The Isle of Man is a little island (only 32 miles long and 14 miles wide) that sits between Great Britain and Ireland. You wouldn't think that such a small island would be home to such a big race. Every year folks from around the globe head to Man to picnic and cheer around the course. This year Subaru broke the Isle of Man record with the 2015 WRX STI.
The Snaefell Mountain Course is considered one of the best natural road courses. It follows ordinary public roads that have, of course, been closed for the race. The historic course starts in the town of Douglas and winds its way to the town of Ramsey before returning back to Douglas.
A single lap on the course consists of 37 ¾ miles following over 200 bends and climbs from sea level to around 1,300ft.
Way back in 2011 Mark Higgins set a record for the fastest lap around Snaefell's in a Subaru WRX STI. His time was recorded at 19 minutes and 37 seconds. That's an average of over 115 miles an hour! Mark went and did it again this year. Driving a 2015 WRX STI, he managed to complete a lap around the same circuit in 19 minutes and 15 seconds averaging 117.510 miles an hour.
That's quite the accomplishment, but probably the most impressive part about that run is that the car being used was basically stock. They installed a nice comfy racing seat and a roll cage for safety, they opened the exhaust, and they upgraded the dampers and springs.
Not only is the WRX STI crazy fast, but it's also is one of the safest sports cars out there. Subaru is the only automaker to achieve the top IIHS pick for every car in their lineup, and that includes the WRX STI. The 2015 WRX STI has an unbeatable combo of speed and safety that makes it one of the best cars on the road.
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