Subaru has managed to break the long-standing lap record for a production vehicle at the Isle of Man TT circuit set 21 years ago on June 6, 1990, by the late Tony Pond in a Rover 827 Vitesse, with a production-spec Subaru Impreza WRX STI saloon driven by former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins.
In his very first run around the 37.8-mile (60 kilometers) course, Higgins recorded a lap time of 19 minutes and 56.7 seconds, with an average speed of 113mph (181.7 km/h) and a top speed of 162mph (260.5 km/h). The new record set by Higgins is more than two minutes faster than the previous record lap time.
“Setting the record was both the most exhilarating and the most frightening thing I have ever done,” explains Higgins. “The rules allow for a flying start, so I crossed the line at 125mph. I then went down through the Bray Hill junction – normally taken at around 20mph – at over 150mph. Once that tricky section was out of the way I settled into the lap and quickly got used to the balance and sheer pace of the car. In the end the lap was simply fantastic, and the WRX STI behaved impeccably,” he added.
The car driven by Higgins was a standard Impreze WRX STI motivated by a 300-horsepower turbocharged boxer engine and fitted with unmodified brake callipers and road-legal Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tyres. Subaru did, however, fiddle around with the springs and dampers adjusting them to “minimise any potential damage when the car encountering the various bumps and jumps at high speed along the course”.
