Rally School's In Session - Intel

When BFGoodrich invites you to come out and slide around some Subarus with the guys from Dirtfish Rally School, you’d have be an idiot to say no. And if driving the wheels off a car you don’t own isn’t enough, the Subaru Rally Team would be on-site doing test and tunes in preparation for the X-Games, which means one thing—ride alongs.

To say it was a pleasure piloting these cars would be the understatement of the year. The course was tailor made in the parking lot of Auto Club Speedway where, once soaked by water trucks, we would be put through the basics of Rally Cross techniques before being unleashed. Surprisingly the BFG g-Force Super Sport A/S tires had no trouble finding grip in the wet requiring ample use of my new favorite device—the hydraulic handbrake. This little lever is fiendishly addictive and I’m even contemplating putting one in my EK, just because.

With my training completed it was time for me to get a ride in the very Subaru that won the Mt Washington hill climb earlier this year. After enduring a thrash session with Dave Higgins my body was thrown around so violently that my collarbones are still bruised from the harnesses. The sensation of grip, both longitudinal and lateral was insane and I couldn’t believe how quickly we were making our way through chicanes and hairpins. With just a little taste of Rally Cross my appetite has been whet, I just hope the guys at Dirtfish can handle me for three days!

Sources: Subaru.com/rally; Bfgoodrich.com; Dirtfish.com