2024 Subaru WRX Rally Car Unveiled Ahead of 2024 ARA Championship

2024 Subaru WRX Rally Car

Subaru Motorsport USA has unveiled its newest rally contender, in the form of the 2024 Subaru WRX Rally Car. Sadly, this competition-spec WRX won’t be participating in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), but instead in several regional rally championships like the 2024 American Rally Association (ARA) Championship, where it’ll compete in the Open 4WD class.

Fully-built by Subaru’s racing technical partner Vermont SportsCar, this rally-spec WRX is powered by a 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbocharged ‘Boxer’ engine with a 33 MM-sized restrictor plate and 22-psi boost limit – granting it a total system output of 320 HP and 515 NM. This setup is mated to a SADEV-sourced six-speed sequential manual gearbox that sends the output to all four wheels via Subaru’s proprietary all-wheel drive (AWD) system.

2024 Subaru WRX Rally Car (left) & Subaru WRX sedan (right)

For comparison, the road-going WRX is powered by a bigger 2.4-litre 4-cyl turbocharged ‘Boxer’ engine that makes 271 HP and 350 NM. Instead of a rally-style sequential gearbox, the standard WRX is offered with either a six-speed manual or a CVT automatic gearbox.

Back to the rally car, the WRX Rally Car features a carbon-fibre wide bodykit, as well as gaining several vented panels on the hood and a big rally-style rear wing at the tailgate. As per any Subaru rally cars before, this new WRX also gets Subaru’s iconic blue-and-yellow racing livery with the marque’s six-star emblem.

On board, you’ll find several rally-specific equipment, including a fully seam-welded body shell with FIA-compliant roll cage. This strip-down interior also comes with full bucket seats from Sparco with a HANS device for additional protection for the drivers, while the standard fuel tank has been replaced with a 82-litre Kevlar fuel cell. All in all, the 2024 WRX Rally Car manages to tip the scale just over 2,900 pounds (1,315 KG) – as per ARA’s regulation.

Canadian rally driver Brandon Semenuk (right) & his co-driver Keaton Williams (left)

In charge of driving Team Subaru Motorsport’s WRX Rally Car in the upcoming 2024 ARA Championship are Canadian rally driver Brandon Semenuk, co-driven Keaton Williams. For the second half of the season, Subaru will employ a second car, which will be driven by renowned stunt performer and 2017 ARA Championship winner Travis Pastrana.

Prior to the 2024 ARA Championship, the 2024 Subaru WRX Rally will make its racing debut at the upcoming Ojibwe Forests Rally, happening from Aug 25 to 26, 2023.