First, let us say we’re sorry for the site acting funky lately; we’ve received a few emails from folks saying it’s been down, we apologize. We’ve had some problems with our hosting company, we’re working through them and things should be back to normal soon.

We want to give as much of a recap as possible from our shakedown this past weekend at Pocono with the Robin Hood Rally. The picture above is of the car we’re running, a 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi (check out the new TSOL logo we’re testing out). As of recently the STi was very stock, now it’s been assisted with a Cobb tune, downpipe, TIEN 16-way adjustable coilovers, Perrin swaybars and anti-lift kit among other things. For this shakedown it was stock interior but for the Rally it will have a 6 point Autopower rollcage, Sparco seats and the rest will be stripped. We’re running Nitto NT01 tires and are still testing brake pads. For more info on the event and a few more pics and videos, read on…

Since the Robin Hood Rally is being made into a TV show, there were always cameras around, the producers said 27 cameras in total at Pocono. One of the more interesting yet unexpected things was the use of a helicopter for camera work. The pilot was fearless, often only 20 feet off the track and following cars, pretty neat. We took a short clip of him following someone down the front straight:

While we’re at it, here’s another video, this of our Two Seats Or Less Racing STi on track. Notice the stealthy silence:

We aren’t allowed to say too much about the Rally or how we’re doing, given the TV aspect, though there isn’t much to report given this event does not count towards the points. We can tell you that one of the ideas behind the Robin Hood Rally is to help out some folks along the way; in Pocono the Rally gave $1,000 to the Girl Scouts of America “Girls and Gears” program, read the article here. We’re proud to know that although we’re having fun racing, some other folks are benefiting, even if only on a small scale. Additionally we met some really nice people who are also competing, while the competition will be fierce, it’s nice to know at the root we’re all just car people.

Beyond that, initial testing of the Subaru was mostly a success. We learned quickly that given the weight of the car, the increased HP and some left foot braking, our street/track brake pads were not up to snuff. So, back to the drawing board on that and on to stripping the interior and making it safe with addition of the cage, seats and harnesses.

We’ve got a lot to do before the first event May 21-22 in Berlin, New Hampshire. Wish us luck or come to an event and cheer us on!