- Wildest Gymkhana car yet takes on Australia, from Outback to Bathurst.
- Subaru Brataroo the most aero-capable car ever built for the series.
- Travis Pastrana's third and final outing. He's impeccably dressed.
The 500kW active-aero-equipped Subaru “Brataroo” has made its film debut in the latest instalment of the Gymkhana film series, Aussie Shred.
It's a wild ride of compact utes and Aussie landmarks, as Hoonigan pays tribute to the country that coined the phrase "hoon" (or is that New Zealand?) with a special visit.
It's Travis Pastrana’s third Gymkhana film, and claims to feature the "biggest jumps, closest calls and craziest tricks in a Gymkhana film to date".
Pastrana takes on the Outback, Sydney’s Harbour and Bathurst’s Mount Panorama in the Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo, a re-imagining of a 1978 Subaru Brat ute and engineered as a purpose-built Gymkhana weapon.
Subaru of America and technical partner Vermont SportsCar (VSC) crafted the Brataroo to corner, slide and fly in fine fashion, utilising the most advanced active aerodynamics on a Gymkhana car to date.
It features a turbocharged 2.0-liter boxer engine delivering 500kW/922Nm and revving to more than 9500rpm. Hence the name.
“The Brataroo is hands-down the craziest Gymkhana car we’ve ever built,” says Pastrana. “Every part of this car was designed to take the abuse we threw at it while making this film. From hanging two tyres off a pier to flying across a 10-story-deep canyon gap over a road train. Skimming across a deep lake and scaring myself every step of the way.”
In Gymkhana tradition, the film features a host of cameos from local motorsport stars, including two-time Dakar Rally champion Toby Price, Subaru WRC driver Chris Atkinson, Nitro Circus BMX riders Ryan Williams, Jaie Toohey and Will Brown, and a field of V8 Supercars drivers who challenge the Brataroo to a rolling drag race down Mount Panorama’s Conrod Straight.
The star-studded lineup also includes Moog and Marty of Mighty Car Mods, the last of the V8 Interceptors and the Mad Hueys performing the noblest of Aussie traditions, the shoey.
“Australia had long been at the top of the list of potential Gymkhana film locations,” says 321 Action Action director and Hoonigan co-founder Brian Scotto.
“Ken Block and I attempted to shoot Gymkhana Nine there, but were met with a resounding no, because of the climate of anti-hoon laws at the time.
"A decade later, when we reapproached the Australian government, we were met with open arms. This combination of the unfinished business we had down under and this being Pastrana’s last film in the series, not only makes it very special to me, but also put the pressure on to push the limit of what we could do both in the car and behind the camera.”
Enjoy, and check out the Subaru Outback, um, "stunt" right at the end. We know a couple of Kiwi motoring journalists who did something very similar on the first-gen Outback media launch in 1995...
