SCC: Utah: Subaru Road Racing Team preview

Subaru's Grand-Am Title is About Numbers
- Round 9 of Koni Challenge Series Treks to Salt Lake City -

2188, 111, 2.5x2, 4.486, 18 and 1.

No, these numbers aren't this week's picks in a bizarre lottery. They represent the numbers the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) needs to cope with in order to come one step closer to the Drivers' Championship for Kris Skavnes and co-driver Andrew Aquilante when the series makes its penultimate stop of the Grand-Am KONI Challenge season.

The ICY / Phoenix Racing hauler will have to roll 2,188 miles from its home base in Phoenixville, Pa., to Salt Lake City, carrying the #111 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B race car for a 2 ½-hour race on the 4.486-mile Miller Motorsports Park layout. The race is scheduled to take the green flag at 11:15am Mountain Time on Sunday, Sept. 21.

And if Skavnes and Aquilante finish in first place against more than 35 registered entrants driving cars spread over seven other manufacturers, that 18th career pro race win will place SRRT driver Skavnes first in the points going into the season finale at Virginia International Raceway.

The team's Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B race cars are originally manufactured at Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA), in Lafayette, Ind., as factory showroom vehicles and subsequently prepared by ICY Racing / Phoenix Performance.

"Coming away with a podium finish at the recently-opened New Jersey Motorsports Park facility, it's a testament to both the Subaru Road Racing Team and our Legacy 2.5GT spec. B race cars to have two of our drivers (Kristian Skavnes and Chuck Hemmingson) solidly in the contention for the Drivers' championship," said James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA). "Plus, we have our 21-year old driver, Andrew (Aquilante), vying for the Rookie of the Year award."

"The Miller track configuration doesn't breed mishaps and dozens of laps behind the safety car, like we had at the most recent race," said ICY / Phoenix co-owner Joe Aquilante. "Last year's race had only three laps of that, so we simply have to run hard, either be the leader or keep the leader in sight, and put together a flawless refueling stop and driver change."

The Salt Lake City race will be televised by SPEED TV to air Sept. 27 at 3pm ET.

-credit: srrt