Photograph courtesy Jake Harris.
Sponsors can offer more than cash or more go-fast parts; sometimes they can offer emotional support, too.
Such is the case for the main sponsor listed for this Impreza WRX STI: “My cat Beans!” driver Jake Harris proudly exclaims.
That’s just a fraction of this Subaru’s story, however, which began back in 2014, when Jake bought the car–then showing 30,000 miles–for use as a daily driver.
“It carried my wife and me across the Sierra Nevada, through Utah's national parks, and to Fresno SCCA autocrosses,” Jake explains. “I focused on driver mod with just a sway bar and 200tw tires for a long time. Eventually I did my first HPDE at Laguna Seca, beginning an addiction that still hasn't faded.”
That, of course, led to a desire to build the car into something even faster–not surprising, really, for someone who flew fighter aircraft for a living:
“As time, money, and a demanding career as a Navy F/A-18 pilot allowed, I learned to build the car myself. “
Luckily, a transfer from California to Rhode Island and then to South Texas to be an instructor for the T-45 trainer allotted Jake more time to focus on further building and autocrossing the Impreza. (Jake also notes that, during this time, he learned to tow with a “well-worn” 1999 E-350 that has “become its own never-ending project.”)
Of the several upgrades Jake listed, the most notable include a short block from IAG Performance, a Blouch Dominator 1.5XT turbocharger, Racecomp Engineering Tarmac 2 coil-overs and 18x11-inch WedsSport wheels wrapped in Vitour P1 tires.
Likewise, the air conditioning, heater core and “much of the interior aft of the B pillar” have become “casualties to weight loss,” Jake says.
So what’s next in this Subaru’s story? Our search for the fastest track machine on four wheels, the Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge Presented by Grassroots Motorsports.
Virtually anything is welcome to compete, so long as both car and driver pass a safety inspection. If that’s something you can meet, enter today.
Set for October 22 at Eagles Canyon Raceway, we’ll be sharing the weekend with the Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge and its selection of wicked-fast racers.
The Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge is presented by Grassroots Motorsports in association with Wilwood, Vitour Tire, CRC Industries, Red Line Oil and Racetech, with trophies from BimmerWorld, Nine Lives Racing, Falken Tire, Vbox Motorsport and American Muscle.