The Taupō-based round of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will feature some striking new Race Control Vehicles, with two bp Ultimate Subaru WRXs taking to the track.
The Supercars will be making their debut appearance at the ITM Taupō Super400 from April 19-21, and Subaru of New Zealand is providing the Race Control Vehicles for the category.
The iconic Subaru WRX is certainly no stranger to motorsport and the performance model’s credentials are founded on gravel, with many years of rallying in its portfolio.
Subaru of New Zealand has also provided a stable of potent, powerful WRXs to tackle the challenging and spectacular Highlands Motorsport Park track, in Cromwell, since 2016. As part of the Subaru WRX Experience, conference and incentive customers can enjoy the raw speed of the larger capacity 2.4L Turbocharged Boxer engine which delivers 270 horsepower and the control of Subaru’s All-Wheel Drive.
In Australia, the Kiwi adventure brand has a proud history in Australasian motorsport with 10 consecutive Australian Rally Championships from 1996-2005 and consecutive New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) wins from 2001 to 2007. From 2008 onwards, Subaru rally cars have won the NZRC five more times up to the present day.
This is the first time the WRXs will be performing duties for Supercars but their race pedigree will ensure they are right at home.
Supercars Chief Executive Officer, Shane Howard says Subaru is one of the world’s great brands and a favourite to motorsport fans around the globe.
“We are thrilled to announce the partnership with Supercars, showcasing Subaru as part of our bp official vehicle fleet,” Howard says.
“It’s fantastic to integrate these ultra-high performance WRX vehicles into our championship for 2024.”
Subaru of New Zealand’s Head of Brand Marketing, Daile Stephens says: “We are so excited to partner with Supercars for the first time and provide two of our iconic performance focused WRXs as Race Control Vehicles.”
“The Supercars platform allows us to showcase the latest generation WRX model to motorsport enthusiasts, whilst supporting the all-important race and safety officials that make this much-loved event possible for the fans,” Stephens says.
Along with the WRXs performing their race control duties, there will be some special edition WRX models on the track over the Supercars weekend. They are the WRX TATSU – Japanese for ‘dragon’ in WR (World Rally) Blue and the WRX AKA – Japanese for ‘red’.
Subaru of New Zealand’s supply of WRXs is part of an Australasian partnership where Subaru Australia is providing WRXs for the Australian-based rounds of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship.
