Watkins Glen: Phoenix Performance preview

AWD Subarus set for World Challenge at Watkins Glen
- Subaru Impreza in Touring, Legacy WRX in Touring Car 2 -

Encouraged by a strengthened impetus to make the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car class thrive, Phoenix Performance has committed to enter a pair of Subaru race cars in Saturday's World Challenge race at the world-famous Watkins Glen International circuit, where their series joins the Indy Racing League event.

Twenty-one-year old Andrew Aquilante, Chester Springs, Pa., a SCCA National Champion, for the third time this year, will race the team's Subaru Impreza WRX in the Touring Car class.

Aquilante and his Subaru finished eighth in their debut at Sebring International Raceway and third at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

"The WCVision group of team owners, who took over the marketing responsibility for the World Challenge series, has worked with the Sports Car Club of America to create a new T2 class for cars not prepared as extensively as the Touring class," said team owner Joe Aquilante.

"Our group also races a Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B performance sedan in another series," he added. "We have a spare car which converts to the new T2 class specifications with very little work, and we have a multi-time SCCA champion to drive it."

Behind the wheel of the #32 Legacy will be John Heinricy, Royal Oak, Mich., whose 11 SCCA National Championships tally is the highest among all active SCCA drivers. Ten of the 11 wins are in cars prepared by divisions of Joe Aquilante's race car preparation company.

The Watkins Glen World Challenge race will be the 241st professional race of Heinricy's career. He has won 40 of those races, an amazing 16%. Among them are four 24-hour races at Watkins Glen between 1987-92, and shared three-hour race wins at WGI in 1993 and 1997.

"From the Subaru production line, both the Legacy 2.5GT and the Impreza WRX use the same basic 2.5 liter, turbocharged 'boxer' engine," said Aquilante. "And both use the Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive System."

"The visual difference between the two cars is that the Impreza WRX is a five-door model, and the Legacy is a four-door sedan," added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America. "The biggest change for the Legacy will be minor chassis adjustments to accommodate the Toyo tires required in this series."

In the team's last outing with the Legacy and the Impreza on the same track the same weekend, but in different series, the Impreza was two seconds a lap quicker than the Legacy, Andrew Aquilante pointed out.

"That was because of the differences in rules, including those affecting turbo boost, and tires," said Andrew Aquilante.

"The Impreza finished third in its most recent World Challenge race, so we're coming to The Glen with the belief we can win. And we're anxious to see how the Legacy does in the T-2 class."

The Watkins Glen race, which takes the green flag Saturday, July 4 at 6pm, will be held on the track's 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course, as was the recent race.

-credit: www.phoenixperformance.net