Mark Higgins improves his record on the Isle of Man with the Subaru WRX Prodrive

Last week we told you how the Subaru WRX STI, improved by Prodrive and driven by Mark Higgins, had considerably lowered the previous record for the street circuit of the Isle of Man in a road car, which also appeared in the records with the British driver and the Japanese sports model.

On the first attempt, the British driver, who was born on the Isle of Man, a place well known to two-wheeled racing enthusiasts, recorded a time of 17 minutes, 49 seconds and 75 hundredths, or in other words, an average speed of 204 kilometres per hour.

This weekend, driver and car would once again face off against the most spectacular and dangerous street circuit in the world. Higgins and the Prodrive WRX STI had a second attempt to beat their own record once more, and no, they did not waste it.

Man and machine merged once again to battle the streets, kerbs, signs and lampposts of the Isle of Man. On this second occasion they managed to stop the clock 14 seconds earlier than on the previous attempt. In this way, they completed the course in 17 minutes and 35 seconds, with an average speed of 207 kilometres per hour.

The figures are getting ever closer to those achieved by experienced riders and their racing motorcycles, who risk their lives on every metre of the circuit. The Prodrive Subaru WRX STI reached a dizzying top speed of 290 kilometres per hour.

The organisers had scheduled three attempts for Higgins and his Subaru to race against the clock but, unfortunately, a terrible accident in the motorcycle race with fatal consequences forced the third lap to be cancelled.

As we reported a few days ago, the vehicle had been specially prepared for the occasion, both in its engine and in its chassis. This car, weighing less than 1,200 kilos, produces 600 horsepower, which means it has half a horsepower for every kilo. A staggering figure. This allows it to accelerate from 0 to 100 in 2.5 seconds.

Other parts such as the chassis, transmission, brakes and aerodynamics have been suitably adjusted for this event. The tyres are slicks signed by Dunlop, which are used in the British touring car championship.

Source | Subaru