A day with Subaru at Sepang

Sepang International Circuit is one of the best-looking race tracks in the world. Wide, sweeping turns, tricky sections, and grandstands strategically located to give as expansive a view possible. The 5.54 kilometer circuit has a total of 15 turns, the trickiest set of which must be turns 1 and 2. Coming from a flat-out blast past pit lane, it’s a tight right-hander into a descending left that can unbalance a car that’s gone in too quickly.

On a particularly good day for Mclaren-Mercedes driver Juan Pablo Montoya (meaning he did not wreck his car again), the cocky Colombian posted the current lap record of 1’32.223. From 306 kilometers in 6th gear, an F1 driver must decelerate to 78 kph (experiencing 1.6 G’s while at it) into Turn 1, glide as much as possible through Turn 2, and then get back on the gas into the sweeping Turn 3 (258kph). Then he has to keep it planted at least 150 meters before the 90-degree, uphill Turn 4, where he’ll have to brake from a little less than 300 kph down to 110 kph. That’s a 2.1 G section, folks; twice your body weight pushing you forward from the seat while you’re trying to stick to the racing line.This year at Sepang, as the 2nd scheduled race of the Formula One season, Renault driver Fernando Alonso proved that his season-starting win at Melbourne was no fluke. And last week, Motor Image Philippines gave us a whole day to thrash their cars at Sepang to prove a point: Subarus are one of the best when it comes to machines that love to be driven hard. Not Formula One-fast, of course, but fast enough give mere mortals a gratifying adrenaline rush.

As the exclusive distributor of Subaru automobiles in the Philippines, Motor Image Philippines brought us to Kuala Lumpur for its annual Advanced Driving Course, a weekend of classroom instruction, race track exercises, and flat-out fast lapping sessions. Subaru owners are given the rare opportunity to bring their cars to the track and find out just what their all-wheel drive wheels are capable of. As it turns out, the cars are plenty capable. Fully two dozen owners showed up with their Impreza WRXs and STi’s, with the rare Legacy among all this horsepower. Meanwhile, members of the media from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the Philippines had a fleet of Impreza TS’s, Forester Turbos, and Legacies to use.

With Head Instructor for the course being one Sean Khoo, Sepang’s official Safety Car driver and one who’s got a two-page resume thick with certifications and accomplishments (he could also pass for a Jackie Chan stunt double, if Mr. Chan actually needs a double these days), the classroom sessions were plain vanilla for the more experienced drivers in the media. Typically, the noisier ones would also turn out to be the lousier drivers. On track day, one of the Hong Kong media enjoyed the Forester’s four-wheel drifts too much, lost control, and narrowly missed smashing into the queue of waiting cars (with us in one of them) at the slalom exercise. Perhaps he didn’t hear the instructor’s lecture on the laws of physics; all-wheel drive will help you pull yourself out of a dicey situation, but it won’t save you if you’ve exceeded the car’s performance envelope.

Morning sessions consisted of hard braking, lane changes, and several slalom courses, all designed to get us reacquainted with Subaru’s famed all-wheel drive, BMW-like steering and braking precision, and low center of gravity courtesy of their insistence on sticking to horizontally-opposed engines. Several years ago, we raved about the Forester’s dynamic handling but ranted about its lack of sufficient ponies under the hood. Problem solved this time at the helm of the 177-horsepower turbo Forester, which we’d drive flat-out around the track in the afternoon. Surviving the exercises and driving the cars enough times to get familiar with the cars’ steering response, braking feel, and handling attitude at the cost of several shredded cones, we were let loose on the track with only a few guidelines: let the instructor guide you for a lap, don’t ignore the yellow, blue, black, and red flags that may come up on your lap, and try to come back in one piece. Oh, and don’t forget to have fun!

On my first lap in the Forester, the instructor takes the wheel and gives me a running commentary on how to attack each turn. He (I didn’t catch his name in the heat of the moment) gives it in such a laconical manner that I almost don’t notice the speed. We’re hitting 200kph on the straights, at the limit of the street tires’ adhesion in the turns, going so fast that only the sport seats keep me from sliding all over the cockpit in the curves. We actually pass a few 220-plus horsepower Impreza WRXs. When it’s my turn to drive, I’m all over the track for the first lap and think of a good excuse: "I’m used to left-hand drive!". I pretend not to notice his grip on the door panel tightening. And then he tells me to enter pit lane, whereupon he steps out, wishes me a good time, and groggily heads toward the nearest comfort room.

Sean Khoo then gives me the go-ahead and I’m off(!), exiting pit lane just as a WRX comes up behind. I fumble through Turns One and Two as quickly as possible so he can pass me, after which I have nothing but clear track behind and ahead of me. While part of me is wishing I’d chosen a Legacy to drive instead, the rest tells me the Forester in turbocharged form isn’t too bad a deal. Apart from the taller driving position and more body roll in the corners than with the sedans, Subaru’s SUV drives quite unlike any other SUV in recent memory. Smooth power delivery, sharp steering, supple suspension… Subaru fans will be in for a treat when this SUV is introduced early next year when Motor Image Philippines formally opens its doors to the public.

After another solo lap, I’ve gotten the hang of the track and the car. Some turns like a late apex with lots of gas; the "symmetrical all-wheel drive" makes sure none of the power gets wasted in wheelspin. Though Subarus are biased towards protective understeer, experienced drivers can step on the throttle right after most apexes and balance the car with steering and a little 4-wheel drift. Before long, I’m actually lapping the odd Impreza or two.

Turn 13 is a sweeping right that transitions into the acute right-hander that is Turn 14. Although it’s not recommended if your goal is a fast lap time, it is an excellent opportunity to try out the Forester at trail-braking. As Turn 14 looms, gently squeezing the brake pedal scrubs off speed as the rear end of the car gives the slightest hint of a drift. Turn completed, straighten the wheel, get back on the gas, and realize that you’ve just done something very few car-based SUVs can do without spinning loose or maybe even rolling off into the gravel traps. Wonderful!

By my sixth lap, I peek down at the speedometer and realize I’m actually hitting 190kph on the straight sections. So too, it seems, does Sean, who has just noticed that 1) I am the only one among the media who has not yet returned into the pit, 2) the Forester I am driving already had smoking brake pads from an hour of being thrashed by other drivers before I’d even gotten in, and 3) I am about to be swamped by the dozen owner-driven STis that have just exited pit lane and are set on finding out how fast their cars can go at Sepang. The red flags are waved for yours truly, and so I return to pit lane. Unlike a Grand Prix, no mini-skirted promo girls are present to greet the graduates of Subaru’s Advanced Driving Course, but for Subaru fans, this is Christmas Day after 364 days of babying their high-performance cars everywhere else.