The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is as hardcore as it gets It's an uphill race, exactly 12.42 miles long, climbing up 4,720 feet and featuring an absurd 156 turns. Racing up, one side of the course is a variety of dangerous cliffs plummeting endlessly into oblivion, while providing a from-the-inside-of-an-airplane-type view of what seems like the entire state of Colorado; on the other side, there is an assortment of dirt walls and massive trees ready to destroy any road-straying racecars at will. At the very top of the mountain, oxygen is virtually nonexistent; the altitude is nearly three miles above sea level, leaving lungs gasping for air. Pikes Peak is a race that's as punishing as it is frightening.
And anyone daring to go up inside a racecar that will inevitably see 130 mph-ready straightaways and death-defying hairpin turns is, more or less, nutty. Enter Masayuki Akaba and his rocket, the 2003 KIT service Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Masayuki is a veteran rally driver with 27 years of rallying experience; he raced in Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Europe. This is his third attempt in so many years to become king of the hill, and for the second year in a row he is piloting the KITservice Impreza up into the clouds. Though he knows the dangers involved with a race like Pikes Peak, Masayuki is confident in the WRX's braking, speed, and overall performance. So he doesn't think twice about going over a cliff or hitting a tree. The car, he says, is "safe, reliable, and uses Falken Tires so [he doesn't] worry one bit."
And with all the other goodies stored inside the KITservice WRX, Masayuki is right in trusting the car. The KITservice WRX is the quintessential workhorse. Every inch of it is fine-tuned to deal with the mountainous conditions, and its survival after such a grueling race is a testament to how hard its builders worked and how reliable the parts inside are. Under the hood is the standard 2.0L 4-cylinder boxer engine (the J-specs don't get the extra .5L of displacement like the USDMers), which, as Subie owners know, is a symmetrical, horizontally opposed layout. And, of course, it's turbocharged. This STi runs on a KITservice turbo that works perfectly with the forged high-carbon steel connecting rods and aluminum alloy pistons. To help give the engine more gas a Bosch fuel pump provides improved fuel transfer throughout the lines. But it's the Injen air intake that takes the brunt of the abuse, considering air is as scarce in high altitudes as a Bigfoot sighting, while the Syms-Racing exhaust systems pumps out whatever used air it takes in.
Holding the car's load is a set of pricey Ohlins coilovers, making sure the ride is somewhat smooth climbing up the treacherous hill. Under the Ohlins are four 17x8.5 BBS wheels sushi-roll wrapped with Falken RT615 tires. Needless to say, tires are important in these types of races, where the roads change from pavement to dirt. The brakes are also equally important. The builders of the STi used Winmax Zelos brake pads and Syms-Racing brake lines, all of which are up to high endurance and extreme racing conditions. Inside the WRX is as simple as a race car can get. Aside from the sole Bride Zeta III seats and Nardi steering wheel, the cockpit is straightforward and fluff-free, making use of more of the total amount of $113,000 to build the car in other places. The exterior is a case in point. The biggest problem KITservice encountered was reducing the weight of the car. To solve the issue, they replaced select body components with an ings body kit, which is lightweight and strong. The bodywork, all done by KITservice, is fully reinforced which is a smart idea seeing that Pikes Peak can destroy a car at any turn without regard. Coating the JDM kit are the colors of Falken Tires-a familiar teal and turquoise paint scheme if you're into drifting and drift cars like Calvin Wan's Infiniti G35, which is also a Falken-sponsored ride.