Subiefest is an all-Subaru Car Show and Time Attack that is arguably the biggest all-Subaru event in the United States. The main event is undoubtedly the Time Attack where enthusiasts from all over the country converge to see just who has the fastest Subaru. Shops and individual owners alike show up to take a turn at the track and prove their mettle. So when we heard that the 4th annual Subiefest all-Subaru Time Attack would be taking place at Willow Springs in Rosamond, Ca, we loaded one of the the race cars we support into the transporter and headed for Southern California. While COBB Tuning is the preeminent tuning solution for many import tuning applications, tuning Subarus started it all, making Subiefest is a must.

With a successful season in SCCA IT-E under his belt, hot shoe Cameron Benner decided to fly the COBB Tuning banner in the very competitive Subiefest Unlimited Time Attack Class. This is basically a run-what-you-brung all-out slug-fest, with the top Time Attack competitors spending big money for ultimate bragging rights. Cameron’s car had been fully sorted from a season of racing and he was confident that he would be able to make a good showing. Unfortunately, just one week before Subiefest, Benner’s victory at the Oregon Region IT-E Finals took its toll on his 2006 STI racer. Transmission and turbo damage were evident and would need to be repaired.

Third gear was no longer working and there was not enough time to pull the transmission, disassemble, fix and reassemble. Tim Bailey, the Top Tuner at COBB Tuning Surgeline, decided to donate the drivetrain from his 2004 STI in order to speed up the rehabilitation. Big power is required for Unlimited Time Attack, especially at Willow Springs, and the COBB Tuning Surgeline team decided to replace the ailing Blouch Dominator 3 with a GT35R rotated system. Once all the parts were acquired the swapping and wrenching began in earnest. The drivetrain transplant went without a hitch while the uppipe and downpipe were meticulously heat-wrapped and the turbo kit was installed.

The COBB Tuning Surgeline crew had the car together and on the dyno the day before it needed to be on the trailer heading south. With VP 110 in the tank, the car was able to put down a solid 460hp and 370lb/ft of torque. The power was limited because the car still has a mostly standard fuel system with larger injectors and a single fuel pump. For really big power, a dual Walbro setup with a surge tank and an inline fuel pump would be ideal to really flow the go-juice, but there was no time left in the schedule. With the car prepped, tuned and on the truck, COBB Tuning Surgeline was ready to do battle with the fastest Subarus in the country.

Subiefest has always drawn an interesting mix of cars, from lightly-modified street cars to full-blown race cars. It is always a bit tough to judge the competition. In addition, the classes are a little ill-defined, so often times street cars with too large a turbo to be in the street or modified classes get mixed in with highly tuned racing machines. Cameron’s car fell somewhere in the middle of all this. While it is a stripped out, bare bones race car, it is made for putting together fast laps over 30 to 45 minutes of racing. Longevity and consistency are a big part of this car’s breeding. Many of the other Time Attack cars were purpose built for maximum speed and cornering ability for the traditional 3 timed laps before they overheat or the tires go away.

Once on track it quickly became apparent that Cameron had brought a knife to a gunfight. The LIC motorsports car driven by Russ Warr and the Harman Motive car driven by last year’s winner JC Meynet were both running bigger tires, more aero enhancements and bigger power. Subiefest 3, which was held at the same track the previous year, had a top time of 1:28. Early practice times were already well below last years record lap!

Cameron had a steep learning curve to deal with. Willow Springs is a very fast, technical and high-risk track. Cameron was thrown into the deep end of the pool by needing to learn this difficult track in just a few short sessions prior to the Time Attack sessions. Furthermore, Time Attack is significantly different than traditional circuit racing. There is little warm-up time and furiously fast laps need to be pulled out on command. Undaunted, Cameron went out and layed down the fastest laps he could, pushing hard and looping his STI a few times in the pursuit of ever faster lap times. While he was unable to match the incredible speed of JC and Russ, he was able to lay down a low 1:29 lap time which secured his third place finish. This year’s winner, Russ Warr, pulled at fastest lap of just over 1:22, fully six seconds faster than the winning time from just one year before!

The COBB Tuning crew was also on hand in the booth promoting products and answering technical questions for the throng of Subaru enthusiasts on the ever present quest for more power. Dan Brumett, a COBB Customer Service Tech from COBB Tuning HQ in Salt Lake City, had the opportunity to install a brand-new AccessPORT, that was purchased at the event, on a 2009 STI. 10 minutes later the proud new owner had noticeably more power on tap and smoother power delivery!

Cameron is already in the planning stages for his visit to Subiefest 2010 and venturing more heavily into the Time Attack world for next season. More power, bigger tires and a completely reworked suspension are part of the future development. In addition, expect to see the COBB Tuning “Clock Car” to make a return to Street Class competition soon. For more information on race car preparation, tuning and other services, contact www.cobbtuningsurgeline.com.