racing. This is racing through crazy terrain like mud, dirt, ice, and more. They are going over crazy jump and weaving around tight turns in the middle of the no where.
There are many competitors that try to win these races. They are daredevils with a passion for racing. Some of the strongest teams have been Subaru, Audi, Lancia, and even Porsche. They create production cars with some crazy modifications. These changes to the car can add up to 2 feet in width to the car and over 600 horsepower. They normally have sequential transmission, which means that each gear is in a straight line, in order to improve response time. They are manual because the driver needs to have full control over the car at all times. With all of the terrain issues, each driver has a co-driver that gives them directions. This job is extremely important because even a small discrepancy can cause a crash.
One car that has been a longtime competitor in rally racing is the Subaru WRX STI. This car has been a strong racer since 1998 with the 22B model. This car, and its archenemy, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution were winning rally races like nobody else in the early 2000s. The STI has a 4-cylinder box engine that is capable of a lot of power. It is commonly known that they have a headgasket issue. This has caused some problems for those who drive this car on the roads, but only if they are modifying their cars for some crazy power. In terms of rally racing, the headgasket is changed out to a stronger one that will not break.
Sadly, in 2008 Subaru annouced that they would stop competing in rally races around the world. This was due to their new focus on some other cars like the BRZ. This is a low to the ground, front engine, rear-wheel drive sports coupe. They partnered with Toyota to make this car fun for the driver and create an overall good experience. This car did get some backlash though with the lack of power that the car comes with from the factory. This can be easily fixed with some slight tunning and modifications to give this car some heart. Subaru have recently announced that they will return their focus onto rally racing and that in 2022 they will return to the scene. Hopeufully the king of rally can return to their throne and once again set a new era of racing.
Here is a video from DirtFish that shows the craziness of rally racing.