West of Tacoma, east of Aberdeen, in the lower reaches of the Olympic National Forest, there’s a flash of yellow and blue between the trees. It’s not unusual at this time of the year.
The engine note is familiar, just not quite as urgent. It’s the same. But different.
Say hello to WRX ARA25L, Subaru Motorsports USA’s latest and all-new rally car. Built by Vermont SportsCar, this is the firm’s second tier rally car – a step down from the full-fat Open class version Brandon Semenuk is using in his pursuit of a fourth straight American title.
This is Travis’s car. WRX ARA25L belongs to Subaru, but this is, in every sense, a Pastrana-driven machine.
Stepping out of the car at the end of his first morning with the car, the all-American hero’s grin spreads further and wider than ever before. He’s happy. His plan has worked. And this weekend he gets to show it to the wider world at the Olympus Rally, his first outing of the 2025 ARA National Championship presented by Kubota.
Pastrana described the WRX ARA25L as a "driver's car"
“This thing is so much fun,” he smiles. “You’re sliding more with this car, more sideways. It feels more like the old days of Colin McRae, where you’re just kind of backing it in everywhere as opposed to the cars that are now running for [pure] speed.”
Semenuk’s WRX ARA25 is precision-built, downforce-planted, pure-bred race car.
Built to a different, far more cost-effective agenda, WRX ARA25L runs in Limited 4WD. Describing the difference between the two cars, Pastrana reaches for the perfect two-wheeled analogy.
“It’s like a 125 compared to a 450,” he says. “You can run a similar lap time, I think, I hope. We’ll see this weekend. You’ve got to shift it a lot more, you can’t just get on the gas and expect it to pull you out of it. It has a more limited power band, and you have to be in the right gear at all times. And it’s kind of a driver’s car.
“The Open [class] car is really locked to the ground, the suspension soaks everything up. This is more like a monster truck – you’re kind of bouncing around a little bit more, you’re sliding a little bit more.
“I’ve got a smile on my face the whole time and you’re talking a lot less money for a car that’s still so much fun to drive, and it’s still quick.”
Subaru Motorsports USA’s James Tate explained some of the thinking behind WRX ARA25L.
He said: “We’d like to be able to showcase what we can do with OEM parts, we’d like to make it more accessible and I think this gives the competitor the chance to compete against Travis Pastrana.
“Travis seemed pretty excited by the car after his first run. It’s a very Travis-compatible car, one you can grab by the scruff of its neck and toss it around.”
Limited 4WD regulations mean Pastrana's car has a smaller turbo restrictor than Semenuk's Open class version
In more detail, WRX ARA25L runs Subaru’s 2.4-liter FA24 Boxer engine with a factory turbo, which is restricted to a Limited class-mandated 33-mil with a 2.5-bar boost limit. The combination of those parts produces around 315 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque.
The transmission comprises an X Shift six-speed sequential gearbox and three-plate carbon race clutch. For suspension, R53 springs and dampers are mated to a combination of Subaru OEM and VSC hardware, while Bremo four-pots and 300-mil discs bring the stopping power.
No wonder Pastrana’s ready for the weekend.
