Subaru has announced that its motorsports subsidiary, Subaru Tecnica International (STI), will participate in the 45th Nürburgring 24-Hour Race to be held at the Nürburgring in the Eifel region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on May 25-28, 2017, entering a vehicle based on Subaru WRX STI.

The WRX STI will run in the SP3T class for turbocharged vehicles up to 2.0 litres, a class many leading European manufacturers will again enter this year. Subaru is aiming for its third consecutive win and fifth overall in the class. This is a landmark year for Subaru - its 10th year entering the event since 2008.

To improve acceleration and maximum speed, the race WRX STI has increased engine output, paddle shifters, and enhanced transmission performance. In addition, the car has optimized chassis geometry, improved stiffness, reduced body weight, lowered the moment of inertia, and increased front downforce, among other improvements, maximizing the base WRX STI’s inherent speed and responsiveness.

Shigeo Sugaya of STI will manage the team, as he did last year. The drivers will be Carlo van Dam (Netherlands), Marcel Lasée (Germany), Tim Schrick (Germany), and Hideki Yamauchi (Japan), who were all involved in the victories of the past two years.

In addition, six mechanics carefully selected from Subaru dealers around Japan will join the team to support the race effort. Subaru has had dealer mechanics participate in overseas races since 1990, a unique initiative aimed at improving the technical skills of its mechanics. Through the end of 2016, 351 Subaru mechanics had taken part in Safari Rallies, World Rally Championships, and the Nürburgring 24-Hour Races.