Turbocharged models to hit track

The Taupo 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 series will be making its first appearance at the ITM Taupo Super400 from April 19 to 21 and Subaru NZ is providing the race control vehicles for the category. 

Subaru’s WRX is no stranger to motorsport and the performance model’s credentials are founded on gravel, with many years of rallying in its portfolio.

Subaru has also provided a stable of WRXs so conference and incentive customers can tackle the track at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell since 2016. The model has a larger capacity 2.4L turbocharged boxer engine, which delivers 270hp, and 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.

This is the first time the WRXs will be performing duties for Supercars and the championship’s CEO Shane Howard says the maqrue is a favourite to motorsport fans around the world.

“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.”

There will also be special edition WRX models on the track over the Supercars weekend: the WRX Tatsu – Japanese for dragon in WR (World Rally) Blue, and the WRX Aka – Japanese for red.